European Championships, Budapest, day 6 semi-finals:
Men 50m freestyle
Fred Bousquet (FRA) did not quite get down to shiny best but on a sensational 21.36 championship record he passed part-time Auburn training partner Cesar Cielo's 21.55 2010 pioneering sprint past the 2000 textile standard of Alex Popov (RUS) - 21.64 - to take lane 4 for the final tomorrow. Next through, teammate Fabien Gilot on 21.75 and Stefan Nystrand (SWE), on 21.80. Andrey Grechin closed the door on 22, in 21.98, Luca Dotto (ITA), Simon Burnett (GBR), Marco Orsi (ITA) and Steffen Deibler (GER) next through. The cut: 22.27, a time shared, in fact, by Krisztian Takacs (HUN). A swim-off will take place at the end of the session.
And that produced storming efforts from both men, Deibler a step up, on a debut sub 22 of 21.99, a lifetime best - and not far from the German shiny suit-era record of 21.86, belonging to Rafed El-Masri. Takacs clocked 22.12.
Women 50m breaststroke
Yuliya Efimova (RUS) set her second championship record of the day, with a 30.32 blast to book lane 4 ahead of Britain's Kate Haywood, 31.24, and Moniek Nijhuis, on 31.25. The cut: 31.81.
Women 200m butterfly
Zsuzsanna Jakabos and Katinka Hosszu sent the home crowd into a roaring frenzy as they led their respective semis in 2:08.18 and 2:07.92. Ellen Gandy (GBR) kept Hosszu company, on 2:08.01, with Caterina Giacchetti closest to Jakabos, on 2:08.87. The cut: 2:09.25, locking out, by 0.01sec, Britain's Jemma Lowe, who led Hosszu's semi by a body length at the half-way and still had the edge at the last turn before the training she is not fully rested from took a toll.
Women 50m freestyle
Dorothea Brandt (GER) took the first semi in 24.64, ahead of Hinkelien Schreuder (NED) on 24.69, before 2000 Olympic silver medallist Therese Alshammar (SWE) claimed lane 4 in 24.52, Francesca Halsall (GBR) on 24.70. The cut: 25.32.
