Swimmer's Daily

  • While racing in Budapest I was able to catch up with my friend Ben Proud who holds the Textile World Record in the 50 free!

  • USA Swimming Productions takes a look back at some of the highlights from this year’s National Open Water Select Camp.

  • Health risks make up over half of parents’ concerns about taking babies swimming in public pools, according to survey findings.

    Fear that the baby might pick up a bug was voiced by a quarter of respondents (25.5%), while a further 22.7% were worried that chlorine would irritate the infant’s skin.

    The baby might pick up a bug 25.5%
    Chlorine may irritate the baby’s skin 22.7%
    Having a nappy accident in the pool 19.9%
    The baby will be too cold 18.8%
    The baby won’t like the water 10.1%
    I don’t have a baby 0.8%
    Having or being subject to another child’s nappy accident 0.2%
    Other responses 2%

     

    Having to deal with a nappy accident in the pool was the third biggest concern, with a fifth of parents’ votes, while others were put off by the prospect that their baby would be too cold (18.8%) or wouldn’t like the water (10.1%).

    The findings come despite evidence documenting the benefits of introducing children to swimming at an early age.

    These include promoting parent-baby bonding, building infants’ coordination and motor skills and enhancing their wellbeing.

    And further research has found that early years swimming could even improve children’s capacity to learn mathematics.

    But the use of the internet — and particularly searching around health concerns — could be exacerbating people’s anxieties, studies suggest.

    Bernadette Spofforth, managing director at Splash About, which conducted the survey, said: “Having concerns about taking your baby swimming in a public pool is perfectly understandable, but the benefits to children’s development are well documented.

    “And the health concerns reflected by our research can be easily allayed: public pools are not the scary, germ-ridden places they’re sometimes feared to be. Health and safety standards are at their highest, and this extends to what babies wear in the water.”

    The introduction of specialist swim nappies in lessons 15 years ago created a safer swimming environment for all pool users.

    And since 2016, when it became industry best practice for babies to wear a neoprene over-nappy in all lessons, over 90% of swim schools have mandated this standard. This product prevents solids from leaking into pools and therefore helps to mitigate the risk of ill-health through stomach bugs, both for babies and other swimmers.

    Bernadette added: “Advances in baby swimwear are such that babies’ delicate skin is protected and they are kept warm in the water, which greatly enhances the enjoyment of vital early years swimming experiences for both parent and child.”

    The data was gathered in April 2018 via an online survey of 1,000 members of the UK public.

    Press release from Splash About

    Photo by Honza Soukup

  • Jamaica’s Alia Atkinson broke the second world record of the night in Budapest with a 28.56 in the 50 breast final. She broke her own world record that was a 28.64 from the 2016 World Cup in Tokyo. Atkinson finished well in front of Russia’s Yulia Efimova (29.22) and American Molly Hannis (29.51).

    Atkinson remains the only swimmer from Jamaica to hold a world record from swimming.

    “It’s fantastic, I’m really happy to break this record again. After the Olympics I have some ups and downs so it’s a great feeling to return this way. I love the 50m, the 100m is a bit special for me and I’m working on the 200m to put the whole set together at last.”

    Read SwimmingWorld Magazine and FINA

    https://www.swimmingworldmagazine.com/news/alia-atkinson-breaks-her-own-world-record-in-scm-50-breast-in-budapest/

  • The ageless Nicholas Santos broke the first world record of the night at the 2018 FINA World Cup in Budapest. The 38-year-old broke the 50 fly world record SCM with a 21.75 on Saturday afternoon in Budapest. Santos broke Steffen Deibler’s world record of 21.80 from the 2009 FINA World Cup in Berlin.

    “No, I didn’t plan that, I’ve not even rested before this meet. It’s amazing to swim a world record especially in front of such a crowd. I’m pretty happy but my target is the World Championships in December and I want to swim faster there”

    Read SwimmingWorld Magazine and FINA

    https://www.swimmingworldmagazine.com/news/38-year-old-nicholas-santos-breaks-50-fly-scm-world-record-in-budapest/

  • Enjoying a swimming hole at Big Soddy Creek Gulf in Soddy Daisy, Tennessee.

  • Olympic swimmer, Kimberly Vandenberg is a Room to Read Active for Education ambassador. Learn more about her passion for education and how she is supporting girls around the world. Get active for education with Kim! https://give.roomtoread.org/kimberly

  • Seven Russian GRU intelligence officers were charged with hacking computers associated with 250 athletes and anti-doping sports organizations in the USA and around the world, Justice Department officials announced Thursday.

    According to the 41-page indictment, the criminal activity was retaliation against people and organizations who revealed Russia’s doping program for its athletes – revelations that led to the stripping of dozens of Olympic medals from Russian athletes and a ban on that country’s athletes from the 2016 Summer Olympics.

    The hacking that began in December 2014 and continued until at least May 2018 intruded into computers and networks of U.S. citizens and corporations and international corporations and their workers, the officials said.

    “In other words, Russia cheated,” said Scott Brady, U.S. attorney for western Pennsylvania. “They cheated, they got caught, they were banned from the Olympics, they were mad and they retaliated. In retaliating, they broke the law, so they are criminals.”