Allison Schmitt: US Swimming Star Will Breeze Through to 200-Meter Finals

U.S. swimmer Allison Schmitt has already bagged two medals at the 2012 Olympic Games, and she won't have any trouble powering through her heats and semifinals in the 200-meter freestyle on July 30. 

As good as France's Camille Moffat was in the 400-meter freestyle, she's no match for Schmitt—the fastest qualifying woman in the world in the 200-meter freestyle.

Schmitt's qualifying time of one minute, 54.40 seconds is faster than the current Olympic record, set by Federica Pellegrini back in 2008. That record time of 1:54.82 was set before the polyurethane suits were banned, which should tell you all you need to know about how fast Schmitt is in this race.

Schmitt will be able to coast through the heats and semifinals with ease, conserving her strength for the final on July 31, when she and Moffat will go head-to-head once again.

A few weeks back, at the Olympic trials in Omaha, Neb., Schmitt broke her own U.S. record in this event, posting the 1:54.40 time I already mentioned.

The crazy thing about that time is that, according to her interview with The Baltimore Sun's Jean Marbella, she didn't even think she was swimming that fast: "I didn't feel like I was on my record pace, but I could hear the crowd. When I touched and saw the flames go off, I was pretty excited before I even looked up and saw the time."

One note to finish things off here: Schmitt credits her recently passed-away aunt, Carolyn Schmitt, for the extra motivation she needs when things start to get rough. According to The Detroit News' John Niyo, Schmitt said:

"

When I started feeling sore, I just thought, "She's [Carolyn Schmitt] pulling me from the other side of the stars." Because that's the last thing she said to me before I said goodbye to her, that she would be cheering me on from the other side of the stars.

"

It's always nice to know someone's thinking about you, and Schmitt has an angel in her corner, cheering her on.

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