Highlights from a swim meet circuit that nevers sleeps: Jones 1:05.34; Pellegrini, 4:02.93; Colbertaldo, 3:45.20; Lowe, 58.28; Kitajima, 59.44

Seven Hills in Rome:

The meet is a qualifier of Beijing and Italians were in fine form. Fed and Fred were at the helm.
400 free:
Federica Pellegrini (ITA) 4:02.93; Otylia Jedrzejczak (POL) 4:08.79; Rebecca Adlington (GBR) 4:09.44.

Frederico Colbertaldo (ITA) 3:45.20; Massimiliano Rosolino (ITA) 3:46.57; David Carry (GBR) 3:48.39.
100 breast: Leisel Jones (AUS) 1:05.34; Joline Hostman (SWE) 1:07.79; Kate Haywood (GBR) 1:08.70.
100 'fly: Jemma Lowe (GBR) 58.28; Sara Isakovic (SLO) 59.14; Francesca Halsall (GBR) 59.23.
50 free: Therese Alashammar (SWE) 24.92; Halsall 24.99.
100 breast: Edoardo Giorgetti (ITA) 1:01.71; Kris Gilchrist (GBR) 1:01.92; Chris Cook (GBR) 1:01.95.

1,500m free: Cassandra Patten (GBR), as she warms up for that 10km tussle, in 16:29.34
4x100 medley: Lizzie Simmonds, Kate Haywood, Lowe, Halsall (GBR) 4:01.46; Australia, 4:01.71; Sweden 4:07.44.
4x100m medley (m): Liam Tancock, Chris Cook, Michael Rock, Ross Davenport (GBR) 3:38.17.

At the Japan Open: Kitajima warns with 59.44

In Tokyo, Olympic champion Kosuke Kitajima gave warning of a fast summer when he clipped his own national 100m breaststroke record in 59.44, 0.09sec inside previous best. He wore the Speedo LZR Racer and then protested, according to agency reports, wearing a top emblazoned with words to the effect of 'I'm the swimmer' and calling on the Japanese Swimming Federation to rip up contracts with swimsuit manufacturers and let him wear the Speedo LZR (a 58.5 in prospect then? Just kidding...sort of). "e;It's a shame Japanese swimmers haven't been permitted to wear the Speedo suit,"e; Kitajima told reporters.told Reuters about completing the swim in a Speedo LZR Racer.

Other Japanese records to fall: Takeshi Matsuda, 1:54.42, 200m butterfly, 0.14sec inside the 2004 best of Olympic silver medallist Takashi Yamamoto; Yoshihiro Okumura, 1:47.36, 200m freestyle, inside the 1:47.83 of Takeshi Matsuda; Haruka Ueda, 1:57.75, 200m freestyle, inside the 1999 effort of 1:58.78 by Suzu Chiba; Reiko Nakamura, 0.01sec better at 59.82 in the 100 backstroke.

At Dutch nationals in Eindhoven: Hoogie's wife waves bye-bye to old times

Femke Heemskerk broke the 12-year-old Dutch 200m medley record that had stood to Pieter van den Hoogenband's wife and now mum to young Daphne, Minouche Smit. Heemskerk clocked 2:15.52, 0.21sec inside Smit at her best. Heemskerk swam slower in morning finals, on 2:15.73.

Hoogie put in a 22.48 heats effort in the 50m freestyle and in the women's equivalent, Marleen Veldhuis set a meet record of 24.42 ahead of Hinkelien Schreuder (25.28) and Ranomi Kromowidjojo (25.35) to progress. He then went 22.21 in finals, while Veldhuis went slower in morning finals, on 24.67, with Schreuder on 24.81 and Kromowidjojo on 25.01. The 200 back went to Nick Driebergen in 2:00.46 and the 100 breaststroke crown is Robin van Aggele's, on 1:02.16, again s slither slower than his evening qualifier of 1:02.09. Not looking good for NBC's morning rise and shine but what do they care.

In Moscow at Russia nationsla: Zueva goes 2:08.56 200 back

Anastasia Zueva set a national records of 2:08.56 at the Russian nationals. Yulia Efimova, medal hope on breaststroke, clocked a Russian best in the 100m breaststroke yesterday and then sprained an ankle and will not race again at the meet in Moscow.