When the French Alain Gottvalles became in 1964, the first swimmer under 53" for the "blue ribbon" 100 metres freestyle it took the rest of the World an Olympiad to catch up - yesterday Libby Trickett did it THREE times in the space of two hours!

When she did it for the first time swimming in a "mixed relay" starting against the great American, Michael Phelps in 2007, FINA the governing body refused it as a world record as the event was "unofficial".

Yesterday she also lead-off an Australian 4 x 100 mixed freestyle relay team against Japan in the Australian Institute of Sport pool in Canberra in 52"89, and an hour later won the women's individual 100 metres in 52"95 and anchored the women's relay in the same time.

Yesterday's swims will not go into the record books either but show, just how consistently Trickett can swim in the midst of heavy training.

Libby's famous smile might have made the headlines in all the Australian press but on the second day, Japan clearly took the honours with Ryosuke Irie gliding to a new world record in the 200 metres men's backstroke in 1' 52"86 over a second under American Ryan Lochte old mark set at the Beijing Olympics.

With the best men's backstroke technique since the great Roland Matthes in the 1970's - Irie posted an effortless 55"46 for the first 100m, then kept his momentum with 29 seconds third lap, and 28"4 final lap to indicate that more records are in the making this season, which culminates with the World Championships in Rome in July.

To show he has the speed to go with his majestic backstroke Irie had come within two hundredths of a second of Aaron Piersol (USA) world mark for 100 metres with a swim of 52"56 (and backed up today in the medley relay with 52"62).

Irie, a 19 Kinki University student thus takes the world record back to Osaka in Japan which held the first "Duel in the Pool" in 1958 when on that occasion it was an Australian, John Monckton who claimed the world 200 backstroke mark.

Australia's Olympic butterfly champion Jessica Schipper had a solid weekend winning the 100 metres in 57"86 (56"34 in the medley relay) and 2'07"83 for 200 m.

Her co-captain of the Australian team 21 year old Andrew Lauterstein had also a good double in the 100 metres butterfly 51"52 ( later 51"18 in the medley relay ) and later blitzed the men's 50 freestyle sprint in 22"32 from the outside lane - one hundredth ahead of the Japanese Makato Ito, and a tenth ahead of the favourites Michael Abood and Eamon Sullivan.

Eamon Sullivan back in the water after injury "felt his way" winning the individual 100m yesterday in 48"40, backed up the medley relay today in 48"10.

While Australia beat Japan in the Open events (thanks to its women) the Japanese Youth were far superior and they clinched the combined total - showing that 50 years after the first "Duel in the Pool" swimming in Japan is once more "the land of the rising sun"…

• the 13 year old Yolane Kukla made her debut in the "Espoirs" winning the freestyle 50 m in 25"48 and the 100 m in 56"29 (56" in relay).

David Dickson Three Olympic relay medals,
Captain of the Australian team 1961-66,
Coach of the Cercle des Nageurs d’Antibes 1973,
French National Coach 1977/80…