LONDON — Ranomi Kromowidjojo qualified fastest in the 50-meter freestyle preliminaries, keeping the Dutch swimmer on track to sweep the sprints at the London Olympics.
She touched in 24.51 seconds on Friday during the last morning of heats at the London Aquatics Centre. Kromowidjojo was back in the pool hours after winning the 100 free on Thursday for her country's first gold in the event since Inge de Bruijn won at the 2000 Sydney Games.
Her Dutch teammate Marleen Veldhuis was second-quickest in 24.57. Francesca Halsall had the British fans cheering loudly for her third-best time of 24.61.