Canadian swimmer Mary-Sophie Harvey's late charge books spot in Olympic freestyle semifinals

Mary-Sophie Harvey is a step closer to getting a chance at Paris Olympic gold after beating a newly crowned swimming champion in Nanterre, France.

She won her 200-metre heat and qualified second for the women's semifinals later Sunday, leading Canada's contingent in the pool during preliminary round action.

Harvey, 24, touched the wall in one minute 56.21 seconds to win the fourth and final heat in comeback fashion after trailing Australia's Ariarne Titmus by over a second at the 100-metre mark.

Titmus, who clocked 1:56.23, defended her title in the women's 400 freestyle on Saturday at La Defense Arena. In the 200, she boasts the world record (1:52.23) and Olympic mark (1:53.50).

After exiting the pool, a thrilled Harvey smiled and stuck out her tongue for the television camera before telling Devin Heroux of CBC Sports she was confident, trusted her training and did what she's capable of doing.

At 3:50 p.m. ET, Harvey will try to advance to her first Olympic final after she was a member of the women's 200 relay team that finished fourth three years ago in Tokyo. The final is scheduled for Monday at 3:41 p.m.

Mollie O'Callaghan of Australia was the only athlete to post a faster time than Harvey in the heats at 1:55.79.

Last October, the native of Trois-Rivières, Que., won Pan Am gold among her sevent medals in Santiago, Chile.

"A lot of people are saying, 'Oh, you're 24 now. You're getting older. You should retire,' but it's kind of funny because this year it's been improving, improving, improving," Harvey told CBC News in May.

"Every time I've raced the 200-[metre] freestyle, I've dropped time this season. It feels like I'm 14 again."

Last year, Harvey went public about mental health issues she dealt with earlier in her