A pulsating first night gave way to a fascinating second morning with the LEN European Short Course Championships well underway.
It was Italy atop the medal table after Day One, but eight further champions will be crowned at Tollcross tonight and Britain will be well in the hunt.
Here are three things we learned from this morning’s action.
Sprint queens jostle for power
Don’t take your eyes off the women’s short sprints this week.
The first shots were fired in the 50m freestyle as Brit sensations Freya Anderson and Anna Hopkin surged through as the fastest two in a field studded with Olympic champions.
Only 18, Anderson broke Fran Halsall’s 200m British record last month and her fine form continues with a stunning 52.03 swim, lowering her personal best by 0.15 secs.
23-year-old Hopkin, ripping up collegiate record books in the USA, laid down 52.71 in heat action as an all-star cast assembled for tonight’s semi-finals.
Reigning 50m Olympic champion Pernille Blume (53.17) and Beijing 2008 gold medallists Federica Pellegrini and Femke Heemskerk (53.42 and 52.80) stalk the podium.
Scott’s away
Duncan Scott is the busiest man in swimming and he held nothing back in a Thursday morning masterclass.
Scott, fired by fourth in the opening night relay, flew out to 1:40.92 in the 200m freestyle heats. He improved his PB by 1.5 secs, came in 1.6 secs quicker than the next fastest and broke the British record.
The University of Stirling star was back in the pool 90 minutes later, smashing Dan Wallace’s Scottish record in the 400m medley with 4:01.20.
Highs and lows
Swimming is a fickle sport – so learned a number of top stars on the second morning of EuroSwim.
Hours after collecting his maiden international medal on Wednesday night, Tom Dean clocked the seventh-fastest time in the 200m free but missed out on the final.
Only two athletes per nation can advance, and two of the six athletes quicker than the teenager were Scott and James Guy.
The opposite was true for another 19-year-old in Russia’s Kliment Kolesnikov, yesterday missing out on the final in the 200m backstroke as reigning champion.
He came out with the bit between his teeth over half the distance, the only competitor to clock under 50 secs with 49.52. Ireland’s Shane Ryan was next fastest with 50.45.
Tickets for EuroSwim2019 are still available HERE or the Tollcross box office.