Foster looks to gold

Mark Foster is confident after his freestyle qualification

Mark Foster believes he can claim gold for Britain after successfully progressing through to the final of the Olympic 50metres freestyle.

Britain have had a torrid time in the pool, failing to win a single swimming medal in Sydney.

However, Foster gave his country some hope after qualifying for Friday's final with the sixth best time from the semi-finals.

Foster is confident he can make up the marginal deficit to Pieter van den Hoogenband and wreck the Dutchman's hopes of an historic freestyle treble.

"I do not see why I cannot win it," said Foster, after finishing third in his semi-final in 22.32 seconds, just 0.03secs outside his national record.

Hoogenband

I am an evening person. I knew after this morning's heat that I could go better

  Mark Foster

"Hoogenband is only a quarter of a second ahead of me which is nothing because I did not quite get my finish right."

Foster, who had struggled through his heat earlier with the 14th best time, added after his swim: "That felt a lot better.

"I am an evening person. I knew after this morning's heat that I could go better."

Foster, sixth in Barcelona in 1992 but who failed to make the final four years ago in Atlanta, is only the fourth Briton to reach an individual final in the International Aquatic Centre.