Michael Phelps has achieved another unprecedented feat: the first swimmer honoured as Sports Illustrated's sportsman of the year after his eight-gold medal swim in Beijing
Times are still pretty modest down at the 9th African Swimming Championships at the Ellis Park Aquatics Centre in Johannesburg, though a 2:33.39 200m breaststroke is not at all bad for a 13-year-old girl
The world champion from France has exercised a woman's prerogative to change her mind: she will, after all, race at French nationals in Angers this week and then at the European s/c Championships in Rijeka next week
After 15 German records were set at the German s/c nationals in Essen at the weekend, including a 400m free European record for Paul Biedermann and Johannes Dietrich, the former European swimming powerhouse is clawing its way back from the Beijing blues