Legacy of shame to linger on and on

During that golden era of Irish journalism when the Michelle de Bruin case moved slowly from the sound of gunshots to the location of the smoking gun, RTE distinguished itself with its contribution to the great debate.

Having taken the decision not to talk about the case at all in Atlanta the national broadcaster (self-styled "suppoRTErs") came up with the ingenious journalistic device of apologetically interviewing Michelle de Bruin's father as to the possibility of his daughter being one of the most blatant sports cheats in history.

Brian Smith is a good man who loves his daughter unconditionally and, not surprisingly, he could say only one thing, which was lucky because the one thing he had to say was the one thing RTE wanted to hear. Brian had gotten up mornings in the dark and in the cold and driven his daughter to swimming training. Day after day, month after month, year after year. She was so hardworking that there was no way she could be a cheat.

'Nuff said, Brian.

Thanks, Pat.

Hope it all works out, Brian.

Thanks, Marion.

The picture was lovely and compelling. The little redheaded kid ploughing up a pool before the dawn broke, scrawny battler churning the waters while the windows fogged with condensation and other kids dreamt the last of their dreams before stirring for school. That's the essence of what sport is about, that gorgeous pregnant moment just between hope and glory.

Unfortunately, the stink which Michelle de Bruin has left behind her will pollute the water for generations of kids to follow. She has deprived Irish swimming of a heroine and bequeathed it a raft of records set by a cheat who was coached by a cheat. The image of the child in the pool kept afloat by nothing more than daydreams has taken a good kicking.

Last week it was all about Michelle, her resounding win as she held on to the records which she gave her blood, sweat and tears for. As usual, analysis was the enemy of easy copy. The records went way back to 1984 (not true, but interesting given that the logic suggests that perhaps the more antique records could be clean) and hasn't Chantal Gibney already broken one of her records, so what are we worrying about.

The fact that Gibney, the best free-style sprinter the country has produced, has at her peak produced a swim that has shaved a millifraction off a 50-metre free-style record created by Michelle de Bruin in her mid-20s - when she was bulked up on the "secret formula" her shot putting wonder-coach discovered - tells us more about the extraordinary fraud which de Bruin perpetrated on the Irish public than it does about the wisdom of leaving the records in place.

De Bruin was never a freestyler, never a sprinter. The record was a freak, like so many of those she holds, and perhaps can't explain without recourse to inspiring words and phrases like "androstenodione" and "tampering with the integrity of samples" and "breaches of the doping control process".

Freestyling? We know that Michelle de Bruin at 26 years of age became the oldest Olympic 400 metres free-style winner in history, nine years older than the average age of the 10 previous winners. We know that in doing that she swam the ninth fastest free-style in history. That she knocked 19 seconds off her best time from April 1995 to July 1996.

We know that she got into that Olympic final and set that record via a swim in Pine Crest, Florida, that has since been wiped off the records. Steve Roush of USA Swimming contacted Mr Sean Gordon, honorary recorder of the IASA, as follows in the summer of 1998: "I have investigated the situation surrounding the alleged swim that you are inquiring about. Our local swimming committee in Florida Gold Coast has informed me that our rules were not adhered to and there are no records of a legal time being recorded. The official who was allegedly involved is no longer an official with the Florida committee."

That swim screwed up Marion Madine's Olympics. Nobody went to Bobby Madine and asked him about driving his daughter to swim training only to have her career ruined by some shonky dealings in Florida years later.

We know this, though, that in January of this year, Gordon, who has battled long and lonely to retain Irish swimming's integrity in the Smith debacle, wrote to the old IASA expressing concern about the swim and suggesting that de Bruin be asked for an explanation.

He also suggested that other documents held by the IASA "indicating complaints against this swimmer by FINA should be inspected to indicate whether or not said complaints influence previous Irish records".

None of this will now be done and for taking the options of cowardice and expediency in pretending that there is no precedent for cleaning up swimming records, the new lords and ladies of Swim Ireland have sold out future generations of swimmers.

There is an eternity worth of good mileage to be had out of the saga involving that other great Irish fraud Charles J Haughey. From "thanks big fella" to the bespoke tailoring of a north county lord, the unmasking of the old codger has been ribald fun. Haughey left behind some worthwhile legislation, though, and the evils perpetrated through vanity and greed will probably be buried with his bones.

De Bruin operated in a smaller world, but the toxicity of her cheating will linger for years. She was a villain and a hard one, setting out to coldly destroy anyone who got in her way, most especially Al and Kay Guy to whom no amount of apologies would ever be enough.

It's an old story now of course. People are bored. RTE yearns to rehabilitate the golden girl. De Bruin is moving on and will soon be a wonderful addition to the world of the law library. And while she is hungering and thirsting for righteousness, there will be fathers going to bed early so that they can get up before dawn to bring their shivering mites to the pool.

And in 10 years, will Pat and Marion be seeking out those fathers who have seen their daughters' hearts broken as they battered uselessly against the records set under the auspices of one the world's most extraordinary sporting marriages?

Will anyone give a toss about the kids who will make their choices after they've had their coaches explain the grim facts of life to them. In all likelihood they won't beat these Irish records without cheating. And if they do beat them, swimming clean, will anyone still care.

Congratulations Michelle. You have your little legacy. Walk away and get on with your life, Irish swimming isn't about you or your vanity any more. It's about the kids and what truths their coaches will have to tell them.