The sun is high, the sky mostly blue, a few cotton-wool clouds on the horizon looking out from Margaret Island as swimmers complete their warm-up for the first heats session of the 30th European Championships in Budapest. This is the first major international championship to be held under 2010 suit rules and at 9.08am the announcer reminded teams that suits had to be handed in for inspection before the start of racing. "There are still five or six missing... ".
The Alfred Hajos pool complex looks resplendent, conditions ideal for some fast swimming, with many a tight tussle in prospect over the coming seven days. First up this morning was the 400m free, with world champion Paul Biedermann (GER) in the second of four heats, entered with a 3:48.77 (not his 3:40.07 world record), while French 18-year-old Yannick Agnel (FRA) in lane four of the fastest heat off his 2010 best, 3:46.26. The other solo event to produce a final today was the women's 400m medley, all eyes on home hero back from California, Katinka Hosszu, after her Austrian training partner predicted that she would be the first to break a world record under 2010 suits rules.
Finals will be held in eight lanes here, not 10 as the next FINA world titles will be, LEN having taken its decision based on the pool construction in Budapest, which would have disadvantaged the outside lanes.
Heats summaries:
Men's 400m freestyle
In the second heat, Nikita Lobintsev (RUS) led the way at the 200m, on 1:51.35, with world champion Paul Biedermann (GER) on 1:53.30. The picture changed little at the 300m mark but on the last length the German favourite clawed his way back in line with the Russian. The clock stopped in Lobintsev's favour, on 3:49.92, to 3:50.07 for Biedermann.
In Rome last year, the man who would become champion and world record holder in 3:40.07 qualified for lane four in 3:43.01. Lobintsev missed the cut in Rome, on 3:45.97 for 10th in heats.
Heat three in Budapest saw Mads Glaesner (DEN) led a blanket line-up of eight swimmers, on 1:54.83 at half-way. By the close, Sebastien Rouault (FRA) had taken charge of things to match Biedermann on the clock, on 3:50.07, Gergo Kis (HUN) on 3:50.67, Clemens Rapp (FRA) on 3:50.95 and Glaesner on 3:51.15.
Cesare Sciocchetti (ITA), Yannick Agnel (FRA) and Robbie Renwick (GBR) raced stroke for stroke to 300m, the Brit turning a touch ahead with 100m to go. By the close, as the three men raced each other and places in the final, Renwick was first through on 3:50.00, Agnel on 3:50.27 and Sciocchetti on 3:50.95, matching Rapp's time and sealing the final as last man through.
Lobintsev in lane 4, Biedermann in 3, Agnel in 2, the other side of centre having Renwick in 5 and Rouault in 6.
Women's 50m butterfly
World record holder (25.07) Therese Alshammar (SWE) led the way to the semis on 25.80, ahead of world 100m champion and record holder and teammate Sarah Sjoestrom, on 26.04, with Jeannette Ottesen (DEN) on 26.04.
Men's 100m backstroke
The first championship record of the meet fell to Camille Lacourt (FRA) in 53.27 in heat 5. The king of consistency this season looked superb: smooth, streamlined, head high, no hint of a dead zone in his perpetual motion. The meet mark had stood at 53.50 to Arkady Vyatchanin (RUS) since Budapest 2006. Four years on, the Russian, racing in lane 1 of the last heat, progressed to the swim-off for semis in 54.72, as Liam Tancock (GBR), on 52.85 at British national in spring, led the way on 54.37, for third place into the semi, Jeremy Stravius (FRA) having clocked 53.87 in heat 4. The other man on Vyatchanin's 54.37 was teammate Stanislav Donets. In the swim-off, Donets got the touch 53.68 to 55.02. That put Vyatchanin out of the final, Vitaly Borisov having claimed the fist berth for Russia in 54.53, under the two-per-nation-past-heats rule.
