World champion Mitch Larkin qualifies for the 100m backstroke final in Rio

WORLD champion Mitch Larkin has qualified for the 100m backstroke final tomorrow as he looks to add to Australia’s Rio Olympics medal tally.

Mitch Larkin celebrates after winning the Australian Swimming Championships at the SA Aquatic Centre in Adelaide earlier this year. Picture: SARAH REED

FORMER John Paul College student Mitch Larkin has recovered from a poor start to qualify for the final of the 100m backstroke at the Rio 2016 Olympics.

Larkin, who last year broke the shortcourse world record in the 200m event, recorded a time of 52.70 to qualify third fastest.

It will be the second Olympic final for the 23-year-old Larkin, who finished eighth in the 200m backstroke at the London 2012 Olympics before winning both the 100m and 200m backstroke titles at the 2015 FINA World Swimming Championships in Kazan, Russia.

US swimmers Ryan Murphy (52.49) and David Plummer (52.50) led the way, with Plummer touching in ahead of Larkin in semi final two after Murphy had earlier claimed victory in semi final one.

The 23-year-old, who graduated from John Paul College in 2010 started poorly and was outside the top three at the turn but stormed home to come second despite seemingly miscalculating where the end of the pool was and almost being left a stroke short.

Larkin clocked a time of 53.04 in his heat earlier this morning to qualify third fastest for the semi finals.