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Cary teen swimmer Claire Curzan in position for a medal in Tokyo Olympics

Claire Curzan, the Cary teen who is among the best butterfly swimmers in the world, is in position to earn a medal in the Tokyo Olympics. She swam the butterfly leg in the preliminary round of the 4x100 medley relay Friday morning and helped Team USA advance to the final.

The U.S. Women’s Swimming Team has won gold in the 4x100 medley relay in the past two Olympics. It won silver in 2008.

Curzan, 17, is among the youngest U.S. Olympians in Tokyo. She’s a rising senior at Cardinal Gibbons High in Raleigh. The butterfly is the third leg of the medley relay, and she helped lead the U.S. to a second place finish in the preliminary round with a time of 3:55.18.

Erika Brown, a graduate of Hough High outside of Charlotte, swam the freestyle part of the medley, which was the final leg. She has already won a bronze medal for her part in the 4x100 freestyle relay.

Canada finished first in the prelims, by one one-hundredth of a second. The final in the 4x100 medley relay is set for 10:15 p.m. on Friday (11:15 a.m on Saturday in Japan).

Team USA, known for its depth in this event, could use four different swimmers during the championship round. Curzan and her teammates who swam in the preliminary round, though, would still win a medal should the U.S. earn one in the championship.