American Dana Vollmer competed in the 2004 Olympics at age 16, winning gold in the 4×200 Freestyle Relay, but failed to make the 2008 team.
Rather than quitting the sport, she came back to take her first medal in an individual event and set a world record while doing it.
I am just so excited right now,” she told NBC Sports. “I felt good that first 50 [meters] I just got even more excited as I was coming home.
“I had kind of a bad finish—I was trying to get my hand to the wall as fast as I could. It did take me a second to look at the board. I was hoping I would be faster than I was last night [in the prelims] and I really was.
“Not making the team, I was so devastated—coming back to win a medal is incredible.”
Vollmer beat the existing record by .08 seconds, becoming the first woman to break 56 seconds.
Lu Ying of China won silver; Australia’s Alicia Coutts took the bronze.
