Chinyere Pigot had two big moments at the Olympic Games in London.
The first came during the Opening Ceremony, as the UConn student carried the flag for her native country of Suriname. The 19-year-old swimmer led the delegation for the South American country in front tens of thousands in the stadium and more than a billion television viewers. Pigot even got an on-air mention from NBC Olympic host Matt Lauer.
Pigot had to wait a week for her second big moment. She swam in her only event Friday, the 50-meter freestyle at the London Aquatics Centre.
Pigot finished her race in just 26:30, good enough for third place in her heat, but her time was nearly two seconds behind overall leader Ranomi Kromowidjojo of the Netherlands. The top 16 qualified for the semifinals. Pigot finished in 40th place.
Watch her race here (Heat 5, 13:45 into the video).
She will return to UConn, where she holds several school swimming records, to begin her sophomore year in a few weeks. Pigot's brother, Diguan Pigot will also attend UConn as a freshman. Diguan Pigot also swam for Suriname in the London Games.
