Olympic champion Pieter van den Hoogenband swung into the semi-finals of the men's 100 metres freestyle with comfortably the fastest heat time at the European short-course swimming championships at the National Aquatics Centre in Abbotstown.
The Dutchman, who won the 100 and 200 freestyle at the 2000 Sydney Olympics, moved up from fourth at the halfway mark to win his heat in 47.60 seconds. The Irish quartet of Julie Douglas, Lee Kelleher, Emma Robinson and Chantal Gibney finished ninth in a time of 1:42.43 but failed to qualify for the final.
Germany's Stefan Herbst was second overall, winning his heat in 47.99. Defending champion Lorenzo Vismara failed to qualify for the semi-finals as two of his Italian team mates - Filippo Magnini (48.12) and Christian Galenda (48.29) - were more rapid than his own 48.59.
A new rule allows countries to enter four swimmers in heats for each event but only two can qualify for semi-finals and finals.
The 18-year-old Hungarian Laszlo Cseh, silver medallist behind Michael Phelps at July's world long-course championships, looked in formidable form in the men's 400 metres individual medley, easing through his heat in four minutes 7.34 seconds.
Former world champion Alessio Boggiatto of Italy, who has won this event for the past three years, touched second in 4:10.17, third-fastest overall behind Cseh and Britain's Robin Francis.
Italy's Massimiliano Rosolino, who shared victory with Russia's Yuri Prilukov in Thursday's 400 freestyle and took the silver in the 200 individual medley, won his heat in 4:12.61 and claimed the eighth and last place in the final.
Finland's Jani Sievinen, who beat Olympic champion Rosolino to retain the 200 medley title, pulled out of the 400 event.
Sarah Poewe, who won yesterday's women's 50 metres breaststroke title, returned the fourth-fastest heat time in the 200 breaststroke but was eliminated nonetheless because two fellow Germans, Anne Poleska and Simone Weiler, had swum faster.
Poewe, who switched from South Africa to her father's native Germany last year, clocked 2:23.84 against 2:22.13 for Poleska and 2:23.66 for Weiler. Defending champion Mirna Jukic of Austria was second-fastest on aggregate, winning her heat in 2:23.09.
The rule which hit Poewe also accounted for fellow German Steffen Driesen in the men's 50 metres backstroke heats. The Netherlands set a world best time for the women's 4x50 metres freestyle relay in the morning's heats.