Debrecen: European s/c Championships - Day 3: great day for France, Hungary and Poland, and two world bests fell in non-Olympic events: the 50m backstroke succumbed to Croatian Sanja Jovanovic at 26.50, a time well up on the 27.70 to 28.04 range at which she has spent the past three years before 'technical improvements' turned her around; and the 1:47.44 medley relay record that stood to Dutch women is no more after a 1:46.67 effort from German quartet Janine Pietsch (27.19), Janne Schaefer (29.64), Annika Mehlhorn (26.52) and Britta Steffen (23.32). Not wishing to detract from that speedy swimming from Deutschland, it is worth noting, as ever: the 4x50m is not raced anywhere else in international championships.
Women's 400m freestyle: Laure Manaudou, racing a league apart, proved that all is well on the journey to defending her 400m crown in Beijing next summer, with a 3:57.43 victory over 400m freestyle that, though shy of her 3:56.79 world record, is third-best ever behind herself. No-one else comes close. Back in 2000, the Euro s/c crown was lifted in 4:06.71. Last in the final tonight was Austrian Joeris Steinegger (AUT) in 4:05.78: Manaudou has dragged the world down, kicking and screaming, over 400m. Behind her in Hungary: Federica Pellegrini (ITA), 4:00.78; Agnes Mutina (HUN), just outside Eva Risztov's national record of 4:01.95, on 4:02.35; Erika Villaecija (ESP) 4:02.74, inside the 4:03.83 at which she had held the national record; Flavia Rigamonti (SUI) 4:03.77, 0.04sec outside the Swiss record she broke in heats; Coralie Balmy (FRA) 4:04.06; Gabriella Fagundez (SWE) 4:05.12; and Steinegger. Manaudou nows has five of the best 10 times ever, only one outside the 4min mark, by 0.20. The first woman under that barrier was Lidnsay Benko (USA), in 3:59.53 back in 2002.
Manaudou said she was bang on the target she and coach and brother Nicholas had set: 'It is my first serious 400m race since the World championships. My brother and coach Nicolas and I wanted to clock 3:58 minutes. Ultimately I was more than half a second faster. I concentrated on this race to win my third title in a row.'
Pellegrini said: 'Our national long course championships will take place next week as the first long course event of the Olympic season. That's why I couldn't expect a personal best but I'm pretty happy with my time and the silver medal.' And Mutina, who had a best of 4:07.44 coming into the championships, said: 'I am totally amazed about my time. It is only the third time I raced this event at a major championship. I really don't have any explanation for this time.'
Men's 100m freestyle: what a long time ahead there is to Beijing. Stefan Nystrand (SWE) and Alain Bernard (FRA) made no impact at Melbourne 2007 over 100m and then set the world alight long and short course in the months that followed. The Swede had the edge, with world records in Berlin last month over 50 and 100m. In Debrecen, it was the Frenchman's turn to shine, his 46.39 (off a 22.25 split), 0.13sec inside the championship record of world long-course champion Filippo Magnini (ITA), and ahead of Nystrand's 46.73 (22.37) and Magnini's 46.90 (22.86). Nystrand's world mark of 45.83 stands aloft, while the Frenchman stays at 4th fastest ever, his previous French record of 46.44 having followed Roland Schoeman and Ian Crocker's 46.25 on the all-time list.
Bernard said: 'Best time and gold medal - what more can I ask for? I felt well at half-way but then had a bad turn at 75 metres. It was a very tense last 25 metres. I had to focus on my stroke - 90 per cent of this race was mental.' Nystrand said: 'I don't know why I lost this race. I'm at a loss...'. Ah, the mysteries of championship racing..., and Magnini, with what looks like a healthier split balance, peered ahead to Beijing: 'I'm totally focussed on the upcoming long course season, which will begin with the Italian national championships next weekend. But I'm quite happy with my time.'
Men's 200m butterfly: Not hard to see the stamina and opening speed for his medley being built up by Laszlo Cseh (HUN): with a 1:51.55, he is now European s/c champion over 200m butterfly and sixth fastest ever. In his wake, former world champion Pawel Korzeniowski (POL) on 1:51.61, a little shy of his best of 1:50.89, and Ioannis Drymonakos (GRE), on 1:54.28, inside his own national mark by 0.13sec. Cseh's best had stood at 1:53.08.
