Swimming: De Bruin brilliant as pressure grows

MICHELLE DE BRUIN, the triple Olympic champion, beat the Irish 800 metres freestyle record at a swimming meeting near Paris on Saturday.

Sporting a black swimsuit and a yellow cap with the initials of her club, the Irish swimmer, currently embroiled in doping allegations, won the 800 final in 8min 40.01sec.

De Bruin, who won three gold medals at the 1996 Atlanta Olympics under her maiden name of Smith, swam in Sarcelles, just north of Paris, as a member of the Melun-Dammarie club.

She again refused to talk to the press.

On Friday she had also taken part in a 100 metres freestyle heat before fleeing a mob of photographers and cameramen.

Fina, the international governing body of the sport, said on Wednesday that a urine sample given by De Bruin in an unannounced test in January showed "unequivocal signs of adulteration". De Bruin later denied she had tampered with the sample.

"She told us that her comments had been misused by the press and, on the advice of her lawyer, she would not accept any interviews," Guy Canzano, chief organiser of the Sarcelles meeting, said on Friday. De Bruin is expected to race again in France at the end of the month.

l The former British captain Helen Slatter completed a hat-trick of victories at the Speedo British Grand Prix in Cardiff on Saturday. The 27-year-old, who has just returned from a training camp in Miami, won the 100 metres backstroke, 200m butterfly and 200m medley. Yesterday she won the 400m medley, but she was beaten in the 200m backstroke by Louise Coull.