Complex sentence: The final time of the American team was 3:08:24, which was 3.99 seconds faster than the previous world record; the French team finished second at 3:08.32, eight one-hundredths (0.08) of a second behind--the closest finish in the event's history.
Split into simpler sentences: The final time of the American team was 3:08:24, which was 3.99 seconds faster than the previous world record. France finished second at 3:08.32, eight hundredths of a second behind--the closest finish in the event's history.