Reasons to be cheerful: Part II

Smoother yesterday. It all went much smoother yesterday. We were at the press conference. She was there. The other two medallists were there. Erik was there, too. Day two and things were dandy by the banks of the Guadalquivir. To many here, the press conference was more important than the winning of a European Championship medal. It certainly caused a bigger fuss. Michelle Smith de Bruin's slap on the wrists by the protocol police is more of a talking point than Michelle de Smith Bruin with another European medal around her neck.

No, she shouldn't have skipped the press briefing. If she wanted to make a point she could have done a Goran Ivanisevic, who storms off every year at that cathedral of protocol they call the All England Lawn Tennis Championships. They simply fine him five grand.

Michelle Smith de Bruin accepted her slap on the wrist by the European Swimming League (LEN) and vowed to uphold their good rules and regulations.

"We were asked for a written explanation from Michelle," said Ger Doyle, the Irish coach. "But when the request arrived at the hotel late in the evening Michelle was fast asleep, so we wrote the explanation for her.

"Following the medal ceremony there was only about five minutes to get to doping control. She thought at that stage it was more important to go to doping control than to attend a press conference. Then, after the doping, there was no one to direct her to the press room so she left."

LEN's comment on the matter was typically bland. Issuing a stern warning through secretary Harm Beyer, the German magistrate who was involved with Erik de Bruin in an accreditation problem before this week's swimming began, said:

"We requested an explanation from the Irish delegation. They said the 60 minutes for drug testing was expiring at the time of the victory ceremony and that she went to the drugs testing area and then home."

Beyer further added that the Irish delegation had not informed Smith de Bruin of the requirement to go to the conference and that she risked disqualification if she repeats the act. Unlikely.

For her part, Smith de Bruin had a wee broadside at LEN when she suggested that the slow heats she has had to race, the bad lanes she's been drawn in and the protocol row has not helped her bids for gold.

"It's more difficult swimming in the slow heats. But I've got a job to do and I just put my head down and do it. It's not the best, but I just have to accept it. There is no point in sitting there and crying about it. I have to accept the lanes I get and the heats that I'm put in and get on with it."

The race went much as she thought. It was just that different people were involved in the end game.

"That was a really tough race. But I expected it to be tough and didn't expect the two other medals to be the girls who are sitting here beside me (Russia's Nadezhda Chemezova and Romania's Camelia Potec).

"The only way I could win was to go out very fast in the first 100 metres. I felt my endurance would take me back in the second half of the race. I didn't expect the girl (Potec) to go out so fast, but when she did I had to go with her. I couldn't let anyone take a lead on me.

"I couldn't see where anyone was, but I could see the lead and knew if I could stay with her until the last 50 metres, I was going to be all right. She made me swim.

"On the last 50 metres, when you are in that situation, you are fighting for everything. I just put my head down and kept going for the wall. You don't have time to look around you. If you do, then you lose time and you've lost the race. "I feel happy now because of the people I was able to beat. Kerstin Kielgass was the reigning European champion and I think she swims very tough races and the same with Moracova. They were the two I was worried about. Kielgass did a 1:58.09 in the German relay and Morakova went really fast, too."

Smith de Bruin seems finally to have weathered the Atlanta hangover. Just one question this time. No follow up. It has been a long road, the end perhaps of that chapter . . .? Probably not.