Finals a washout as thunder, lightning hit

Swimming: In an unprecedented move, organisers of the European Championships were forced to cancel the finals towards the end of the session when an absolute downpour hit the Hungarian capital, calling a halt to proceedings with two events remaining.

A large crowd had gathered at the open-air venue to roar on the likes of home favourite Lazlo Cseh, who posted the fasted time in the semi-finals of the men's 200 metres individual medley.

They had also seen Sweden's Therese Alshammar win gold in the women's 50 metres butterfly, capturing the lung-bursting event without taking a breath down the entire length of the pool.

Alshammer is well known to Irish swimming circles, having competed in the now defunct Leisureland International Meet in Galway for a number of years.

But just as Cseh hit the boards in the second of the 200 IM semi-finals, the dark and foreboding clouds which had rolled over the stadium burst open, sending down a deluge and scattering the audience to immediate cover.

With thunder and lightning also in the air, organisers decided to call a halt on safety grounds.

The Omega time-keeping system was also affected, and the company informed the organisers that they couldn't guarantee that the scoreboard would be working today.

The incessant rain also denied the crowd of the chance to see Pieter Van Den Hoogenband make the final of the 200 metres freestyle, this after producing a stunning swim in the heats upon his return to international competition after a gap of almost two years.

The Dutchman won a rare double in the 100 and 200 metres freestyle in the Olympics in Sydney in 2000. He also won the 100m in Athens in 2004, and was just beaten to the 200m title by Australian Ian Thorpe in Greece.

Neither swimmer has been in action for the last two years because of injury.

While Van Den Hoogenband was making what looks like a winning return, there was a poor return for Ireland's three competitors in the morning heats as Julie Douglas,Claire Dawson and Ciara Farrell all failed to progress.

Douglas was particularly disappointing, swimming over a second and a half outside her Irish record in the 100 metres freestyle set over four years ago in the Commonwealth trials.

Dawson also had a bad swim in the same event, while Farrell, swimming in her first major meet, was tailed off in her heat of the 100 metres breaststroke.

There are two Irish swimmers in action today. Andrew Bree competes in the heats of his favourite event, the 200 metres breaststroke, an event in which he is ranked sixth in Europe after a fifth-placed finish in the event in the Commonwealth games earlier this year.

"I hope to go out and turn at half distance in around one minute and four seconds with one-and-a-half strokes less than my 100 breaststroke time," said Bree. "The time I swam on Monday in the 100 is similar to what I did at the Commonwealth games in Melbourne, and if I can swim something like 2.14 I will be smiling."

Ireland's other competitor will be Melanie Nocher in the 100 metres backstroke. She had a poor swim in the 200m on Monday. Nocher and Bree will certainly be hoping for better today, as will the beleaguered organisers.