A thin trail of smoke was left hovering over the surface of the Longhorns' pool in Texas by some of those testing their engines at the latest US Grand Prix event: 1:57.39 from Michael Phelps on 200m medley, a 21.93 from Gar Weber-Gale at home over 50m freestyle, a 51.32 from Ian Crocker in the 100m butterfly and 3:47.60 and 4:09.14 respectively from Klete Keller and Kirtsy Coventry in the 400m freestyle.

In these days when world records are awaited like the morning sun, the above efforts fall into the category of steps along the road to better things. But linger just a moment on that path to consider the speed of the following wind. It's March, and Phelps's medley effort ahead of Eric Shanteau , on 1:59.27, would have won any Olympic title barring his own 2004 crown at any time in history and is faster than any silver medal ever won.

Weber-Gale's 21.93 matches the best Olympic win by Gary Hall Jr and falls just 0.02sec shy of Alexander Popov's 1992 blast. Following on: Matt Grevers, 22.01; Nick Brunelli, 22.30; Adrian Nathan 22.42; Cullen Jones, 22.49; Roland Schoeman, 22.49; Neil Walker, 22.60; Lyndon Ferns, 22.88. Crocker's 51.32 just 0.07sec shy of the Olympic record held by Phelps and good for a medal at any time in history. It was the 21st time that he has raced below 22sec. In his wake, Grevers, 52.10 (13 men have dipped below 52 in history); Ferns, 52.66; and in fifth backstroke ace Aaron Peirsol, on 53.28, faster than Pablo Morales went when he warmed hearts to lift the 1992 Olympic crown, a fingernail away from Michael 'The Albatross' Gross at his best. Keller's effort left him 0.6sec shy of the time in which he won bronze at Sydney 2000 in the rip curl of a firing Thorpedo.

It's going to be a hot summer.