EUROPEAN SWIMMING CHAMPIONSHIPS IN BERLIN – DAY 6

Fran Halsall edged out her friend and team-mate Georgia Davies by 0.01secs to win the 50m backstroke and then revealed the pair were going to live together in a pink palace.

The duo embraced across the lane ropes after Fran, better known as a freestyle and butterfly specialist, turned over and raced to victory on her back.

She was as much amused as amazed with the outcome, giggling: “I don’t even know how that happened, I honestly don’t. The 50 backstroke – I love it, my new favourite event.”

The 24-year-old told how she had her forgotten her ‘presentation trousers’ – presumably official team kit – and had had to borrow some from one of her male team-mates, rolling them up seven times before getting on the podium.

Fran then revealed that she and Georgia will be going on holiday to Dubai before she becomes her friend’s landlady next month in Loughborough.

She beamed: “She is moving in with me, we are having a girls’ palace.

“We’ve got a pink dressing room with a big old school wardrobe, we are going to put all our shoes and dresses in and share it all.”

Fran’s Great Britain and Arena team-mate Adam Peaty has a very modest streak despite his mind-boggling success over the last few weeks.

The 19-year-old picked up his third gold medal in as many events in the 50m breaststroke, weeks after winning two golds and a silver at the Commonwealth Games.

He revealed: “I read Tweets people send me but I don’t really like to Google myself.”

The teenager will have two days off after Berlin before heading off to the Singapore Swim Stars meet.

Then a big moment. “At the end of September we’ve got a civic reception: my mum has organised that so it will be fun.”

There was a whole lotta soul at the velodrome with two saxophonists, a tuba player and drummer on poolside.

During warm-up there was an eclectic musical mix from ‘I Vow To Thee My Country” to James Brown’s “I Feel Good”.

The all-women quartet then delivered an altogether more upbeat march around the pool in the minutes leading up to the session with a Michael Jackson medley before cuddles with Drops the mascot.