Streamlined News: Recapping Day Three Olympic Swimming Prelims; Diving Medals Awarded, Water Polo Continues

PHOENIX, Arizona, July 30. ONLY three events took place today in swimming preliminaries at the London Aquatic Centre at the Olympics. The session started with the women's 200 freestyle, where all the medal favorites glided through to the preliminaries. Italy's Federica Pellegrini, the defending Olympic champion, qualified first with a 1:57.16, followed by Americans Allison Schmitt and Missy Franklin. Franklin will have a tough double tonight, competing in the semifinals of the 200 free then coming back to race for gold in the 100 back. She was successful in this double at Olympic Trials, setting an American record in the 100 back. Camille Muffat of France, last night's gold medalist in the 400 free, coasted through and is the 12th qualifier.

Michael Phelps began his quest to become a three-time gold medalist in the 200 fly with a smooth and controlled swim to coast through prelims. Tyler Clary, in his first Olympic swim, pushed the pace early in the heat with Phelps and is the second seed for semis behind Austria's Dinko Jukic.

The final event of prelims was the women's 200 IM, and the top seed going into the semifinals was the reigning world champion Ye Shiwen in 2:08.90, tying the time she swam to win that world title last year. Kirsty Coventry, the defending silver medalist, qualified second. The two Americans, Caitlin Leverenz and world record holder Ariana Kukors, are also through to the semifinals.

Stay with swimmingworld.com for full race by race recaps in tonight's finals.

USA Diving is celebrating this morning as the Americans have won their first diving Olympic medal in 12 years, as Abby Johnston and Kelci Bryant won silver in the women's three-meter synchro event yesterday. The duo couldn't catch the Chinese pair of He Zi and Wu Minxia, who won the gold by about 25 points. In bronze was Canada's Emilie Heymans and Jennifer Abel, who had a few dives that fell out of synchronization and might have cost them the gold medal.

The women's water polo tournament begins today with the eight teams playing their first games. The United States will be up against Hungary in the final game of the day, trying to improve on their silver medal performance from 2008. Men's water polo will also play today, with the United States moving through after defeating Montenegro in the opening game 8-7.

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