LONDON – For just over four minutes this morning, the eyes of the swimming world were focussed on Barbadian Bradley Ally at the London 2012 Olympic Games.
It was the very first event of the swimming programme at the spanking new Aquatic Centre, and Ally, who is at his third successive Olympic Games, won the first heat of the men’s 400 metres individual medley in 4 minutes 21.32 seconds.
Although he knocked almost three seconds off his qualifying time of 4:24.06, it was not enough to get him a second swim in tonight’s final.
He was 25th overall out of 37 starters.
Barbados also got some mileage with the name of the country showing clearly underwater on his trunks.
A dream final, one of the first of many at these games, has been set up between Americans Ryan Lochte (4:12.35) and world record holder and defending Olympic champion Michael Phelps (4:13.33) who was the last qualifier. Kosuke Hagino of Japan had the fastest qualifying time of 4:10.01
