France: This weekend marks the 2010 competition debut of Alain Bernard (FRA): the Olympic 100m freestyle champion will race at the Luxembourg international three weeks into his return to serious training with coach Denis Auguin and team at CN Antibes. The big date was January 4, the moment when a tick-over, keep-fit rate of 5km of training a day since September 2009, post-Roma09 world titles, stepped up to 14km a day. "Of course, I am not going to say that it is easy. I lack endurance. But I am happy to be back," said Bernard through his sponsor arena. Auguin regards the Jan 4 (the first week of a return to textile suits in the post-bodysuit era) date as symbolic: "We looked at it and Alain said simply 'right, here we are, let's go for it...". The coach added: "Of course this new workload requires a period of adaptation. Alain has responded well. He is happy. He is very much into it, very focussed on what he needs to do in training. makes in training. I have a sense that he has cleared away all that held him back last season ... consequently, he's doing this for himself, he has has no sense of being obliged to do certain things."
Italy: the swimming community of Italy today mourns the loss of 44 years ago today of seven national-team members and their coach in a plane crash at Bremen airport. Bruno Bianchi, 22, Dino Rora, 20, Sergio De Gregorio, 19, Amedeo Chimisso, 19, Luciana Massenzi, 20, Carmen Longo, 18, and Daniela Samuele, 17, with coach Paolo Costoli, 55, were among the 47 who perished. They had been heading to a swim meet at Bremen in a season of success for Italy: they members of the winning Six Nations team in 1965. The Coppa Brema is an annual remembrance meet, and in 2010 unfolds on March 14, when Italy's top eight teams will do battle and honour the memory of thos who died back on this day in 1966.
