U.S. swimmer Rebecca Soni was second after Jones. Rebecca got the chance to race in the 100m breaststroke only several days before the Beijing Olympics when Jessica Hardy withdrew from the Olympics following a positive test of banned substance.

Soni, who apparently hasn't sunken into the joy yet, said her teammates' sensational win in Monday's men's 4X100 freestyle relay helped her go faster. "Maybe it was yesterday's relay that inspired us all. Who knows? It definitely worked for me."

Austria's Jukic Mirna, who was happy with a bronze in 1:07.34, paid her tribute to her family.

"My father is my best coach. My whole family and my friends are all supporting me. At home, my family woke up at 4am to watch my training, and I did well today."

The Austrian said winning a medal is a "victory and a reward" to her. "I have prepared in Spain for about one year. Finally I can take a rest from now on."

Chinese Olympic debutante Sun Ye finished seventh in 1:08.08, slower than her time in the semifinals. "I was not as fast as I was in the heats and semifinals. But to me, this is a pretty good time. I hope this (the time) could take me into the relays so I could have more chance to race for my team."

(Xinhua News Agency August 12, 2008)