The 50m sprint heats at the Paris Open this evening set up some close clashes for the finals tomorrow. On freestyle lane four went to Australian training partners Libby Trickett, 0.03sec ahead of Marleen Veldhuis on 24.86, and Eamon Sullivan, on 22.20, 0.01sec ahead of Marco Orsi (ITA) and Fred Bousquet (FRA), on 22.24.
The rest of the men's line-up: Amaury Leveaux (FRA), 22.34; Nicholas Santos(BRA), 22.38; Alain Bernard (FRA), 22.40; David Maitre (FRA), 22.44; and Fabien Gilot (FRA), 22.47.
World champion Therese Alshammar (SWE), through in 6th on freestyle, had earlier led the way into the final of the 50m 'fly with a 26.43 ahead of Veldhuis (NED), on 26.59, with Trickett (AUS) third through on 26.65, before Veldhuis's teammates Hinkelien Schreuder and Inge Dekker, on 26.71 and 26.75 respectively.
Both Alshammar Veldhuis have raced inside the Swede's world record this year: Alshammar's time could not count because she was wearing two suits at the time, while Veldhuis wore a suit that was subsequently rejected by FINA on May 19. Monday June 22 will bring news of the final list of approved suits ahead of the world championships in Rome next month.
In the men's 50m 'fly heats, Leveaux looked ready to catch the wave once more, his 23.52 leading Milorad Cavic (SRB), on 23.70, Bousquet, on 23.79, and Andrew Lauterstein (AUS), on 23.83.
Fabiola Molina (BRA) led the way in the 50m backstroke, on 29.19, ahead of Esther Baron (FRA) on 29.54, while the men's line-up was shown the way by world record holder Randall Bal (USA), on 25.22, ahead of Guilherme Guido (BRA), on 25.44.
In the 50m breaststroke, Leisel Jones (AUS) was in a place she has become familiar with: out ahead on her own, on 31.22, with Moniek Nijhuis (NED) next through on 31.91. An unusual presence in the men's race: first into the final was Joao Luiz Gomes (BRA), on 27.76, with Fabio Scozzoli (ITA) 0.13sec adrift, while in seventh was 100m free world champion Filippo Magnini (ITA), on 28.48.
