Beijing — If Eric Shanteau or Kathleen Hersey were nervous before their Olympic debuts Tuesday, they didn't show it.

The two Atlanta swimmers both swam strong heats in their respective events Tuesday in Beijing and advanced to the semifinals. Shanteau, who is swimming in the Olympics despite recently being diagnosed with testicular cancer, finished second in his heat of the 200-meter breaststroke with a time of 2:10.29, which ranked seventh among the starters in the event.

Hersey, who is among the team's youngest swimmers at 18, won her heat of the 200 butterfly at 2:07.65, which also ranks seventh overall.