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Murphy goes close but Irish fail to qualify

SWIMMING/European Championships: While the German squad - and the women in particular - continue to dominate the headlines in…

John Kenny in Budapest
Sat Aug 05 2006 - 01:00

SWIMMING/European Championships: While the German squad - and the women in particular - continue to dominate the headlines in Budapest, it was another predictable day for the Irish swimmers as Barry Murphy, Andrew Bree and Jonathan Nixon were eliminated from the men's 50 metres breastroke.

Melanie Nocher's 31.16 seconds swim wasn't anywhere near good enough as she crashed out of the women's 50 metre backstroke.

Murphy got closest of the quartet,winning his heat in 28.89 seconds,just .09 of a second off his Irish record, but outside a top 16 slot.

The 21-year-old Dubliner has broken the men's 100 metre freestyle record already this week and the Tennessee-based swimmer hopes to do the same in his final event today, the 50 metres freestyle.

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That record stands at 22.90 seconds, a time he set himself, and any improvement would almost certainly put him into the semi-finals.

The German women's squad have broken three world records in the 100 metres freestyle and the two relays, but the win in the 4 x 200 metres relay has raised eyebrows.

Their squad demolished the record, set by the US in the Athens Olympics two years ago, by almost three seconds. Past systematic doping by East German coaches hangs over the women's performances. As a result head coach Orjan Madsen says that by September they will bring in blood passports for their squads and provide their national agency and World Anti Doping Agency (Wada) with access to test results.

For Bree, a week that had promised so much ended in disappointment as he trailed in seventh in his heat of the 50 metres breaststroke with only Nixon behind him.

It's a meet that the former European silver medallist is anxious to put behind him. "I really don't like to look at the past. I've got to look forward to the short course (25 metre) season in December and the world's in March next year." There are four Irish in action today. Ciara Farrell goes in the 50 metres breaststroke with Julie Douglas and Clare Dawson in the 50 metres freestyle. Murphy does likewise in the men's 50 metres freestyle.