GOLD COAST - Singapore swimmer Roanne Ho squeezed into the final of the women's 50m breaststroke after she clocked 31.31 seconds in her pet event at the Commonwealth Games on Thursday (April 5).

The 25-year-old was fifth in the second semi-final with that time, and just shy of her national record of 31.29sec, which she clocked during her gold-medal effort at the 2017 Kuala Lumpur SEA Games.

Ho qualified eighth overall, with Jamaica's Alia Atkinson going into the final on Friday (April 6) as the fastest swimmer (30.53sec).

A relieved Ho said: "When I saw the time, I thought I wouldn't make the final; I didn't see the first heat, so I was sure I wouldn't make the final... when I was trying to clear the pool I looked at the scoreboard and suddenly I saw my name beside the number 8 and I was shocked."

She had clocked 31.61sec in the heats the same morning, and will be aiming to be the first South-east Asian to go under 31 seconds for this event in the final.

Meanwhile, para-swimmer Han Liang Chou finished eighth in the men's S14 200m freestyle final in 2min 25.22sec.

The 21-year-old, who is intellectually impaired, was also eighth (2:25.09) in the only heat for this event on Thursday morning.

Han said: "I did a personal best this morning and I think I did okay in the final. It was very exciting to race here in the final."