Italy: Filippo Magnini, world 100m free champion in 2005 and 2007, will start his 2010 competitive campaign in Viterbo (25m) this weekend over  50, 100 and 200m free and 50m breaststroke. He is quoted by the Italian media as saying that he could "hardly wait until 1 January... after the disappointment caused by the world championship held in my country". In a time of textile, he feels that his "motivation is back, I have not trained so well and intensively for a long time". His coach Claudio Rossetto says that he cannot recall a time when his charge was "so determined".

Australia: Nick D'Arcy is clear to race for Australia in the wake of a conviction for assaulting former swimmer Simon Cowley but his past may come back to haunt him yet, notes reporter Todd Balym in the Daily Telegraph. "... that one punch could cost the young swimmer further because he will require a visa to enter the US for the final team selection and entry regulations are extremely strict on people with criminal convictions," Balym notes. Passage to the Commonwealth Games in India would be somewhat easier but for the fact that selection for that meet hangs on national trials next month and then the Pan Pacific Championships in California in August. If D'Arcy cannot get to California, he will have no sporting visa for Delhi. The swimmer, aware of the situation, has started the process of applying for his US visa well in advance.

USA: Quadruple Olympic breaststroke champion Kosuke Kitajima (JPN) clocked 1:01.11 to win the 100m breaststroke ahead of Eric Shanteau (USA) at the Missouri Grand Prix. AP noted the news thus: "Kitajima was well outside his personal best of 58.91 seconds, clocking 1:01.11 to edge out 200 breaststroke world silver medalist Eric Shanteau of the United States, who timed 1:01.51." Results may well be reported in that context for a while around the world, and without reference to why 58.91 was possible. Even swimmers may think they ought to be faster for a while. "I thought I would like to swim inside one minute but that's the way it goes," said Kitajima. Quite - especially in February in textile. "The 200 will probably be better," he added.  The meet did not feature Michael Phelps, who was snowed up in Baltimore. Before heading to Vancouver (where they are praying for more snow) to help with home Olympic efforts, Canadians Brent Hayden was showing good early season form. Hayden, world 100m free champion in 2007, clocked 1:48.70 in the 200m 0.34sec ahead of Oussama Mellouli (TUN). Hayden's teammates, Annamay Pierse, on 1:08.65 in the 100m breaststroke, Tanya Hunks, on 4:46.49 in the 400m medley, also claimed first places. Chloe Sutton (Mission Viejo, Calif./Mission Viejo Nadadores) was reported by USA Swimming to be "the only member of the U.S. National Team to win an event Friday at the Mizzou Aquatic Center". She claimed the 200m free in 2:01.26. "We haven’t been doing much long course training lately," Sutton said. "After not doing it for so long, it was really a shock to the system." Masayuki Kishida (JPN) took the 100m butterfly in 53.46) and Thiago Pereira (BRA and Trojan Swim Club) the 400m medley in 4:17.59.

The meet can be watched at USA Swimming-sponsored swimnetwork.com.

Results at a glance:

Women

• 200m freestyle: 1. Chloe Sutton 2:01.26, 2. Erika Erndl 2:01.78, 3. Sascha Van den Branden (BEL) 2:02.89
• 100m breaststroke: 1. Annamay Pierse (CAN) 1:08.65, 2. Keri Hehn 1:09.84, 3. Haylee Johnson (CAN) 1:10.56
• 100m butterfly: 1. Angela San Juan Cisneros (ESP) 1:01.79, 2, Denisa Smolenova (SVK) 1:01.99, 3. Justine Clark (GBR) 1:02.17
• 400m individual medley: 1. Tanya Hunks (CAN) 4:46.49, 2. Stephanie Proud (GBR) 4:52.93, 3. Chloe Sutton 4:59.15

Men

• 200m freestyle: 1. Brent Hayden (CAN) 1:48.70, 2. Oussama Mellouli (TUN) 1:49.04, 3. Alex Di Giorgio (ITA) 1:52.24
• 100m breaststroke: 1. Kosuke Kitajima (JPN) 1:01.11, 2. Eric Shanteau 1:01.51, 3. Felipe Lima (BRA) 1:01.94
• 100m butterfly: 1. Masayu Kishida (JPN) 53.46, 2. David Russell 54.32, 3. Vytautas Janusaitis (LTU) 54.42
• 400m individual medley: 1. Thiago Pereira (BRA) 4:17.59, 2. Oussama Mellouli (TUN) 4:17.95, 3. Brian Johns (CAN) 4:19.32