Women's 400m medley
There were just three heats of the long medley, Sara Nordenstam (NOR) clocking 4:43.76 to set the standard ahead of Mireia Belmonte (ESP), on 4:45.98, in the first line up, of seven swimmers. The second heat saw Hannah Miley, European s/c champion last year, take charge of the race going into the back-to-breast turn, on 2:15.51 and extend to a solid lead on more than a second over Anja Klina (SLO) on breaststroke, Irish teenager Grainne Murphy challenging not too far back after having led the way on 'fly. Miley cruised home to win the heat in 4:40.10, Klinar on 4:40.43, and Murphy on a lifetime best of 4:41.80, not far from her best of 4:40.88 from European juniors in 2009 and not far from that Irish senior record that stands at 4:39.18 to the disgraced Michelle Smith de Bruin.
A big cheer went up at the start of the last heat as world champion Katinka Hosszu (HUN) steeped up. All were in a line on 1:03s on fly, backstroke did little to split the middle lanes, of Hosszu, teammate Zsuzsanna Jakabos, first through on 2:14.00, and Yana Martynova (RUS). On breaststroke, Hosszu, training parnter of Rebecca Soni over in California, surged ahead to turn into free on 3:35.35. The world champion looked comfortable as she kept the pressure on to a 4:40.61 win over 4:41.63 for Martynova and 4:42.00 for Jakabos.
On her way to victory in Rome last year, Hosszu qualified for the final in third place on 4:35.15. In Budapest, Miley leads the way, Klinar and Hosszu either side of her. Last into the final was 4:44.53, leaving Belmonte, among the medal favourites coming into Budapest, locked out.
Men's 100m breaststroke
It was heat 7 of 8 before we witnessed a sub 1:01 effort, and then there were two: Fabio Scozzoli (ITA) and Olympic medallist Hugues Duboscq were split by 0.01sec, the Italian with the edge on 1:00.97. In the last heat, Alex Dale Oen (NOR), defending champion, took charge of the race on the way out and cam home in a confident 1:00.48 to lead the way through to semis. The Norwegian, who opposed the use of p-e suits that skewed results and were banned on january 1 this year, looked strong, confident and classy in his resurgence. He was the slowest of 13 Europeans to race inside the minute last year. Three of those men missed the top 16 cut this morning. Top 8 through in 1:01.35; top 16 all done in 1:01.67. A tight battle for places in the final in prospect this evening. Among
Women's 200m backstroke
The heat was on from heat 3, when Gemma Spofforth (GBR) cruised to a smooth 2:10.00. Next heat up, Jenny Mensing (GER) led the way on 2:11.89. From the start of the last heat, Elizabeth Simmonds (GBR) showed why she is the 2010 trend-setter in the long backstroke. Head and shpoulders up as she emerged into her stroke, she was out in 30.20 and 1:02.79.The speed test done, Simmonds eased her way to a 1:36.37 at the last turn and then looked like she'd started her swim down on the way to stopping the clock at 2:10.91. Britain 1-2 going through to semis closed off at 2:14.70, Alessia Filippi (ITA) just missing the cut.
Men's 50m butterfly
Rafael Munoz (ESP), who still faces the prospect of a WADA challenge at the Court of Arbitration for Sport after he missed three out-of-competition anti-doping tests in the past year, progressed at the helm in 23.47, a little over a second away from his world-record pace. Next through was Steffen Deibler (GER), on 23.56, with Fred Bousquet (FRA) on 23.66. The semis are closed of at 24.30.
Women 4x100m freestyle
Some significant changes in line-up and order to come later, but Germany leads the way on 3:39.97, the Netherlands and Britain chasing on 3:40.19 and 3:40.50 respectively, all three of those quartets making the second of two heats this morning the toughest at the top.
Men's 4x100m freestyle
Defending champions Sweden took the first heat in 3:16.45, the second heat going to France in 3:13.12, with Russia pressing hard on 3:13.96. The effort of the French quartet set a championship record inside the 3:15.23 set by Italy at Budapest 2006. The morning markers: Amaury Leveaux (48.59), Boris Steimetz (48.84), William Meynard (48.07) and Fabien Gilot (47.62). To step in tonight, Alain Bernard, Olympic 100m champion and the man who is likely to deliver gold for Gaul.
