Backing Becky!

Cassie Patten says that Becky Adlington will successfully defend her Olympic 800m title

"You don't want to go too fast - you need to go out fast enough knowing that you have enough to bring it back home. You cannot go to slow though; there is nothing worse coming into the last 100 knowing that you have loads left!"
Cassie Patten Quotes of the week

Rebecca Adlington eased into Friday night's 800m freestyle final with a confident heat swim.

The British star, who won bronze in the 400m event earlier in the week, cruised to victory in her heat of her favourite event on Thursday morning, winning it in a time of eight minutes 21.78 seconds.

It was the fastest qualifying time from the five races, although Adlington was just 0.11secs quicker than her main rival for gold, Denmark's Lotte Friis.

"I don't want to jinx anything, so touch wood, but Becky is such a performer and such a perfectionist, said Patten.

"She looked good in the heats. Winning a bronze in the 400m, which isn't her best event, should really boost her confidence.

"The time that she did in the heat was slower than she went in the ASA nationals a couple of weeks ago. We know she has the form there and she looked very comfortable, she was not puffing much. She was aiming for a good lane and I think she has got it.

"She has got competition though," added the Beijing 10km bronze medallist.

"Lotte Friis was also looking very strong in those heats, but Becky will like racing someone. When you're out in front on your own it's great to be winning, but I used to love that chase of racing and I think she'll have a race on her hands.

"She won't get it all her own way though like she did in Beijing. The race then was unbelievable - I was in that race and I wished I had watched it because she was so good.

"I don't see her breaking the world record, but it is a home Olympics so never say never."

Pacing it right

Tactics play a big part in the 800m and Patten says that going off to slow can be more frustrating than going off to fast.

"You don't want to go too fast - you need to go out fast enough knowing that you have enough to bring it back home. You cannot go to slow though; there is nothing worse coming into the last 100 knowing that you have loads left!

"That is the most frustrating thing ever. It is something that every distant swimmer works on. You do hours and hours of 50's and 100's hitting the exact pace again and again. Becky will be hitting around 30seconds for each 50m and then go off say 45 seconds. So he is getting very little rest. That trains your body and your mind to replicate that under pressure.

"Becky technically has an almost a perfect stroke. She is a perfectionist and works very hard on getting that right. Lotte has a different style to her but she has it all going on under the water. It is all about what happens under the water. She aims to get her arms back under the water as quickly as possible and that is why she has that swinGing type stroke.

"I think Lotte Friis and Becky will really push each other but they need to watch out for American Katie Ledecky. She is world Number two at the minute and is looking good. Her times in the heats and at the American trials were good so I think she will be in the mix."