'Anything can happen'

• Focused Atkinson readies for 200m breaststroke test
• Albert completes eventing competition

LONDON, England:

Three-time Olympian Alia Atkinson will return to the pool this morning for the 200m breaststroke heats, buoyed by her fourth-place finish in the 100m version and confident that she can pull another surprise.

The bubbly swimmer, who pleaded for greater financial support for local swimmers and her own Olympics 2016 ambition, also got the attention of Prime Minister Portia Simpson Miller, who told a gathering in Kingston that she will be holding discussions to ensure that she receives the support she needs.

Atkinson raced to 1:06.93, to finish just outside of the medals and, in the process, joined Janelle Atkinson as the most successful Jamaicans in Olympic swimming.

Janelle, who sent a congratulatory message to Alia yesterday via popular social media website Facebook, finished fourth at the 2000 Sydney Olympics in the 400m freestyle event.

Give it my all

After her 100m exploits, Atkinson believes that anything is possible, as she looks forward to testing herself in the longer format of the breaststroke.

"I'm going into that 200m breaststroke saying the same thing and in the same frame of mind that I was in going into the 100m. I am just going to go out there and give it my all and do my best to make that final," said Atkinson. "Anything can happen."

Atkinson is the current national record holder for the 200m breaststroke, with a mark of 2:29.00, which she set last year, twice lowered the 100m breaststroke national record here - first while winning her heat (1:07.39) and again in a semi-final swim-off with a time of 1:06.79, which is the current record.

She will swim from Lane Five in heat number one at 10:43 a.m. (4:43 a.m. Jamaica time), with the semi-final scheduled for later today at 8:29 p.m. (2:29 p.m. Ja time). The 200m breaststroke final will take place tomorrow at 7:40 p.m. (1:40 p.m.).

Meanwhile, Samantha Albert ended her participation in the individual eventing equestrian competition at Greenwich Park, with a combined penalty points tally of 142.20 penalty points, which meant she completed the course in the 51st position among 53 riders who completed all three disciplines.

Albert, who wrapped up the three-event discipline with her showjumping test yesterday, scored 21.00 penalty points aboard her mount, Carraig Dubh, who had earlier passed a vet's inspection after being seen by a farrier for treatment to a sore hoof, which was suffered after running Monday's cross-country without a shoe.

The Canada-born rider posted 67.20 in the dressage test on Saturday's opening day of the competition and 54.00 in Monday's cross-country for her final mark.