GOLD COAST, Australia, CMC – Alia Atkinson (Jamaica) entered the final of the 50 metres breaststroke with a strong performance, making her a strong contender for a medal at the Commonwealth Games.
The Games record-holder in the event clocked 30.53 seconds swimming out of lance three in the semi-finals at the Optus Aquatic Centre with the fastest qualifying time.
Sarah Vasey of England, and the Australian duo of Georgia Bohl and Jessica Hansen look likely to be her strong rival when the final is contested early today (EC Time).
Swimming out of lane four, Atkinson had earlier comfortably won her qualifying heat with a time of 30.98 secs to advance as the fifth fastest among all qualifiers. She is also scheduled to contest the 50m butterfly and 100m breaststroke.