ATKINSON FINISHES 11^TH IN 100 M BREASTSTROKE

FIVE MORE COMMONWEALTH GAMES RECORDS FALL!

March 19, 2006

Alia Atkinson tonight swam 1:13.56 to finish 13^th in the Women’s 100 M Breaststroke at the Commonwealth Games being held in Melbourne, Australia. Swimming in lane one of the first semi-final, Atkinson had another good start (.73 reaction time) and split 34.11 at the 50 M turn in seventh place. After the turn, Atkinson dug deep and slowly gained on Scotland’s Fiona Boothe passing her in the last two metres to finish sixth. Australia’s Jade Edmistone won the heat in a Games Record time of 1:07.93. Not to be outdone, the World Record holder, Leisel jones (Australia) won the second semi-final breaking Edmistone’s record time swimming 1:07.33.

In all, there were five (5) Games Records tonight. Australian Jessicah Schipper won the Women’s 100 M Butterfly in a record time of 57.49. Her teammate Lisbeth Lenton took the silver in 57.48 while the Bronze was won by Canada’s Audrey LaCriox (58.89).

The Australian women continued their dominance two events later, when Giaan Rooney won heat two of the 50 M Backstroke semi-finals in another Games Record time of 28.42, erasing her own record set in the heats. Games record number three fell when England’s Simon Burnett won the Men’s 100 M Freestyle timing 48.57. South Africa’s Ryk Neethling took the Silver swimming 49.20 and his teammate Roland Schoeman, who had set a Games Record in the semi-finals, took the Bronze in 49.24.

Scotland’s Dale Euan won the Men’s 400 M Individual Medley in a time of 4:15.95, exlipsing Justin Morris’s 2002 Games Record set in Manchester.

Tomorrow, Brad Hamilton will swim the 50 M Freestyle, Jamaica’s final swimming event at the Commonwealth Games.