No keeping up to Jones in 100M race

Australian swimming superstar Leisel Jones is going to her fourth Olympics this summer, the first Aussie swimmer to do as many.

But some of the fun of swimming in London was taken away when she arrived in Vancouver this week to learn longtime breaststroke rival, Canadian Annamay Pierse, failed to qualify.

“I only heard it yesterday,” Jones said Friday after winning the 100- metre breaststroke at the Mel Zajac Jr. International at UBC Aquatic Centre in one minute, 7.84 seconds.

“I was really disappointed. I’m really going to miss her. I loved racing against Annamay. We often had a lot of fun in the marshalling area.”

Jones, 26, and a gold medallist in the 100 metres at the Beijing Olympics, has held both the 100- and 200- metre world records at various times. Pierse is still the 200- metre record holder. Jones’ time on Friday was .52 seconds off Pierse’s 2009 meet record.

Canada’s top two breaststrokers, Martha Mccabe and Tera Van Beilen, were second and third in 1: 08.94 and 1: 09.12.

“It was good, probably one of the faster times I’ve ever swam in season,” said Mccabe. “I’m really just trying to play around with strategy right now.” ON THE BLOCKS: Taehwan Park of Korea took more than two seconds off Mission native Brent Hayden’s meet record in the 200- metre freestyle with a swim of 1: 46.75 ... Scott Dickens of Vancouver broke his 2009 meet record by going 1: 01.57 in winning the men’s 100 metre breaststroke.