Laura Stephens ‘over the moon’ to make Olympic final after strong semi-final swim

Laura Stephens produced a strong swim in her semi-final of the Women’s 200m Butterfly to earn a spot in an Olympic final for the first time.

Ahead of the Paris 2024 Olympic Games, Stephens revealed that she was hoping to ‘rectify her disappointment’ of missing out on the final in Tokyo – and she did just that on night five at the La Defense Arena.

Her performance saw her finish fifth in her semi-final and less than a second outside of her lifetime best for the 200m Butterfly – which currently stands at 2:06.62 – as she clocked a time of 2:07.53 from out in lane one.

The 25-year-old will be back in the outside lanes for Thursday’s final after qualifying eighth fastest overall but says she will be ‘ready to go’ as she looks to bring home a medal.

After her semi-final, Stephens said: “That was a bit of an anxious wait. I’m just so chuffed to have pulled it around from this morning.

“It was not the heat I wanted. I knew I needed to step it up tonight and it was difficult doing it from an outside lane but I’m just so happy I managed it.

“Now I’m into that Olympic final, I’m over the moon. I’m a bit teary, but I’ll get my emotions under wraps and get ready to go tomorrow night.”

The second semi-final of the Women’s 200m Butterfly saw Keanna MacInnes touch the wall in 2:08.04.

The time was fourth fastest in her respective semi-final, but ninth fastest overall, meaning she narrowly missed out on a place in the final.

However, as ninth fastest MacInnes earns the first reserve spot for the final and will be called upon should any of the athletes drop out.

Enjoying the moment

The next Team GB swimmer bidding for a finals place was Ollie Morgan in the semi-final of the Men’s 200m Backstroke.

Despite being fourth at the halfway mark and going on to finish in a time of 1:57.28 – lowering his time from the heats by 0.28 – it wasn’t to be for the 21-year-old.

The University of Birmingham swimmer placed sixth in his semi-final and 12th overall, meaning he doesn’t progress to the final.

But the Olympic debutant gave his all and says the occasion was an enjoyable experience as he walked out in front of the British supporters.

He said: “It was a tough one but I’m happy to be in there, to enjoy the experience. It wasn’t as fast as I wanted to be but its racing.

“It’s not every day you get to race such a top-class field. To even be in there is a real privilege and it’s about enjoying the moment and taking in the crowds.

“It’s surreal to be here and there are a lot of GB flags out there so it’s really good to see.”

It won’t be the last time Morgan experiences the atmosphere of the La Defense Arena as he’s set to play his part in the relays later in the schedule.