Late replacement Soni wins breaststroke silver

By Alan Baldwin

BEIJING (Reuters) - American Rebecca Soni won silver in the Olympic 100 meters breaststroke on Tuesday, little more than a week after she first heard she was swimming the event.

Soni, who had qualified for the 200 meters only, was handed a place in the 100 after team mate Jessica Hardy failed a dope test.

The results of that test came too late to allow Tara Kirk, who had finished third in the Omaha trials, to be drafted in as the substitute.

"I wasn't really ready to swim this until a couple of days ago. So, first of all to be in the event was a great feeling," said Soni, who needed an operation two years ago to correct an irregular heartbeat.

"It kind of felt like there was less pressure because it wasn't initially my event. I felt whatever happened, happened. I kind of had fun with it and that helped a lot."

Soni, a first time Olympian, said she would try and keep up the momentum and medal again in the 200.

"Now I don't have to worry," she said. "At trials I was a little bit worried about it, now I can just go for it and have fun.

"My thoughts go out to Tara and also to Jessica, I don't think it's necessarily fair what happened but rules are rules and I'm doing what I'm told," she added.

"I wish Tara could have been here, I wish Jessica could have been here."

(Editing by Greg Stutchbury)

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