Tamsin Cook was ‘terrified’ of facing Katie Ledecky

AUSSIE swimmer Tamsin Cook has an Olympic silver medal, but she wasn’t in any state to even dream of such a thing before her race.

Another medal for Australia.

AUSTRALIA won the silver medal in the women’s 4x200m freestyle relay at the Olympic Games on Thursday (AEST).

Australia’s team of Leah Neale, Emma McKeon, Bronte Barratt and Tamsin Cook finished behind gold-medallists the United States, with Canada third.

It’s Australia’s third consecutive Olympic medal in the event, following silver in London four years ago and gold in Beijing in 2008.

In a thrilling Rio final, Neale, McKeon and Barratt gave Australia the lead for much of the race until American star Katie Ledecky overtook 17-year-old Cook with 100m remaining.

Cook was a surprise inclusion in the final four-woman team. Madeline Groves — who won silver in the 200m butterfly only an hour beforehand — was initially expected to swim in the relay, but Cook got the nod, more than likely because Groves was too fatigued after her brilliant effort earlier.

It was an even bigger shock to see her anchor the race in direct opposition to Ledecky. Although just two years older than Cook, Ledecky is already a bona-fide superstar. She’s got three golds in Rio — winning the 400m and 200m freestyle events to go with her relay triumph — and she’s still got the 800 to go.

Cook (left) and co

She stunned the field as a 15-year-old in London four years ago to win gold in the 800m, and she’s only gotten better.

When Cook was informed she’d be up against Ledecky in the last leg of the relay, she wasn’t exactly feeling too confident.

“To be honest my first emotion was terrified,” Cook said.

“I just had to put the blinders on and stick to my race plan.”

The silver medal performance was veteran Barratt’s final swim before retirement.

“Three Olympic rookies have come away with a silver medal, I couldn’t be more stoked,” said Barratt, a member of the victorious Beijing quartet.

Australia have only missed a medal in the event in one Olympics — in Athens 2004 — since the race was added to the Games program in 1996.

— with AAP

Originally published as Tamsin Cook was ‘terrified’ of facing Katie Ledecky