OMAHA, NE - JUNE 26: Dana Vollmer competes in the championship final heat of the Women's 100 m Butterfly during Day Two of the 2012 U.S. Olympic Swimming Team Trials at CenturyLink Center on June 26, 2012 in Omaha, Nebraska. (Photo by Jamie Squire/Getty Images)
LONDON - Dana Vollmer blistered to an Olympic record in heats for the 100-meter butterfly this morning.
Dana Vollmer spits out a mouthful of water before competing in a women's 100-meter butterfly heat Saturday at the London Olympics.
Dana Vollmer spits out a mouthful of water before competing in a women's 100-meter butterfly heat Saturday at the London Olympics.
"I like to push myself in prelims and see where I'm going in my body," she said.
Vollmer finished in 56.25 seconds, breaking her own American record of 56.42 set at the Olympic trials June 25. She also broke the Olympic mark of 56.61 set by Inge de Bruijn of the Netherlands at the Sydney Games in 2000.
"I am always a little more nervous in the first race," Vollmer said. "I am really happy about how fast it was, and hopefully it's only going to get faster."
Vollmer will swim among the 16 qualifiers in tonight's semifinals, as will teammate Claire Donahue, who qualified seventh.
Vollmer hopes to become the first American to win the 100 fly since Amy Van Dyken in 1996, but she'll face a field that includes Sweden's Sarah Sjostrom, the world record holder.
Erik Brady, USA TODAY