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News Round-Up: Bernard's Bounce

Apr 7, 2010  - Craig Lord

France: Olympic 100m free champion Alain Bernard is fit and healthy, coach Denis Auguin tells L'Equipe's Benoît Lallemand today. A couple of weekends back at the Amsterdam Swim Cup, the sprinter withdrew from the 100m final suffering from fatigue and heading for a rest and some blood tests. The results are back and, in good time for the French nationals and trials on April 13-18 in Saint-Raphaël, Auguin says: "They're good. All is well. He's doing some very good stuff in training." Asked about expectations for nationals, Auguin replied: "Our objectives for season remain the same: to be in best-possible shape in August (for the European championships in Budapest) and make steady progress until then." An odd season that may appear to bring no advantage could turn out to be one with immense benefits the coach believed. At nationals, Bernard's aim was "to win" but there would be no gnashing of teeth if he didn't. 

Italy: Medley and 800m free ace Alessia Filippi reveals to Gazzetta dello Sport's Erminio Marcucci today that she is best buddies with Laure Manaudou and has a specific ambition in mind when she hangs up her goggles: politics and a fairer society in Italy. Manaudou invited the swimmer to Paris amnd the two friends took in a vista of the French capital from the top of the Eiffel Tower. Manaudou, says Filippi is a "sweet woman now a sweet mum too". The Italian has a family and "two children" high up on her list of priorities, while on a professional level she wants to "get into politics in a serious way". She would like to fly the flag for Italy's Democratic Party and "I want to commit myself to a healthier society and one that is fairer than the one we have right now".

Scotland: an 11-year-old from Millbank Primary pupil in Nairn, Fiona Cameron, is giving her local council some stick on her Facebook page. In short,. the council want to close down the town's only indoor pool (indoor being a terribly important part of the equation in Scotland, of course). Young Cameron is having none of it and has launched a campaign on her Facebook page. Since the weekend more than 650 people have pledged their support and councillors are sitting up, with three leading lights with a key say it it all now intending to vote to save the pool, a victim of budget cuts in straightened times that still see bankers heading off on their yachts for a brief break from the stress of it all, while the health and safety of kids takes a back seat. "It’s a big thing, so I hope this makes them change their minds." said the young swimmer to the Press and Journal. "Swimming is a really good sport and I really like swimming in the Nairn pool. If they close the pool, it would be horrible to have to travel to the pool in Inverness.”