Meet records fell to Alex Dale Oen, of Norway, and Japanese duo Ryosuke Irie and Natsumi Hoshi on the last day of action at the Canet round of the Mare Nostrum Tour in France as some of the world's fastest fish warmed up for battle at world titles in Shanghai next month.

Dale One steamed on 1:00.29 in the 100m breaststroke, his the only threat to the minute mark as the minor spoils went to Ryo Tateishi (JPN) in 1:00.94, and world 50m champion Cameron Van Der Burgh (RSA), on 1:01.14.

Irie (JPN) set a meet record of 1:54.54 in the 200m backstroke as he continued to show why he will be among strong medal hopes in the event at world titles in Shanghai next month. The closest rival was well back, teammate Kazuki Watanabe on 1:58.21, third place going to Hungary's Peter Bernek, on 2:00.09, locking out Russian veteran Arkady Vyatchanin, on 2:00.78.

Hoshi cracked the meet record in the 200m butterfly in 2:07.40, Marina Granstrom (SWE) second in 2:08.03, with world champion Jessica Schipper (AUS) taking bronze in 2:10.55. The equivalent men's final produced a tight finish but Takeshi Matsuda and Ryusuke Sakata (JPN) were the only two to break 1:56, on 1:55.25 and 1:55.80 respectively. The bronze went to Kaio Almeida (BRA) on 1:56.00 ahead of Olympic silver medallist Laszlo Cseh (HUN), on 1:56.50. In their wake came Cseh's young teammate Bence Biczo, 1:56.56, Dinko Jukic, the Austrian who refused a dope test of late, on 1:56.65, and Commonwealth champion Chad Le Clos (RSA), on 1:56.74.

At the start of the session, world s/c champion over 200m freestyle, Camille Muffat (FRA) was a league apart in the 400m, her 4:06.93 well ahead of French teammate Ophélie Cyrielle Etienne, 4:12.35, third place going to Lieke Verouden (NED) in 4:15.26.   Muffat was back later on to take third in the 100m, on  54.74, the race won by world 100m 'fly champion Sarah Sjoestrom (SWE), on 54.55 ahead of Russian Veronika Popova, on 54.68.

In the men's 100m free final,  James Roberts, on his way to Shanghai with peer James Magnussen next month, claimed victory in 49.02 ahead of three men 0.04sec apart. Matthew Targett (AUS), on 49.20, took silver in a session in which he had already won the 50m 'fly, third place went to Jérémy Stravius, 49.22, while French teammate Yannick Agnel was locked out on 49.24.

Satomi Suzuki (JPN), on 1:08.30, held off Sam Marshall (AUS) by 0.07sec in the 100m breaststroke, while 50m winner Jennie Johansson took bronze in 1:08.53 ahead of fellow Swedish swimmer Joline Hostman, on 1:08.87. 

Dash Finals

Aya Terawaka (JPN) dominated the backstroke dash in 28.09, silver shared by Grace Loh (AUS) and Mercedes Peris (ESP), on 28.51. Among men, Gerhard Zandberg (RSA) set a meet record of 24.96 to win 0.06sec ahead of Ben Treffers (AUS), with world 100m champion Junya Koga (JPN) on 25.29, 0.09sec the better of Hayden Stoeckel (AUS).

On butterfly, world record holder Therese Alshammar (SWE) stormed to a 25.69 victory over teammate and world 100m champion Sarah Sjoestrom, 26.08, third place going to Mélanie Henique (FRA), on 26.41. World champion Marieke Guehrer (AUS) clocked 26.78 for fifth place.

Matthew Targett put Australia back on top in the men's final, a 23.43 effort keeping at bay former world record holder Roland Schoeman (RSA), 23.86, and current world record holder Rafael Munoz (ESP), on 23.88, 0.09sec ahead of Russia's Nikita Konovalov. 

The meet came to a close with the men's 1500m freestyle, Japan's Yohsuke Miyamoto swam around 1sec each 100m faster than the next best, his 15:19.12 comparing to 15:32.49 for Scotland's Lewis Smith, third place to Frenchman Benoît Debast, on 15:34.61.

The next and final stop on the tour unfolds in Monte Carlo at the weekend.