Michelle De Bruin travels to Bordeaux this weekend to establish whether she will be fit to compete in the World Championships in Perth, Australia, early next month. De Bruin recently injured her neck in a car accident in Ireland and has been unable to take on the full rigour of a World Championship training schedule.

The low-key meet in France, where she is expected to go in the 100 metres freestyle and the 200 metres individual medley, is geared to test her overall fitness for the World Championships, the only major international competition in which she has not won a medal. She has, of course, four Olympic medals, and seven European Championship medals, four of which were won in Seville last August.

De Bruin was originally scheduled to travel with the Dutch swimming team to Australia on December 18th to acclimatise to the western Australian venue, but was forced to revise her plans after the accident. She has since been receiving physiotherapy.

Although she is entered in the 800 metres freestyle in Perth, De Bruin will be allowed to change events under the regulations laid down by the International Swimming Federation. The 800 metres freestyle entry gives no real indication of which event or events she will ultimately decide to contest. It is purely to have her name listed as an entrant in the World Championships.

De Bruin is expected to make her final decision on whether to compete in Perth after the French swim.