Swimmers ready

Elton Tucker, Assistant Sport Editor
BEIJING, China:

TWO-TIME Olympian swimmer Alia Atkinson will be aiming to chop a massive four seconds off her personal best, as she makes her bid to reach the semi-finals of the women's 200 metres breaststroke at the 2008 Beijing Olympics on Wednesday evening.

Coach Jackie Walter is confident that the 19-year-old, who was one of four Jamaican swimmers at the 2004 Athens Games, can achieve that goal.

"She has been doing times that she wants to do in the training sessions. She is very relaxed, very ready to go, looking good basically. We are just fine-tuning a few things," Walter.

Comfortable

The veteran national swim coach, who has been in the job since 1992, said Atkinson, in her warm-ups, has been working on maintaining a pace that she will be comfortable with as she will be swimming four lengths of the pool in the 200m breaststroke.

"We did some 100m this morning (yesterday morning) and she is certainly spot on with her training," Walter said.

She added: "She will have to drop four seconds off her current personal best of 2:31.28 which in a 200m breaststroke is not impossible."

While saying a semi-final spot is a possibility here, Walter indicated she would be comfortable with a performance, by Atkinson, which is a bit below that target.

"That (a semi-final berth) is a possibility based on what I am seeing at the moment, but a personal best and a national record would be good," she said.

Meanwhile, Jamaica's two other swimmers, first-time Olympian Natasha Moodie and Jevon Atkinson, who is attending his second Games, have also been, according to Walter, 'looking good' in training.

Jevon Atkinson, 24, will compete in the men's 50 metres freestyle on Thursday while Moodie, 17, will swim in the women's 50m freestyle a day later.

Equestrian eventing competitor Samantha Albert was ranked 52nd of 69 riders after the full tabulation of first-day results in the dressage. She competed in the cross-country last night (Ja time) and wraps up competition with showjumping tomorrow.

Australia's Leisel Jones is the 2008 world leader in the event with a best of 2:20.58 seconds which she did on June 10. American Rebecca Soni is next best on 2:22.60 while Japan's Megumi Taneda has a season's best of 2:23.96.

American Amanda Beard won the gold medal four years ago in 2:23.37, silver went to Jones in 2:23.60 while Germany's Anne Poleska took bronze in 2:25.82.

elton.tucker@gleanerjm.com