London, England - On a day in which Canada has already won three bronze medals, former UBC Thunderbirds swimmer Brent Hayden has advanced to the final of the men's 100m freestyle.
Hayden, racing in his third and final Olympics, clocked a time of 48:21 in his specialty. He posted the sixth fastest time. He won silver at the 2011 World Aquatic Championships in this event and was the 2007 World Champion.
“Third Olympics, first individual final. It's like …” Hayden said before a lengthy pause. “It's what I've dreamed of as a little kid. It means everything. It's a huge weight off my chest. I've been fighting the monkey on my back since Beijing. Everything worked out and I think for the final I will have even more intensity."
The final is set for 12:17 pm PST tomorrow.
Also in the pool, racing in his second event of the games, Scott Dickens finished eighth in his semi-final of the 200m breaststroke with a time of 2:11:71 and did not advance to the final.
''I just didn't have that same spark going out in the first 100,'' said Dickens, 27, who bettered his personal best by 1.7 seconds in the prelims. ''I made two second swims in individual events this year and in 2004 I swam once. I call this a big success.''
Dickens has one event remaing at the Olympics; the 4x100m medley relay which is scheduled for Friday August 3.
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with files from Swimming Canada and The Globe and Mail
