Barbados at The 2008 Summer Olympics - Swimming

Swimming

Qualifiers for the latter rounds of swimming events were decided on a time only basis, therefore positions shown are overall results versus competitors in all heats.

Bradley Ally was the only Barbadian swimmer at the Beijing Olympics who competed in multiple events. Born in Barbados in 1986, Ally was involved in the Pine Crest Swim Team in Fort Lauderdale, a city in southern Florida. His first appearance at the Olympics was the 2004 Summer Olympics in Athens, Greece, when he represented Barbados in the men's 100 meters breaststroke; the men's 200 meters breaststroke; the men's 200 meters individual medley; and the men's 400 meters individual medley. He was 17 years old at the time. Ally returned to the Olympics as a 21 year old. One of the events to which he returned was the men's 200 meters individual medley. During the course of the men's 200 meters IM, Ally was placed in the fourth heat of the August 13 preliminary round. He competed against seven other athletes in this heat. Completing the event in 1:58.57, Ally placed third ahead of British swimmer Liam Tancock (1:59.79) and behind Japan's Ken Takakuwa (1:58.51). The heat itself was led by Hungary's Lszlo Cseh (1:58.29). Of the 46 athletes who finished their races in this round, Ally ranked fifth. He advanced to the next round.

The event's semifinal round took place later on August 13. Ally was placed in the second heat, which included seven other athletes again. During this race, he finished with a time of 1:59.53, placing fourth in the heat. Great Britain's James Goddard ranked ahead (1:59.63), while Japan's Takuro Fujii (1:59.59) ranked behind. The heat's headers included American swimmer Ryan Lochte (1:57.69) and Brazil's Thiago Pereira (1:58.06). 16 swimmers competed in the semifinal round; Ally ranked ninth, falling one position short of advancing to the final round.

Bradley Ally also returned to compete in the men's 400 meters individual medley, an event in which he had participated while at the Athens Olympics in 2004. He competed in the preliminary round on August 9, when he was placed in the second heat against seven other athletes. Ally finished the event in 4:14.01, placing third; Italy's Allesio Boggiatto placed ahead (4:10.68), while Israel's Gal Nevo placed behind (4:14.03). Laszlo Cseh of Hungary led the heat (4:09.26). 29 competitors participated in this round of the event. Ally placed tenth, and did not advance to the final round, which occurred later that day.

Andrei Cross participated for Barbados as a swimmer while the nation participated in the Beijing Olympics. Born on Barbados, Cross was affiliated with TeamBath, the sports organization of England's University of Bath. He was 24 years old when he participated at the Beijing Olympics in the men's 100 meters breaststroke event. He had not previously competed at any Olympic games. During the course of the August 9 preliminary round, Cross was placed in the third heat against seven other athletes. He finished the race in 1:04.57, ending up in seventh place; he defeated Uzbekistan's Ivan Demyanenko (1:05.14), but fell behind Argentina's Sergio Andres Ferreyra (1:03.65). The heat was led by Puerto Rican swimmer Daniel Velez (1:01.80) and India's Sandeep Sejwal (1:02.19). 65 athletes participated in the preliminary round, and 63 finished their races. Cross ranked 55th. He did not advance to later rounds.

Martyn Forde also swam on Barbados' behalf at the Beijing Olympics. Born in Canada in 1985, Forde was 23 years old when he made his appearance at the Beijing Olympics. He participated in the men's 50 meters freestyle, which marked the first time he ever participated in an Olympic games. The preliminary round of his event took place on August 14. Forde was placed in the seventh heat against seven other athletes. Finishing the race in 23.08 seconds, the Barbadian swimmer placed sixth ahead of Josh Laban of the United States Virgin Islands (23.28 seconds) but behind Kazakhstan's Stanislav Kuzmin (22.91 seconds). The heat was led by Chile's Oliver Elliot (22.75 seconds) and Romania's Norbert Trandafir (22.80 seconds). 97 athletes participated in the preliminary round of the event, with Forde ranking 51st. He did not advance to later rounds.

Terrence Haynes represented Barbados in the men's 100 meters freestyle while at the Beijing Olympics. He was born in Canada in 1984, and first participated on Barbados' behalf as a 19 year old in the Athens Olympics of 2004. During the 2004 Olympics, Haynes raced in the men's 50 meters freestyle and ranked 56th in the preliminary round. He returned to the Olympics as a 23 year old. During the preliminary round of the men's 100 meters freestyle, which took place on August 12, Haynes competed in the third heat against six other athletes. He finished the race in 50.50 seconds, placing third. Alexandr Sklyar of Kazakhstan placed behind him (51.24 seconds), while Latvia's Romans Miloslavskis placed ahead (50.40 seconds). India's Virdhawal Khade led the heat (50.07 seconds). Of the 64 athletes who finished the preliminary round races, Haynes ranked 47th. He did not advance to later rounds.

Men

Legend: Q - Qualified