European Championships, Debrecen, Hungary, day 5 heats:

Eleven men broke 53sec in the 100m butterfly heats, Laszlo Cseh (HUN), Matteo Rivolta (ITA) and Olympic silver medallist Milorad Cavic (SRB) the top three through to semis on 52.32, 52.43 and 52.46 respectively.

For Cseh, winner of the 200m medley and 200 m butterfly this week, any medal in the butterfly sprint tomorrow would take his tally of podium places at European long-course championships to 13 since 2004. During that time, he has won 10 solo titles, his only relay medal on the list a bronze with the Hungarian 4x100m medley quartet at Cseh's debut championships in Madrid in 2004 on his way to taking his first Olympic medal, a bronze in the 400m medley at Athens 2004.

After five heats of the women's 200m freestyle, Silke Lippok (GER) was the only sub-2min swimmer, on 1:59.96. Olympic champion Federica Pellegrini (ITA) joined her with a leading 1:59.07 in the 6th heat, 2:02.09 required to make the top 16, two swimmers faster than that dropped courtesy of the two-per-nation rule that applies after heats that allow four per country. 

After Peter Bernek (HUN) set the pace at 1:59.07 in the 4th heat of the 200m backstroke, Radoslaw Kawecki (POL) and Yannick Lebherz (GER) took the rate up a touch to 1:58.79 and 1:58.85 respectively, all through to semis in 2:01.95.

The non-Olympic dashes were led by Damir Dugonjic (SLO), on 27.36 on breaststroke, and Aleksandra Urbanczyk (POL), on 28.45 on backstroke.

The session came to a close with Mireia Belmonte and Erika Villaecija lining up a Spanish battle centre stage in the 1500m freestyle final tomorrow. Belmonte clocked 16:21.60, Villaecija 16:32.69, the closest threat open water and pool ace Eva Risztov (HUN), on 16:33.56, and former Olympic 200m free champion Camelia Potec (ROU), on 16:35.46. Only 10 women raced the non-Olympic 30-lapper, the heats eliminating just two.