Fran Halsall misses out on World Swimming Championships medal

Briton Fran Halsall narrowly missed out on a medal after finishing joint fourth in the 100m freestyle final at the World Swimming Championships.

Halsall, 21, was the quickest qualifier but was edged out by joint winners, Dane Jeanette Ottesen and Aliaksandra Herasimenia of Belarus (53.45 secs).

American swimmer Ryan Lochte won the 200m backstroke and helped the US to the 4x200m freestyle relay title.

He has now won four golds at the championships to take his total to 11.

Earlier in the week, he won the 200m individual medley and 200m freestyle events.

Lochte is still way behind compatriot Michael Phelps, who now has 24 World Championships golds having swum the first leg of the relay. However, he moved ahead of Australian Grant Hackett and is level with Ian Thorpe.

Southport swimmer Halsall, who clocked 53.72 secs, said it "hurt" to miss out on a medal by only six-hundreths of a second after Ranomi Kromowidjojo took bronze in 53.66.

"I'm really disappointed but what can you do," the European 100m free champion, who has suffered with ankle injuries this year, told BBC Sport.

"I'm lucky to be here with the year I've had so anything is a bonus. Swimming so fast last night [in the semi-finals] is a good sign for the future. I can build on this now.

"It hurts a little to come fourth and not swim the time you want, but it will give me a lot of motivation for next year."

Britain also missed out on medals in the men's 200m breaststroke final, with Michael Jamieson finishing fifth and Bath-training partner Andrew Willis coming home in eighth.

There was good news for fellow British swimmer Elizabeth Simmonds who reached the final of the 200m backstroke.

The 20-year-old came third in her semi-final, but her time of 2:08.79 meant that she scraped into the final as eighth fastest. Melissa Franklin of the United States was the fastest after she recorded a time of 2:05.90.

Briton Adam Brown, who was fourth fastest going into the 50m freestyle semi-finals, failed to reach the final after touching in 22.21. He had earlier swam 22.08.