Alicia Coutts inconsolable after relay loss The Australia women's 4X100m freestyle relay team have won a silver medal at the World Championships in Barcelona after being pipped at the post by the United States. Alicia Coutts is consoled by teammates after the Women's 4x100m freestyle on day nine of the World Championships in Barcelona, Spain. OLYMPIC star Alicia Coutts was inconsolable after she was touched out for the gold medal on the anchor leg of the 4 X 100m freestyle relay at the world championships in Barcelona today. Coutts dissolved into tears in the interview area after the race, in which she was run down by American Megan Romano. The Americans triumphed by just 0.12sec, winning in 3min32.31sec, faster than Australia's winning time at last year's Olympics. "I can honestly say for the first time in my career that I felt like I let them down," Coutts said, before she was wrapped in the arms of her teammates. "Alicia didn't let anyone down," Bronte Campbell responded, as Coutts sobbed. You were so good. Alicia just did three finals in one night, the most that anyone is going to do in the entire team and she anchored a relay and did a cracking job and she hasn't let anyone down. She did really well. The Australian quartet established a huge lead early courtesy of an astonishing opening burst from world No.1 ranked sprinter Cate Campbell, who swam the fastest 100m freestyle in history in a textile suit, 52.33sec. At that stage, the Australians led by more than a second, but the US women chipped away at the margin over the next two legs and were within striking distance by the time Coutts, fatigued by two previous swims in the 100m butterfly and 200m individual medley, hit the water. Romano had virtually eliminated the gap by the turn and Coutts swam tough down the last leg but could not quite hold on. She stopped the clock in 3:32.43, a Commonwealth and Australian record by half a second. The Australian splits were: Bronte Campbell (53.47s), Emma McKeon (53.19s) and Coutts (53.44s). They might have been silver medallists but it was a golden moment for Cate and Bronte Campbell, who finally had the chance to live their childhood dream and stand on the medal dais together. "I've said that when we go away the swim team becomes your family and to win a silver medal with three other members of my family is beyond my wildest dreams," Cate said. Her extraordinary opening salvo will make her the raging favourite for the individual 100m freestyle title. She is almost half a second faster than any other woman in the field, but she is trying determinedly not to look too far ahead I knew that I was quick going in, I didn't know I was that quick, but I'm just excited to be part of this team. There's nothing like relays. While the women's 4 X 100m freestyle relay almost shut the gate on the individual 100m title, the men's relay threw the individual title wide open. James Magnussen must have experienced a horrible sensation of deja vu after failing to fire on the opening leg, as he did at the Olympics last year. Magnussen clocked 48.00sec, almost half a second outside his best time of the year and the Australian team eventually missed the gold medal by 0.4sec. In one of the closest relay finishes in history, the Australians were again relegated to a gut-wrenching fourth place. The top four finished in exactly the same order as the Olympcis. The French triumphed in 3:11.18, courtesy of a phenomenal third leg by Fabien Gilot (46.90s), from the USA (3:11.42), Russia (3:11.44) and Australia (3:11.58). Magnussen and US Olympic champion Nathan Adrian appeared to engage in a personal duel on the first leg which did neither of their teams much good. Adrian was slightly faster (47.95s) but neither were particularly impressive. Magnussen described his race as "not my best" and admitted he had been shocked by the speed at which Adrian had gone out in the first 50m. I had a really good warm up, but it's been a while since someone's led me at the first 50 so that felt a bit foreign, I probably chased it a bit too early and burned my legs a bit too early. He handed over to 18-year-old Cameron McEvoy, who gave a glimpse of the future by swimming the fastest leg of the team, 47.44sec to put the Australians temporarily in the lead. But Tommaso D'Orsogna (48.05s) and James Roberts (48.09s) could not hold on. D'Orsogna, at 22, is the oldest member of the team and said the group had great potential for the future. We have an extremely young team which is something to remember.... and that's not something that any other country can say. This will be the group moving forward. Earlier five-times Olympic medallist Coutts got through the double she dreaded, backing up from the 100m butterfly semi-finals to the 200m individual medley semi-finals in less than half an hour, qualifying strongly for both finals. In the butterfly, Coutts qualified as comfortably as she could, finishing second in her heat, with the third fastest time of the round (57.49sec). Sweden's former world champion Sarah Sjostrom set the pace in 57.10s, while Jeanette Ottesen Gray of Denmark won the second semi-final in 57.10s. Australia's second contender, 18-year-old Brittany Elmslie finished tenth (58.56s) and missed the final. The ultimate professional, Coutts returned for her 200m individual medley semi-final and again qualified strongly while using as little energy as possible, with an eye to the 4 X 100m freestyle relay final later in the session. She again finished second in her heat, and was third fastest overall (2min10.06sec) as Hungary's Katinka Hosszu led the field into the final (2:08.59) from Olympic champin Ye Shiwen (2:09.12). Emily Seebohm qualified for her first world final in this event, setting the 6th fastest time in 2:10.70, but withdrew from the final to concentrate on her pet 100m backstroke. Coutts will do two finals tomorrow, but has a bigger break between them in which to recover, and shapes as a medal contender in both events.