South Korean swimmer Park Tae-hwan won the 100-meter freestyle event at the Santa Clara International Grand Prix Friday, local time.

The victory cleared ways for the "marine boy" to win the London Olympics scheduled in August, critics say.

 The 2008 Olympic gold medalist came in at 48.85 second in the men's 400-meter event, which does not qualify him to participate in the Olympics 100-meter event. However, Park said he used the race to check his pace for the 200-meter competition, which is his main area of interest.

The win is the second at the grand prix for Park following a gold medal he nabbed Thursday in the 800-meter freestyle. There, the 23-year-old swimmer broke Korean record with 7:52.07. It is also the fourth-fastest fime in the world this year.

By Bae Ji-sook (baejisook@heraldcorp.com)