Olympian Alia Atkinson won a bronze medal in the 50m breaststroke on Monday at the Shenzhen leg of the FINA Champions Series.

 Atkinson finished third in the event won by Italian Olympian Martina Carraro in 30.38. American Olympian Molly Hannis (30.49) won the silver medal. The Jamaican who turned 31 last month, won US$6000 for her efforts while Carraro picked up a cheque for US$10,000.  Hannis won US$8000.

The top three finishes represent the new global top three swims for the season.

For Atkinson, who is aiming to win her first Olympic medal in Tokyo this summer, the performance is a good omen.

Her time of 30.63 is the fastest she has ever swum in January.

Her previous best at this stage of the season was 32.73 in 2012, the same year she finished fourth at the Olympic Games in London, England.

She is the only female swimmer from the Caribbean invited to compete in this series.