No records, but good showing by American women on first night

Although the American women didn't produce any Olympic or U.S. records on the opening night of competition from the National Aquatic Center, aka "The Water Cube", it was still a very successful debut for Team USA's female contingent.

Elizabeth Beisel and Katie Hoff produced the top two qualifying times in the 400-meter individual medley, with Beisel winning her heat in 4 minutes, 34.55 seconds and Hoff -- the world-record holder -- doing the same in 4:34.63.

Australia's Stephanie Rice, a former world-record holder, shared the third-fastest qualifying mark of 4:35.11, along with Italy's Alessia Filippi.

Hoff set the world record of 4:31.12 on June 29 at the U.S. Olympic trials, taking down Rice's mark of 4:31.46, recorded at the Australian trials in March. Beisel went 4:32.87 to take second to Hoff at the U.S. trials, a mark two-hundredths under Hoff's world-record performance last April at the FINA World Championships in Melbourne.

In the 100 butterfly, Australia's Jessicah Schipper, the second-fastest swimmer in the event in her country, led all qualifiers by clocking 57.58 in the prelims, with American Christine Magnuson -- the reigning NCAA 100-yard butterfly champion from Tennessee -- and China's Zhou Yafei both finishing in 57.70

Stanford's Elaine Breeden qualified sixth in 58.06 and Australia's Libby Trickett posted the 12th-fastest time of 58.37, well off her personal-best 56.81, which is two-tenths off the world record set by Inge de Bruijn of the Netherlands at the 2000 Olympics in Sydney.

In the 400 freestyle relay prelims, the American quartet of Kara Lynn Joyce, Julia Smit, Emily Silver and Lacey Nymeyer won their heat in 3:37.53, the third-fastest qualifying time behind China's 3:36.78 -- good for an Asian record -- and Germany's 3:37.52. Dara Torres and Natalie Coughlin, the top two finishers in the event at the Olympic trials, are expected to swim for the U.S. in the final.

The Netherlands, who set the world record of 3:33.62 at their trials in March, was fourth in 3:37.61, France qualified fifth in 3:37.76 and reigning Olympic champion Australia advanced to the final in 3:37.81.