Steffen Deibler wiped 0.33sec off his own German record at Olympic trials in Berlin, the 100m freestyle crown his in 48.55. He was the only qualifier on day four of the trials.

Deibler (TG Biberach) turned in 23.58. Behind him and in line for a relay berth were Paul Biedermann SV Halle) 49.27; Jens Schreiber (Hannover) 49.34; Lars Conrad (Hannover) 49.38; the champ's bro Markus Deibler (TG Biberach) 49.43; and Benjamin Starke (SG Neukölln Berlin) 49.44.

Nina Schiffer (SSF Bonn) took the 200m butterfly in 2:09.49, ahead of Franziska Hentke (SV Halle), on 2:10.28, with former champion Annika Mehlhorn (SG ACT/Baunatal) down and out on 2:10.65.

The 200m breaststroke went to Marco Koch (DSW 1912 Darmstadt) in 2:13.74, ahead of Andreas Lösel (SSG 81 Erlangen) on 02:15.36, who has gone back to his time of two years ago after big progress in 2007: 2:11.97 in April last year a year after a 2006 best of 2:15.98.

In non-Olympic events, Sabrina Schafer clocked 16:48.11 in the 1,500m freestyle, while Thomas Rupprath gave his German record of 24.80 a close shave in the 50m backstroke with a 24.83 effort that left the former world-record holder well off the pace of new global trend-setter, Liam Tancock, of Britain, on 24.47 two weeks ago. The women's 50m butterfly went to Silke Lippok in 27.08.

Tomorrow brings news of Britta Steffen and where the former world record holder fits into the Beijing picture so far at a trials that, like those in Japan and France, have (so far, as far as france and Germany are concerned) not followed the same rate of progress seen elsewhere in the world.