The return to real swimming is underway in France: at the 9th Arena Sprint meet in Rouen the men raced in Bermudas, as the French call Daniel Craig-style racing shorts. The crowd loved the racing and the sight of honed bodies once more, according to reports, while the going was tough, says Alain Bernard's coach Denis Auguin.

Jérémy Stravius (Amiens) emerged as freestyle ace of the moment, winning the 100m in 49.41 - ahead of Grégory Mallet, CN Marseille, on 49.88 - and matching Fred Bousquet  in the 50m, both on 22.32. They joined with teammates ranks to claim the 4x50m French record in 1:40.06, ahead of Antibes, the team of Bernard. He did not race solo freestyle and, contrary to reports that he had withdrawn from the meet raced alone on ... breaststroke.

His coach, Denis Auguin, said of the return to textile suits with not a bodysuit in sight: "From what I could see [at the meet], they are swimming more slowly and with a lot more movement than in the past year. We can read two things into that: one, they are swimming slower and 2, they are struggling because they are swimming more slowly. That offers real proof that there was a real effect on their performance from the [shiny] suits. So, yes, there has to be alot of discussion between coaches and athletes to cancel out the different 'shocks'. This is an opportunity for athletes and coaches to reflect on the true meaning of swimming and what it takes to swim fast." He repeated his criticism of the continuous changing of rules and conditions over the past two seasons of suit wars.

Bernard noted: "We're in shorts. It's all or nothing. I feel it to be a sudden change. We are the main protagonists of our sport and we are exposed to the sudden decisions of people who did not have the courage to take the right decisions when the moment was right. The ideal would have been to go to textiles. We'll be in shorts too, so much the better! The whole world will be on the same footing [equality and fairness]."

David Maître, of GMUC Grenoble, said that technique would become more important again. "We will regain what we've lost," he noted. Whereas a "donkey" might go well in what was worn in the past season, "now you have to swim in the water and have a rapport of kick/pull efficiency". Many swimmers, he believed, had lost that feel during a time of wearing suits that enhanced performance, supported core stability and improved body position in water. For those who developed a habit of wearing briefs in heats, adaptation might not be so difficult. "It's back to basics," he added.

Grégory Mallet, CN Marseille, said: "For sure, things will change. The sensations are different. Everyone will be on an even footing. We were doing a different kind of swimming to the one known 10 years ago." He believed that with hard work it would be possible to get back to "the same level" of performance as seen in the past two seasons. Psychological preparation would be all the more important, the ability to get into competitive mode one of the keys to performance. Times will tell. His 49.88 100m free was after just 10 days back in training. 

Denmark: at the national s/c champs in Odense, Rikke Moller Peterson clocked European s/c records of 1:04.59 and 2:18.52 over 100m and 200m breaststroke, both standards having stood to Russians. The 100m  wiped out Valentina Artemyeva's 1:04.71 and the 200m eclipsed Yuliya Efimova's 2:19.08. Moller Peterson is 20. Her previous best 100m time was 1:06.55, after 1:09.38 as an 18-year-old. Over 200m, she zoomed down from a 2:23.55 best, which was a gain from a 2:25.93 and a 2:27.39 all in one season. By norms and traditions, remarkable gains.  There is a strong chance that what Moller Peterson wore contributed to the performances in a way that will no longer be possible in 2010.