RIO DE JANEIRO _ Missy Franklin's difficult stretch in the pool continued Monday when she failed to advance in the 200-meter freestyle at the Olympic Aquatics Stadium.
The star of the London Olympics finished last in her semifinal heat in 1 minute 57.56 seconds, fourth-tenths of a second slower than her preliminary time.
During the U.S. Olympic trials, Franklin didn't qualify to defend her Olympic gold in the 100-meter backstroke and placed second in two other individual events.
Last week, however, Franklin declared herself to be in the best shape of her life and attributed her problems at the trials to feeling the pressure of being a four-time Olympic gold medalist.
Franklin still has the 200-meter backstroke, her signature event, and the 800-meter freestyle relay left to swim.
