Missy Franklin, who set the world record en route to winning gold in the 200m backstroke four years ago in London, safely advanced to the 16-woman semifinals in 11th place overall after Thursday’s preliminary heats. She posted a time of two minutes, 9.26 seconds.
Katinka Hosszu of Hungary, who already owns three gold medals from this Rio Games, posted a personal best of 2:06.09 to lead the pack.
Maya DiRado, who already owns the trifecta of a gold-silver-bronze medal from these Games, stands in third place overall with her time of 2:08.60.
Australian Emily Seebohm, the 2015 world champion in the event, advanced just ahead of Franklin in 10th place with a time of 2:09.00.