MICHELLE SMITH and Nick O'Hare are two top flight Irish swimmers who could be teammates at the Atlanta Olympics, but their ambitions this week are at opposite ends of the competitive scale.

While Smith, who is guaranteed a place in Atlanta, is glad to have her programme of bulk work completed and is now concentrating on technique, with the aid of high tech equipment at her Dutch base, fellow Dubliner O'Hare is based in Phoenix, Arizona still optimistic of achieving a qualifying time that would make him the fifth member of Ireland's Olympic swimming team.

O'Hare is a 23 year old from Castleknock attached to the Coolmine club who specialises in freestyle. He is only a half a second outside the qualifying target for the 50 metres, but hopes to trim his time at a major meet in Phoenix on Friday week.

This is not at all bad for a competitor who, on his own admission, was a social swimmer only five years ago.

Smith says she may consider competing in a couple of local events in Holland within the next few weeks, "just to go through the motions". Technique training before tapering is her obvious priority at this stage.

Marion Madine was unlucky to miss an `A' qualifying mark by .2 of a second (2:14.52) for the 200 metres butterfly in Vienna recently. The Queens University graduate, who is studying for a diploma in legal studies in Newcastle, moves back to Flagstaf in Arizona for altitude training early next month.

Without an `A' standard in the butterfly and with Smith in the line up, Madine would not be permitted to swim in this, her favourite stroke, in Atlanta. She is capable of redressing this position in the British Super Finals spectacular in Sheffield on May 31st.