By Elton Tucker,
Assistant Editor Sport
SYDNEY
SWIMMERS Janelle Atkinson and Angella Chuck are fit and raring to go into action at the 27th Olympic Games in Sydney.
Action in the pool starts today but the first Jamaican swimmer, Atkinson, will not be in action until tomorrow (August 17) in heat three of the women's 400 metres freestyle. The heat is set for 12:08 p.m. Sunday afternoon here (8:08 p.m. Saturday night Jamaica time) with the final due off just over eight hours later at 8:23 p.m. (4:23 a.m. Jamaica time).
Atkinson was upbeat when reporters here spoke to her yesterday at the Games Village. "Right now I am just hoping to make the final." Atkinson said. "I should think I will be able to do so but no-one really knows what to expect.
Atkinson goes into the event with the ninth fastest qualifying time of 4.10.83 and falls into a fairly difficult heat which includes American Brook Bennett 4.08.39 and Costa Rica's Claudia Poll 4.09.04.
Bennett is the 800 metres gold medallist of four years ago in Atlanta while Poll is the Olympic 200 metres freestyle champion. While on the surface it appears a hard heat, however, it could also be a blessing in disguise as the top two could pull Atkinson into a qualifying position for the final.
Coach Jackie Walter was full of praise for the one-week pre-Olympic camp which the girls attended in Melbourne. "The conditions were ideal and we had some very good training. Both girls are more than ready. We are just fine-tuning. They have both been doing their best times in training and should do their best times in the events," said Walter who added that it was a great achievement for Jamaica to have two swimmers at the Olympics.
Atkinson will swim in her second event, the 800 metres freestyle next Thursday (Wednesday night Jamaica time) while Chuck is due for her first action next Friday (Thursday evening Jamaica time) in heat four of the 50 metres freestyle.
