Bradley Woodward crashes out in backstroke heats, Elizabeth Dekkers and Abbey Connor progress in butterfly
Aussie Bradley Woodward has crashed out of the 200m backstroke after a nightmare swim in his heat on Wednesday night.
Compatriot Se-Bom Lee also failed to qualify, but there was better news for Jenna Strauch and Ella Ramsay in their breaststroke heats.
Elizabeth Dekkers and Abbey Lee Connor also booked their spot in the semis with strong performances in the 200m butterfly.
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By continuing you agree to our Terms and Privacy Policy.Woodward, who missed out on gold at the 2022 Commonwealth Games by .01 of a second, finished last in his heat with a time of 2:00.05.
The disappointing time was nearly four seconds slower than what he achieved at the Australian selection trials in June.
Lee actually won his heat in a time of 1:58.30, but it was only good enough for 18th fastest overall.
Strauch and Ramsay both qualified for the semi-finals in the 200m breaststroke, but will need to improve to secure a spot in the final Strauch came second in her heat with a time of 2:24.34, which was good enough for eighth-fastest, while Ramsay was 14th best.
Connor swam a brilliant 2:07.13 to qualify third-fastest in the 200m butterfly after pipping Canadian superstar Summer McIntosh in their heat.
Dekkers is also safely through with the eighth-best time with both Aussies a strong chance of making the final.
“It has definitely been nerve wracking,” Dekkers said of the wait.
“But it has been great to watch everyone do so amazing and now I’m just so excited to be a part of it.
“As a group, we definitely feed off each other.”
Connor was trying to retain focus amid the hyped achievements of the swim team, who have won four of Australia’s six gold medals in Paris.
“I am just trying to stay calm,” she said.
Ramsey said it was impossible not be energised by the likes of Titmus, McKeown and O’Callaghan.
“They’re great inspirations,” she said.
“Them being at the top of their game is something I will look up to throughout the rest of the meet and hopefully learn off them.”
- With AAP
