Sports Headlines

Vollmer Fastest Qualifier In 100-Meter Freestyle Preliminaries

Dana Vollmer is the fastest qualifier in the 100-meter freestyle preliminaries at the U.S. Olympic Swim Trials with teenager Missy Franklin also advancing.

Posted: $util.date("h:mm a MMM d, yyyy",$story.contentLiveDate,$timeZone)
Reporter: WOWT

Dana Vollmer is the fastest qualifier in the 100-meter freestyle preliminaries at the U.S. Olympic Swim Trials with teenager Missy Franklin also advancing.

Vollmer was timed in 54.35 seconds for the two-lap sprint on Friday morning. Allison Schmitt, who is having one of her best meets ever, was second at 54.49.

Jessica Hardy, who failed to qualify for the Olympic team in the 100 breaststroke, had the third-fastest time of 54.52. Franklin was seventh in 54.78.

Natalie Coughlin, yet to secure a spot on her third Olympic team, finished ninth at 54.99. She will need to be faster in the evening semifinal to advance to the eight-woman final on Saturday.

Two-time Olympian Kara Lynn Joyce failed to make the semifinals in 18th, while 2008 Olympian Christine Magnuson tied for 22nd.

Matt Grevers has scratched a race, just not the one he originally expected. Grevers, a backstroke specialist, had thought he would skip Friday night's final of the 100-meter freestyle even though he was the third-fastest qualifier in the semifinals. That led to a bit of confusion with USA Swimming initially saying he had scratched, then putting out a statement saying it relied on "bad information."

Grevers returned for the 200 backstroke and put up the third-fastest time in morning preliminaries. But he didn't like his chances of beating either Ryan Lochte or Tyler Clary and worried that swimming the evening semifinals would hurt him when he came back a short time later for the final of the 100 free. So, he's out of the back.