The men in white shirts and trousers had to hold back the television cameras and photographers as Michelle de Bruin approached the poolside for the 100-metre free-style. Earlier, de Bruin's brief warm-up dip had turned into a free-for-all as cameramen scrambled to videotape her first appearance since it emerged that the world swimming body FINA is questioning whether a urine sample taken from her in January was adulterated. The Irish triple Olympic gold medallist won the heat, with a modest time of 57.64 seconds, but chose not to swim in the semi-final and final.

Michelle de Bruin wore a bright yellow swimming cap and a knee-length black swimsuit that made her figure look even more masculine. She ignored the journalists around the pool, swung her arms in circles and stood on the starting block with a concentrated, blank expression. "Go Michelle, go," was shouted several times from the stands. In a later interview with RTE, de Bruin said she was "baffled" by press reports and was determined to fight. "When I heard this story (about whiskey in her urine sample) I asked, `was it Irish or Scotch whiskey?' " De Bruin will return to Ireland tomorrow to consult her lawyers. She said she felt under pressure in Sarcelles, but kept her word to the organisers to participate.

The working class, immigrant French dormitory town north of Paris where de Bruin swam yesterday and will swim again today is friendly territory. "We work on feelings here," Guy Canzano, the director of the Sarcelles swimming club said. "We invited her a year ago and we liked her, so we invited her again. Whatever bad things they say about her, she remains our guest." He referred to the "B sample" which the de Bruins may have tested in hopes of clearing Michelle. "As long as they haven't proved it, no one has the right to speak badly of a swimmer who spends long hours training and who is at the height of her career. You can't break the career of an athlete without proof."

French fans are upset about doping in sports, because France's judo champion, Djamal Bourras, recently tested positive for steroid use. Like many of the spectators, Mr Canzano put the blame not on de Bruin but on swimming authorities. "They say they mixed up the vial. How can you mix up the vial in a doping test? It's easy to put labels on jars. If our testing management doesn't do the job right, I find it very serious."

Sixteen year-old Stephanie Tretan had just competed in the 100-metre butterfly. A year ago, she watched de Bruin in the same pool. "It gives me the shivers to see her swim. She seems to swim so easily," the young athlete said. "It's so natural for her - not graceful, but powerful, without being jerky or ugly."

Tretan believes de Bruin is innocent of taking banned substances. "I put myself in her place, and I know I would have no joy in being on the winners' podium if I knew I had doped myself. It must be the same for her." How would she feel if de Bruin were banned from swimming? "It would be shocking, humiliating," she replied. "There's a lot of doping in other sports, but until now we hoped that swimming would be cleaner. Except for the Chinese and the East Germans, there weren't that many cases."

Chantal Ferre was in a minority at the Sarcelles competition. "In my opinion the accusations are true," the French housewife said. "Because her performance goes up and down." Ferre was watching the competition because her own children are swimmers. "If it's true, she must be banned, to make an example. My children say, `We swim. We're clean, and maybe we'll never win because there will always be people taking drugs'."