BEIJING // The world record holder Alain Bernard opened the war of words for the Olympic swimming competition on Thursday, stating he was the favourite for the 100 metres freestyle and the French relay squad would "smash" the Americans.
Bernard lowered Pieter van den Hoogenband's world record to 47.50 seconds in March and four of his title rivals have since swum under 48 seconds, making the blue-riband event one of the most open on the Beijing programme.
Not according to Bernard.
"The 100 metres favourite, it's me," he told journalists in Beijing. "If I didn't believe I was, I wouldn't be here at all.
"I've always said that 10 to 15 swimmers could be on the podium. But physically, I'm on top. I'm fitter than I was at the French championships, fitter than I was at the European championships."
A great fan of double Olympic champion van den Hoogenband, Bernard said the Dutchman, below par in recent months, was far from finished despite having the 13th fastest time this year, 0.87 seconds behind Bernard's world record.
Van den Hoogenband has withdrawn from the 200 freestyle to concentrate on defending his Olympic title.
"He will be there, believe me," Bernard said of the Dutch veteran. "He's going for his third title, and for someone like me, taking part in his first Olympics, it's impressive."
Bernard also said that the French relay quartet would "smash the Australians like guitars" just before the Sydney Olympics, and that they would be one of the teams to beat.
France with a team including Amaury Leveaux, Frederic Gilot and Frederick Bousquet clocked 3:12.54 in June, only 0.08 seconds from the world mark and Bernard was bullish ahead of Sunday's 4x100 freestyle relay heats.
"The Americans? We're going to smash them. That's what we came here for," Bernard said.
"I'll start my Games in the 4x100 metres freestyle relay final, confident that my pals will have qualified easily.
"If the relay goes according to plans, than we'll be on a roll."
*Reuters
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The National Archives, Abu Dhabi
Founded over 50 years ago, the National Archives collects valuable historical material relating to the UAE, and is the oldest and richest archive relating to the Arabian Gulf.
Much of the material can be viewed on line at the Arabian Gulf Digital Archive - https://www.agda.ae/en
2025 Fifa Club World Cup groups
Group A: Palmeiras, Porto, Al Ahly, Inter Miami.
Group B: Paris Saint-Germain, Atletico Madrid, Botafogo, Seattle.
Group C: Bayern Munich, Auckland City, Boca Juniors, Benfica.
Group D: Flamengo, ES Tunis, Chelsea, Leon.
Group E: River Plate, Urawa, Monterrey, Inter Milan.
Group F: Fluminense, Borussia Dortmund, Ulsan, Mamelodi Sundowns.
Group G: Manchester City, Wydad, Al Ain, Juventus.
Group H: Real Madrid, Al Hilal, Pachuca, Salzburg.
MATCH INFO
Tottenham Hotspur 1
Kane (50')
Newcastle United 0
What to watch out for:
Algae, waste coffee grounds and orange peels will be used in the pavilion's walls and gangways
The hulls of three ships will be used for the roof
The hulls will painted to make the largest Italian tricolour in the country’s history
Several pillars more than 20 metres high will support the structure
Roughly 15 tonnes of steel will be used
Classification from Tour de France after Stage 17
1. Chris Froome (Britain / Team Sky) 73:27:26"
2. Rigoberto Uran (Colombia / Cannondale-Drapac) 27"
3. Romain Bardet (France / AG2R La Mondiale)
4. Fabio Aru (Italy / Astana Pro Team) 53"
5. Mikel Landa (Spain / Team Sky) 1:24"
'Gehraiyaan'
Director:Shakun Batra
Stars:Deepika Padukone, Siddhant Chaturvedi, Ananya Panday, Dhairya Karwa
Rating: 4/5
TEACHERS' PAY - WHAT YOU NEED TO KNOW
Pay varies significantly depending on the school, its rating and the curriculum. Here's a rough guide as of January 2021:
- top end schools tend to pay Dh16,000-17,000 a month - plus a monthly housing allowance of up to Dh6,000. These tend to be British curriculum schools rated 'outstanding' or 'very good', followed by American schools
- average salary across curriculums and skill levels is about Dh10,000, recruiters say
- it is becoming more common for schools to provide accommodation, sometimes in an apartment block with other teachers, rather than hand teachers a cash housing allowance
- some strong performing schools have cut back on salaries since the pandemic began, sometimes offering Dh16,000 including the housing allowance, which reflects the slump in rental costs, and sheer demand for jobs
- maths and science teachers are most in demand and some schools will pay up to Dh3,000 more than other teachers in recognition of their technical skills
- at the other end of the market, teachers in some Indian schools, where fees are lower and competition among applicants is intense, can be paid as low as Dh3,000 per month
- in Indian schools, it has also become common for teachers to share residential accommodation, living in a block with colleagues
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
