Even from the vantage point that Michelle Smith de Bruin now occupies atop her stack of European and Olympic medals, the 200 metres freestyle European Championship final yesterday afternoon here would have appeared surmountable only with the greatest of efforts. While Smith de Bruin appears to have no stress fractures or design flaws in her swimming, this was the first time she had competed at the distance in an international competition. She thought she would give it a try, and now she is champion of Europe.

Having lined up five events over the course of the week in this city of Don Quixote, there seemed to exist, even in the minds of her supporters, some concern that to win five races over six days would be akin to tilting at windmills. Even Cervantes' metaphor on life may now be deconstructed by the Irish swimmer.

Using pure horse power, not the high-twitch, Ferrari fibres which pack the muscles of sprinters, Smith de Bruin took one more step towards history. Winning five individual events in a single championship would put her on a platform on which no other swimmer has been.

It was primarily a demonstration of power that saw her through from the disadvantaged lane out on the wings of the San Pablo pool. In Germany's Kerstin Kielglass and Slovakia's Martina Moracova, the Irish woman had picked out her most potent rivals. Both had swum well under 2:00.1 in the heats, while Smith de Bruin had struggled to make the final. Her time of 2:02.15 in the morning swim put her into the final as joint slowest along with Britain's Karen Pickering, who is still recovering from a traffic accident last autumn.

Even though she won the heat by several lengths, only the eight fastest swimmers go through to European finals, so Smith de Bruin had to wait around to know whether she had cut it too fine.

Once safely to the final, she knew she would probably have to break her own personal best of 2:00.71 to get into the medals. Once again, that barrier was no obstruction.

She went out in the four-length race to keep in touch, and by the first turn she was in fourth place but not adrift of the field. At the 100-metres mark she turned in 58.99, second position, and kept up that tempo until the turn into the final 50 metres with Romania's Camelia Potec leading.

It was then that Smith de Bruin's capabilities were evident. As her opponents tired, her engine continued hissing steam and shunting forward. Smith de Bruin over this distance does not tire. The finish was close, but once again she was first to touch, just four-hundredths of a second ahead of Russia's Nadezhda Chemezova.

Today she goes in the 400 metres freestyle before a day's rest tomorrow and the 200 metres individual medley on Saturday. Her final race on Sunday is the 200 metres butterfly.

Three other Irish swimmers were also in action, but again no finals were within their reach. Chantal Gibney, who went in the same heat as Smith de Bruin in the 200 metres freestyle, swam 2:08.07, some distance off her best form.

"She needs more exposure to this type of competition," said Irish coach Ger Doyle. "You can train all you like, but unless you race it is difficult." Paul MacCarthy and Colin Louth fared a little better in the 100 metres butterfly. Both posted person bests, with Louth, who should be much stronger in the 200 metres butterfly on Saturday, clocking 58.86 and MacCarthy swimming the faster time of 57.43. MacCarthy also goes in the 200 metres butterfly.