London - Payback. This time, it was France chasing down the United States - and Ryan Lochte, no less - to win another riveting relay at the Olympics.

With Michael Phelps looking much stronger than he did the night before, the Americans built a commanding lead over the first three legs of the 400-meter freestyle relay Sunday and never really had to worry about the defending world champions from Australia.

When Lochte dove into the water on the anchor leg, he was a half-body length ahead of the field and looking to add another gold to his dominating victory Saturday in the 400 individual medley.

Not so fast.

Or, should we say, not nearly fast enough.

Yannick Agnel, playing the chaser role that Jason Lezak did for the Americans four years ago in this same event, sliced through the water and was right on Lochte's shoulder as they made the flip at the far end of the pool. With about 25 meters to go, they were stroke for stroke. But Lochte, who had already competed in 1,200 meters of racing over the first two days, simply didn't have enough left to hold off the towering, 20-year-old Frenchman, one of the sport's real rising stars.

"I gave everything in the last 50 until he cracked," Agnel said. "In the last 10 meters, I saw that he was really cracking."

Agnel touched in 3 minutes, 9.93 seconds, having gone exactly one second faster than Lochte over the last 100 meters. Lochte and the Americans dropped to silver in 3:10.38, while Australia - the favorite - didn't even get a medal. Russia took the bronze in 3:11.41, edging the team from Down Under by 0.22.

"We knew the Australians would be very strong, but they were very nervous, perhaps like us in 2008," said Clement Lefert, who swam the third leg for the French. "We were very relaxed, like the Americans in 2008.

"And four years later," he added, "we got our revenge."

Phelps settled for his 17th career medal - and first silver - to move a step closer to becoming the most decorated Olympian ever.

"At least I'm in a medal today," Phelps said ruefully, referring to a fourth-place finish in his first race of the London Games.

But silver was a bitter disappointment for the Americans, who know how the French felt four years ago.

France had the lead in Beijing and its best sprinter, Alain Bernard, going out on the final leg. But Lezak swam the fastest relay leg in history, drafting Bernard along the lane rope and beating him by a scant 0.08 seconds to keep Phelps on track for his record eight gold medals.

Two more world records fell earlier in the evening.

American Dana Vollmer took down the mark in the 100 butterfly, then Cameron van der Burgh of South Africa broke another in the 100 breaststroke - denying Japan's Kosuke Kitajima an Olympic threepeat.

Not even through the second night of the London Games, three world records had already been set.

So much for those dire predictions of marks standing for decades after high-tech bodysuits were banned.

This was quite a night for France, and not just because of the relay. Camille Muffat won a riveting 400 freestyle duel with American Allison Schmitt, the two virtually stroke for stroke the entire way. Muffat held on to win by about half a stroke with an Olympic-record time, while Schmitt settled for silver - a sign of things to come.

Britain's Rebecca Adlington brought out the biggest cheer when she touched third, the home country's first swimming medal of the games.

Vollmer was third at the turn but powered to the wall for a time of 55.98, beating the record of 56.06 set by Sweden's Sarah Sjostrom at the 2009 world championships. Not bad for someone who didn't even qualify for the last Olympics, her career sidetracked by injuries and illness.

"I kept telling myself that my strength is my second 50," Vollmer said. "I kept really calm."

She dropped back her head when saw the time, then broke into a huge smile, slapped the water and pumped her fists.

"I'm on top of the world right now," said Vollmer, who qualified for Athens as a 16-year-old but was a disappointment in 2008. "I still know I can go faster."