Dutch medallist hounded by accusations of drug use

By STEVE BUFFERY -- Toronto Sun
  SYDNEY -- It was a Dutch treat yesterday in the Olympic pool, although the victory and world record set by Inge de Bruijn left a bad taste in the mouths of many.

 Both de Bruijn and countryman Pieter van den Hoogenband set world records at the Sydney International Aquatic Centre -- de Bruijn in the women's 100-metre butterfly final and van den Hoogenband in the men's 200 freestyle semi. But it was de Bruijn's performance that, while celebrated in the Netherlands, raised eyebrows.

 De Bruijn touched the wall in 56.61 seconds, shattering her own world record (56.64) set on July 22 in Seattle. Normally, that type of performance is celebrated en masse in swimming, but such was not the case with the Flying Dutchwoman yesterday. De Bruijn's rise to the top of the swim world this year was incredibly sudden and she has constantly been bombarded with accusations of drug use.

 "Of course I had a very tough time with the accusations," de Bruijn said after her win. "I'm a very emotional person and it really got to me. But I decided not to read newspapers.

 "If you work really hard and get a world record (the media) just want to chop your head off, and that's a sad thing. Right now, I'm above all those accusations."

 But not out of reach of them.

 The native of Barendrecht almost retired after the 1996 Olympics. Despite qualifying for the Dutch Olympic team, she was so unmotivated that boyfriend/coach Jacco Verhaeren kicked her off the team. That incident, Bruijn said, turned her career around.

 Shortly thereafter, she hooked up with American coach Paul Bergen, who put her on a training regimen that included rope-climbing, weightlifting and martial arts. The former Etobicoke Swim Club coach also toughened up his new client.

 "I needed to be tougher mentally," de Bruijn said. "I was scared. Today, I'm not afraid of anyone. I feel invincible."

 At the advanced age (for a swimmer) of 27, she was setting world records all season in the 50- and 100-metre freestyle and the 100-metre butterfly. Swimmers that age who have been away for awhile rarely do that.

 Some poolside wags are comparing de Bruijn to Irishwoman Michelle Smith de Bruin, who came back from retirement to win three gold medals at the 1996 Atlanta Games. Smith de Bruin later was caught tampering with her urine samples.

 But de Bruijn last night insisted there shouldn't be any comparisons.

 "I don't understand it," she said. "I've always been up there, I've always been ranked in the top 10 in the world. I never came out of nowhere."

 Van den Hoogenband's record of one minute, 45.35 seconds was set in the 200 free semis, although it's expected that Australian Ian Thorpe, who broke the world mark in the (3:40.59) Saturday, will set a 200 free record in the final.