Dickens Sets Canadian Record en Route to Semis

Visit us at www.getwetswimshop.com for great products from Vorgee, Nike, Speedo, Finis and The Finals

CTVOlympics.ca

Canadian Scott Dickens began his final Olympic Games in exciting fashion on Saturday morning, lowering his own Canadian record in the men's 100-metre breaststroke.
The Ancaster, Ont., native became the first Canadian to break the one-minute mark in the even with a stunning time of 59.85 seconds.
"I knew I had it in me," Dickens told CTVOlympics. "I wanted to enjoy this race because, I never knew. It could have been my last 100-metre breast ever." 
He need not have worried. Dickens's time was the seventh-fastest of the day, 0.23 seconds out of first place; he easily qualified for the first semi-final of his career.
Dickens competed in his first Olympic Games at Athens 2004, finishing 19th in the 100m event. He missed out on the Beijing Olympic Games following a disappointing showing at the 2008 Canadian Olympic Trials, but stormed back to qualify for London 2012 earlier this year.
The 27-year-old has said that the London 2012 Olympic Games will be his last.
"The hardest part was getting that first race done and getting into the semis," he said. "Now I can look forward to making it into the finals."
Australian Christian Sprenger led the heats on Saturday, posting a time of 59.62s. Two-time reigning Olympic champion Kosuke Kitajima finished second, just one-hundredth of a second behind. 
Should American Michael Phelps fail in his bid to become the first Olympic swimmer to win his event at three-straight Olympic Games in Saturday's 400m individual medley final, Kitajima could accomplish the feat one day later.
Canada has won a total of four Olympic medals in breaststroke -- all four at the boycotted 1984 Olympic Games in Los Angeles.