The 30-year-old swimmer from Kungsbacka advanced from the trials in his specialty distance, the 200-meter breaststroke.
The times haven't been that fast here, I have to be satisfied with a seventh place and try to fight for a final tonight, he says after noting 2.10,35 – 2.7 seconds above his personal best.
Erik Persson made his first start in the Paris La Defense Arena, which was almost fully packed with 15,000 spectators.
The atmosphere is magical. But the swims overall haven't been as fast as expected, and no world records have been broken yet.
According to Expressen, the International Swimming Federation's requirement for the depth of a competition pool is actually 2.5 meters – but in Paris, the depth of the provisional pool is 2.15 meters.
The new rule about the depth was introduced last year, and Paris is exempt because they were awarded the Olympic Games in 2017.
It could be a factor, it's shallower than usual. Now I'm quite short compared to many other swimmers, so for me, it doesn't play a big role, says Persson.
Tall Björn Seeliger, 202 centimeters, missed advancing on the 100-meter freestyle after a mediocre 49,70 – 1,24 seconds above his personal record.
Seeliger led his heat after 50 meters – the short freestyle is his main event in the Olympic Games – but then faltered.
He didn't want to blame the shallow pool.
I can't blame anything. The pool isn't that deep, and even if it's slow, it's slow for everyone. So it doesn't matter, he says.
