Notes And Warnings On The Road to Beijing | Swim News Online

The lack of a world or European record at the Paris Open had some lamenting a near-miss for the event but organizers need not be so pessimistic. There are more ways that records to measure a meet and this one was high on excellent, world-class performances, an event brimming with important notes on the road to Beijing, loaded with warnings for those who care to heed them. It was full of promise too: the Open is worth encouraging (though get the format and timing wrong and it will sink into the swill of all those other meets that make up a calendar crying out for the chop).

In the 200m backstroke, Alessia Filippi, of Italy, defeated world champion Margaret Hoelzer, 2:09.06 to 2:09.55 in a stroke-for-stroke battle that got no loser than the 0.66sec that split the two rivals at the first turn.

Having watched events back home across the Pond, where in Indy Michael Phelps gave both the 100 and 200m backstroke record a close shave, American Aaron Peirsol ended his season with a swift 53.17sec win over two laps in a race void of serious threat. There's something about the way Peirsol goes about his business that tells you he is a man who will do all he can to reclaim backstroke as his sole preserve on the world record books. In Paris, teammate Randal Bal touched second in 54.46, with Helge Meeuw, of Germany, third on 54.55, ahead of European champion Arkady Vyatchanin, of Russia, on 54.57.

Mike Brown, of Canada, put a 2:12.01 seventh-place finish at Melbourne behind him with a 2:11.82 victory over 200m breaststroke that was more important on the way back to confidence for the way it was executed than for the time on the board.

Some 20 metres out from the wall, Russian Grigory Falko, who turned a second down on Brown (1:03.34) at 100m, started to cut back the Canadian's lead with the smoothness of a hot knife through butter. He might have rolled passed the man at the helm but for Brown's successful search for a reserve gear. Timing his touch to perfection, Brown took victory 0.23sec ahead of Falko, with Slawomir Kuczko, of Poland, third on 2:13.16.

Brown said: "I wasn't happy with my swims at worlds this year ... my preparation coming in to this meet was not what it was going into the world championships so to be able to pull off that swim there was a big confidence booster. I'll take a couple of weeks off and then get back at it and go for the Olympic year."

On Falko's fast homecoming sprint, Brown said: "I know that guy and how he swims that last 25 he just revs those arms and digs in: I just hung on as much as I could."

The value of Paris was Olympic practice. "This is not as high pressure as the Olympics or world champs so if you can get yourself pumped up like that at a meet like this, it's good practice just a year out ... we're a year and three days out to be precise [from Beijing]. It's a great stepping stone to get yourself ready for next year and Bejing. I'm counting down. I know the days. I'm looking forward to it."

Yana Klochkova, of Ukraine, continued to her trawl back to Olympic medal contender status with a 2:12.16 win over 200m medley, just 0.37sec ahead of Poland's Katarzyna Baranowska, with Evelyn Verraszto, 17, third for Hungary in 2:14.03. Whereas Klochkova cuts a powerful figure on the blocks, the young Hungarian has no meat on the bones yet and, with some excellent skills in the making, is one to watch out for. Baranowska's weakness is the front end of the medley but her finishing speed on freestyle tells a tale of supreme fitness.

Klochkova breezed through the mixed zone after the race but when asked a question was either fibbing about her language skills and lack of ability to understand, or those lessons in all that time spent in the United States were a waste of money.

Mirna Jukic completed a successful international comeback meet with a 1:08.72 win for Austria over 100m breaststroke, European champion Yuliya Pidlisna. Of Ukraine, second on 1;09.47, and Elena Bogomazova, of Russia, third in 1:09.48.

The 100m butterfly went to Irina Bespalova of Russia in 58.42, ahead of teammate Natalia Sutyagina, on 59.02; Lars Froelander, of Sweden, claimed the 50m butterfly in 23.71; James Goddard gave Britain the win over 200m medley, in 2:00.90; and Russia took the women's 4x100m medley in 4:04.20. Canada also just missed their national record for second in 4:05.83, with Erica Morningstar producing the fastest freestyle split, of 53.85.

And so concluded the inaugural Open, which unfolded courtesy of the hefty support of EDF, the French utility company, and the good hospitality of Lagardere Racing. Merci and au revoir Paris. Fabulous venue. Job well done.