Orange? Magnuson adds another silver

Photo by Mark J. Terrill

Former Tennessee Lady Vol Christine Magnuson, second from right, shows off her silver medal with her 4x100 medley relay teammates.

Photo by Mark J. Terrill

Former Tennessee Lady Vol Christine Magnuson, second from right, shows off her silver medal with her 4x100 medley relay teammates.

BEIJING — Christine Magnuson is silver again.

The former University of Tennessee swimmer helped the United States finish second in the 4x100-meter medley relay Sunday.

“It’s pretty amazing,” Magnuson said. “Natalie (Coughlin) told us afterwards that it was an American record. It was a great way to end the meet.”

It was the second silver medal for Magnuson, adding it to the one she won in the 100 meter butterfly — an incredible showing for someone who has swum internationally for less than two years.

She was asked afterwards how she’d have felt if she knew going in that she would come out with two silvers.

“Alright!” she said. “It’s pretty awesome. I’ll take that.”

Australia shattered its own world record of 3 minutes, 55.74 second with a 3:52.69. The U.S. was also well under the mark at 3:52.30.

Magnuson performed well. She entered the pool a body length behind Australia’s Jessicah Schipper and touched off to anchor Dara Torres in roughly the same spot. Her time of 56.14 for the leg was slightly better than Schipper’s 56.25.

Schipper is the swimmer Magnuson edged for the silver in the 100 fly. Lisbeth Trickett, who won the 100 fly, anchored Australia in the relay.

The race started out even enough, Coughlin matching Emily Seebohm through the first leg, but Australia’s Leisel Jones outswam Rebecca Soni in the second leg, the breaskstroke, posting a time of 1:04.58 to 1:05.95. Neither Magnuson nor Torres could make enough of the ground.

It has been quite an Olympics for Magnuson.

First, the Tinley Park, Ill., native posted a time of 57.10 in the butterfly - a race that was supposed to be dominated by Australians.

All this comes after swimming less than two years internationally, and being ranked just 17th in the world in 2007.

David Nielsen of Scripps Howard News Service contributed to this report.

© 2008, Knoxville News Sentinel Co.
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