By RYAN PYETTE -- Winnipeg Sun
 SYDNEY -- Canada has only one medal in the pool, and head swim coach Dave Johnson blames a lack of government funding for the team's absence on the podium.

 "If we're going to continue along this way, if we're not going to do anything, then we can expect more of the same," said a frustrated Johnson yesterday after watching medal hope Curtis Myden fail to make the final of the 200-metre individual medley, an event in which he won bronze in '96. "You see the results here. We are moving forward with what we have, we're swimming all kinds of Canadian records, but we are not chasing a stationary target.

 "Everyone else is getting faster."

 Johnson said the lack of incentives for swimmers in this country is driving talented kids away from the pool.

 "You look at the Italians, they were in oblivion for a long time, and now they're a power," said Johnson. "How did that happen? I know that they give their swimmers somewhere in the range of $100,000 (U.S.) for a gold medal.

 "If we look at different countries, I probably have $1.4 million to run the high-performance program. Australia has 10 times that, and I couldn't even guess what the U.S. has to run theirs."

 The Americans and the Aussies have rarely been off the podium here, but the rest of the medals have been spread around the globe.

 "There are no easy medals here," said Johnson. "That is done. There's too many good countries now."

 Despite Johnson's concerns, most of the out-going veteran swimmers like Marianne Limp-ert and Shannon Shakespeare feel the program is on the right track.

 "A lot of people say the 4x200-metre relay squad is the best measuring stick for your program," said Shakespeare.

 The women finished fifth, but it was one of this country's few good outings in the Sydney pool this week.

 Even Canada's professional swimmers like Myden, Joanne Malar, and Limpert, the few elite Canadians who can afford the expensive training, have struggled, which proves that adequate funding doesn't always get you where you want to be.

 In last night's action, the double Dutch treat was at it again as Inge de Bruijn lowered her own 100-metre freestyle world record by three-tenths of a second to 53.77 in a semifinal heat, and giant-killer Pieter van den Hoogenband had another rock in his slingshot, knocking off Russian great Alexander Popov and American Gary Hall, Jr., to win another gold in the men's 100-metre free final.

 American Misty Hyman pulled the upset of the night by beating Aussie favourite Susie O'Neill and teammate Petria Thomas for the 200-metre butterfly gold medal in an Olympic record 2:05.88.