(ADW) As in the last Olympics in Shanghai, Laurent Carnol rose to the semifinals. And as in China, he finished in 15th place in the 200 breaststroke. His time of 2'11 "17 has left a bitter taste in his mouth, but spurred him on to return again stronger and even more determined.

 While Michael Jamieson in lane four on Tuesday night at the London Aquatic Centre, managed to get the 17,500 spectators to their feet, Laurent Carnol fought hard in the first semifinal of the 200m breaststroke.

To Carnol’s left were Lithuanian Giedrius Titenis and then German Christian Vom Lehn who took a half second lead in the first 50m followed by more than a second by 100m.

"When you're in the wake it is difficult to fight back", stated Carnol after the race , torn between the feelings of missing out on a medal and the fact that he is the first Luxembourg athlete to reach a semifinal in the Olympics since the war.

It was back in 1924 when Laury Koster reached the final of the 200m breaststroke at the Paris Games.

True to Koster’s legacy, Laurent Carnol fought back in the second half of the race, catching New Zealander Glen Snyder and beating him by three hundredths of a second. Just 20m further would have allowed him to fight the race winner, German Christian Vom Lehn.

Photo: Fabrizio Munisso