Cseh, winner, on the first two days, of the 200 and 400m medley titles in world records, said: 'It was tough work. I had to speed up the race at the start. That's my weapon, otherwise it would not have been sufficient to win. I had predicted a time of 1:51.99 but my coach was better, he really predicted the time of 1:51.55 exactly.' Korzeniowski was disappointed with his performance, which saw him turn at the 100m mark 1sec down on the Hungarian: 'I was too slow in the first 100 metres. This mistake cost me the title today.'
Men's 1,500m freestyle: Mateusz Sawrymovicz (POL), world champion, completed a tremendous year of progress over 1,500m freestyle with a 14:24.54 victory in Debrecen that set a Polish record and elevated the 2007 champion to third fastest above the July 1993 world record effort of 14:26.52 by Kieren Perkins (AUS), Olympic champion in 1992 and 1996.
The Pole was able to fend off a strong challenge from Gergo Kis, who wiped 12.5sec off his national record to claim silver in 14:29.58. The bronze went to Federico Colbertaldo (ITA) in 14:31.31, inside the 14:36.93 Italian record set by Massimiliano Rosolino in 2000. Przemyslaw Stanczyk (POL) fourth in 14:40.04. Only David Verraszto (HUN), on 15:00.90, missed going below 15min. The race was one of the fastest fields ever seen over 60 laps but fell well shy of the 14:10.10 world record of Grant Hackett (AUS) and the 14:16.13 European record of Yuri Prilukov (RUS). The 2007 champion's best was 14:28. 43, while Kis and Colbertaldo are now 4th and 5th fastest ever in the little pool.
Sawrymowicz said: 'I simply swam against the clock never watching my competitors. Thus I quickly increased my lead forcing me to go at my own pace. I am pretty happy with this race.' On his race, Kis said: 'My aim was to win a medal no matter what colour. When I saw I drew equal with Colbertaldo I put my whole power into the last 50 metres. I have been working on that with my coach.' Colbertaldo said: 'After the 400m free on Thursday I had problems with my shoulder. I didn't know how it would go on. But I didn't want to finish fourth again. In the end it was a good race breaking the seven-year old Italian record of Massimiliano Rosolino and because I finally got a medal.'
Women's 100m medley: Hanna-Maria Seppala (FIN), former world 100m freestyle champion, set a national record of 1:00.23 to lift the crown, the time a best by 0.22sec and elevating her from 10th to 6th best ever. The silver went to Aleksandra Urbanczyk (POL) in 1:00.53, a national record that was also 0.22sec inside her own previous best, with bronze going to Sophie De Ronchi (FRA), in 1:00.66, just outside the 1:00.34 French record she set at nationals in Nimes last week.
Women's 50m backstroke: not one to get to excited about a 50m s/c backstroke but a world record it was from Sanja Jovanovic (CRO), at 26.50, inside the 26.83 of Li Hui (CHN) in 2001, inside the European mark the Croatian set at 26.91 in Zagreb last month, and inside the 27.06 championship record of Ilona Hlavackova (CZE) from 2001. Silver went to Janine Pietsch (GER) at 27.11, bronze to Fabienne Nadarajah (AUT) in 27.50.
Before last month, Jovanovic had spent three years racing between 27.70 and 28.04 over 50m. That is some improvement. Said the new world record holder: 'I was sure that I would improve my best time and actually I had the world record at the back of my head. I improved my underwater technique and that gave me the edge for the World record.' Perhaps her new-found speed will put a smile on the faces of a Croatian swimming fraternity that heard the bad news this week that it looks like the country has cheats in its midst.
Men's 50m breaststroke: world record holder at 26.17, Oleg Lisogor (UKR) did not need that speed to lift the crown once more, his 26.75 keeping him ahead of Aleksandr Hetland (NOR), on 26.95, and Alessandro Terrin (ITA), on 27.09.
Women's 4x100m medley: the 1:47.44 world best time that stood to Dutch women is no more after a 1:46.67 effort from German quartet Janine Pietsch (27.19), Janne Schaefer (29.64), Annika Mehlhorn (26.52) and Britta Steffen (23.32). Sweden took silver in 1:48.07 and France bronze, on 1:48.39. Steffen said: 'Janine Pietsch left the water very disappointed a few minutes before after her 50m backstroke race. We knew we could win, but suddenly the mood changed. Behind the blocks, we said to each other - we can do it - and suddenly all the tension was gone...'. As was the record.
The medals table: