By Nicole Auerbach, USA TODAY
Teen sensation Missy Franklin won her third gold medal of the London Olympics on Friday and set a world record in the process.
Franklin, 17, blew away the field in the 200-meter backstroke in 2:04.06. It was her last individual event here. She has a relay Saturday.
Elizabeth Beisel, who qualified first for the final, was Franklin's greatest challenge for gold. Franklin is the reigning world champ in the 200 back. Beisel ended up with the bronze. Anastasia Zueva of Russia took silver.
This is Franklin's fourth medal of the London Games. She owns a gold medal in the 100-meter backstroke, gold in the women's 4x200-meter freestyle relay and bronze in the 4x100 free relay.
After her 100 back win, Franklin won over thousands - maybe millions - of fans worldwide. Teen pop star Justin Bieber tweeted about her gold medal, as did Taylor Swift and other celebrities.
Franklin attends school in Aurora, Colo., where a shooting left 12 dead and about 60 injured in a movie theater less than two weeks ago.
She has said she's hoping her performance in London can help bring smiles to faces of those from her area going through tragedy.
Copyright 2012 USA TODAY