Olympics-Swimming-Denmark's Blume wins women's 50m freestyle heats

By Mark Trevelyan RIO DE JANEIRO, Aug 12 (Reuters) - Pernille Blume of Denmark set the fastest time in the heats of the women's 50 metres freestyle on Friday, and Australian sisters Bronte and Cate Campbell qualified comfortably after missing out on medals in the 100 metres. Blume swam 24.23 seconds in the same heat as Bronte to go through in first place to the evening semi-finals, with Britain's Fran Halsall second fastest and Aliaksandra Herasimenia of Belarus third. Of the 16 to go through to the semis, Bronte Campbell was fourth fastest, Cate seventh, and defending champion Ranomi Kromowidjojo eighth. Simone Manuel of the United States was 11th, the morning after dead-heating with Canada's Penny Oleksiak for gold in the 100m. The Netherlands' Inge Dekker, who underwent cancer treatment earlier this year, was equal 13th. (Reporting by Mark Trevelyan, editing by Neil Robinson)