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Olympics / Team USA

Vollmer and Neal win medals in relay

Local swimmers Dana Vollmer and Lia Neal each earned a silver medal in the 4X100m relay Saturday night, losing out to swimming rivals Australia in the last two legs.

Neal, who is from Brooklyn, NY, led off the race for the Americans, and put them in a very decent position. After her 100m were up, the United States was comfortably in first place above Australia, with the second leg being held by Abbey Weitzel who held up the lead.

When Vollmer, of Syracuse, NY, took over with the third leg, the lead started to disappear. Vollmer was fresh off of racing in the 100m butterfly, meaning that she was already fairly fatigued going into the race. She began losing the lead after the first 25m to Australia to Bronte Campbell.

After her split, giving off to Katie Ledecky, there wasn’t much else that the American could do, as 100m world record holder Cate Campbell took over for Australia. Ledecky watched as Campbell took off, leaving the United States with a silver medal, including some for team members, Neal and Vollmer.

The team set a new American record in the event. It also gave Vollmer her fifth career medal, four gold and one silver. Team USA has medaled in this event in every Olympics since 1920, save the boycotted games in Moscow in 1980.

Vollmer will try to earn an individual medal and defend her 100m fly gold medal from London Sunday night. Neal’s Rio journey has already finished, only on the first day, as she has no more events left to compete in. In London, she became the second African-American woman to swim in the Olympics. She won a bronze in the same relay event in 2012.

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Dan is a Staff Writer here at DoubleGSports.com with a focus on Team USA and the Rio Olympics
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