The 21-year-old Croatian who has swum beyond expectation in Debrecen, setting a world short-course record of 26.50sec over 100m backstroke, has dedicated her achievements to her mother, a cancer patient

French Olympic champion clocks 3:57.43 to retain 400m Euro s/c crown at the helm of a final in which 4:05.78 came last; Bernard goes 46.39; Jonanovic sets 50m back WR at 26.50; German quartet sets 4x50m medley World Best

Snippets from the European s/c championships, with not a little help from PPS

The Hungarian clocks world record of 3:59.33 to break the 4min barrier at Euro s/c at home in Debrecen; Dutch quartet set world best of 1:34.82 in the 4x50 free; four women race inside 8:13 over 800m free

The Italian who is used to counting laps by the change of stroke miscalculated on her way to what might have been a European record over 800m free inside Laure Manaudou's standard - but for the fact she stopped at 750m and lost the plot

The French 400m Olympic champion is getting closer to Coughlin in the little pool on backstroke

Yulia Efimova is 15 - and heading into waters that could cause Lethal Leisel Jones a few moments of concern in the build-up to Beijing

FINA has provisionally suspended Marko Strahija (CRO) after the backstroke specialist tested positive for human chorionic gonadotropin (hCG) in an out-of-competition test on November 8

Debrecen - Euro s/c champs: Olympic champion takes out world s/c record over 200m butterfly in 2:03.53; European medley king takes down 200IM standard in 1:52.99; Markus Rogan, of Austria, clocks 1:49.86 European record over 200m back

Some bits and pieces to warm you up for the Euro s/c champs, with thanks to the PPS Cosmos team for their counting, collating and checking what's what, where, why and how, etc

Context being the sum of all things, the USA team for event in Manchester in Olympic year brings instant perspective: no Phelps, no Coughlin, no Peirsol, no Hansen, no Crocker, no Zeigler (etc) ...no world championship. Uncomfortable - but true

The dates for the 2008 series have been announced, with the German meet set to provide a fitting end to the circuit next November

The weight of the world is on Sawrymowicz and Park, says the 30-lap champ; though history recalls a young world champion and pretender to the Olympic throne in 2000 who confined to history a man with nothing to prove

The last time a Dutch female quartet truly challenged for world supremacy over 4x100m freestyle when it really counted, Ada Kok was a twinkle in her parent's eyes. A world s/c record of 3:30.85 suggests the time is ripe for a new orange order

Medley specialist clocks 2:08.95 and Alain Bernard races to a 46.44 100m freestyle record at French s/c nationals; Manaudou replaces Marin with Stasiulis in the heart-felt semis

Coach, doctor and swimmer accuse WADA doctor of a vendetta against the sprinter; public health crimes chief hands report in on Tuesday; fraud apparently not proven; Gusmao flies to Lausanne for date with destiny

1:53.88 to 1:57.07 first to last over 200 free at French s/c nationals

Inge de Bruin's 24.13 50m freestyle world record from 2000 is looking a little shaky as 2008 beckons: Marleen Veldhuis clocked 24.30 in Eindhoven; Hayden and Cochran on form for Canada

The Olympic 1500m champion's dream of adding the inaugural 10km title to his treasury is well and truly alive after he burned a domestic field of marathon specialists to qualify for a place in Seville next May