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Can Ranomi Do the Double?

Aug 3, 2012  - Karin Helmstaedt

Olympic Games, London 2012, Day 7 Heats

Women's 50 Freestyle

After dropping out of the 100 freestyle due to a neck injury Swedish sprint diva Therese Alshammar was the one to set the pace in the morning heats (heat 8) of the womens's 50 freestyle.

She clocked 24.77 - ahead of Australia's Campbell sisters, Cate and Bronte, in 24.84 and 24.87 respectively.

In Heat 9 Britain's Francesca Halsall of Liverpool held off the defending champion Britta Steffen (GER), to take the race in 24.81, to Steffen's 24.7. Touching in third was Aliaksandra Herasimenia of Belarus in 24.76. Sweden 's Sarah SJOSTROM Sarah followed in 24.94 and Canada's Victoria Poon  stopped the clock at 25.15.

Heat 10 rounded off the event as the newly crowned Olympic champion in the 100 Ranomi Kromowidjojo (NED) kept her cool yet again to conserve her position as fastest woman this year. She reached in for the touch in 24.51 - just fractions ahead of her teammate Marleen Veldhuis. Denmark's Jeanette Ottesen Gray was third in 24.85.

The Dutch women lead the field going into the semi-final- Kromowidjojo top of the heap (25.51) - and tied for 16th are Sarah Blake Bateman of Iceland, Kara Lynn Joyce (USA), and Amy Smith of Britain - all three in 25.28. Canada's Victoria Poon goes into the semi in 14th place.

A swim-off for 16th will be held after the relay heats - which Smith will also be swimming only minutes before as anchor for the British team.

Update: Smith won the swim-ff in 24.81, a lifetime best by 0.02 as the home crowd went wild.