Yuri Prilukov (RUS) fended off Olympic bronze medallist David Davies (GBR) and World Champion in Melbourne last year, Mateusz Sawrymowicz (POL), to retain his European 1,500m freestyle title in Eindhoven in a championship record of 14:50.40 (in 2006, he won in 14:51.93).

If the Russian was happy with gold, then Davies was happy to be there after spending four days in hospital recovering from an acute viral infection. His 14:54.28 was something of a miracle and provided the Welshman - who in 2006 was crowned Commonwealth champion at a time when Grant Hackett (AUS) was laid low - with a silver to go along his three bronze medals at Athens 2004, Montreal 2005 and Melbourne 2007. At that last event, he beat Hackett for the first time, but so too did others. Sawrymowicz (POL) took the crown a year ago but had to settle for bronze in Eindhoven, in 14:58.78.

Of all those in the race this evening, Davies was the only one to swim in a way that suggested he knows well what the world record holder - Hackett - is capable of. The opening splits tell the tale:

After that, the Russian edged back and drew level at 800m, build a 2m lead by 1,000m and then found that Davies, unrested for Eindhoven, had caught his second wind and, while in no shape to hit back was not about to be left further behind. And that's where it ended.

The 200m breaststroke crown passed to Yulia Efimova (RUS) in a championship record of 2:24.09, ahead of Mirna Jukic (AUT), 2:24.58, and unknown Alena Alekseeva (RUS), 2:26.22.

The 50m backstroke European record fell twice: in the first semi, Sanja Jovanovic (CRO) clocked 28.17, and in the second semi, 31-year-old Nina Zhivanevskaya (ESP) took the mark down to 28.13.

The 100m butterfly produced one of the biggest upsets of the championships: Sarah Sjostroem (SWE) is just 14 and already a European champion. Her 58.44sec victory, off a 27.27 split, defeated title favourite Inge Dekker (NED), on 58.50 after a 26.74 split. Aurore Mongel (FRA) was another French swimmer stepping up a month before Olympic trials, her 58.54 good for bronze and inside a pre-championship best of 59.33. Mongel, who has spent the past four years in the 59sec bracket, made her breakthrough with a 58.58 in semis in Eindhoven.

Sjostrom improved from a 1:00.24 as a 13-year-old to a 58.38 in the semis, which took her inside the Swedish record held by Anna Karin Kammerling since 2003. A new era in Swedish swimming is on the horizon.