The German Olympic trials have started to warm up in Berlin, with European records of 53.10 in the 100m backstroke for Helge Meeuw and 1:07.10 for Sarah Poewe in the 100m breaststroke.

The qualifiers today:

Sarah Poewe (SG Bayer Wuppertal, Uerdingen, Dormagen) - 100m breaststroke: 1:07.10, European record.
Sonja Schöber ( SG Dortmund), also 100m breaststroke: 1:08.17.
Helge Meeuw (SG Frankfurt) 100m backstroke: 53.10, European record
Thomas Rupprath (SC Empor Rostock 2000), 100m backstroke: 54.16

Meeuw has put in a fair few world-class times over the past few years but has never stepped up to the mark when it most counted at world level. His aim will doubtless to make Beijing the exception.

He had shared the record with Britain's Liam Tancock at 53.46. Tancock was pre-selected for Beijing when he took bronze behind Aaron Peirsol's world record at Melbourne 2007 and has not raced a long-course 100m at top flight this year. The new top five now reads:

52.98 Peirsol USA
53.01 Phelps USA
53.10 Meeuw GER
53.46 Tancock GBR
53.50 Vyatchanin RUS
53.50 Lochte USA

Poewe, who once raced for South Africa before switching to Germany, had stood at 17th all-time on 1:07.48. In 1:07.10 she becomes the only European in the current all-time top 10, at 10th, knocking Brooke Hanson (AUS) down to 11th. The European record had stood at 1:07.27 to Anna Khlystunova (UKR) since Melbourne 2007.

In the 200m freestyle Paul Biedermann, already qualified in a German record of 1:46.37, will be joined by Steffen Deibler, Benjamin Starke and Stefan Herbst for the 4x200m freestyle.