• Netherlands tie with Italy after incredible twists

    Lengthy scoreless periods, incredible twists marked the day’s big game featuring European Championships runner-up Netherlands and Olympic silver medallist Italy which ended in a 6-6 tie in the third round of the women’s tournament. So far nothing has been decided in the prelims at the European Water Polo Championships in Barcelona.

    The evening thriller offered a series of twists and turns. For a while Italy seemed to sit comfortably in the driving seat, they led 1-2 after the first eight minutes, then deep into the second they took a 2-4 lead while the Dutch offense fell apart, they missed four man-ups in a row. In the meantime Italy had two 6 on 5s to widen the gap to three goals but missed both. The second turned out to be crucial as Catharina van der Sloot scored from the ensuing counter, halting the Netherlands’ miserable 11:35min run without a goal. And 53 seconds later it was even, van der Sloot netted a fine one from the distance and that froze the Italians.

    They missed two more extras so it stood 4-4 before the last break and the Dutch rolled on, with two action goals within a minute they led 6-4 with 6:35 to go. Italy missed another man-up, the 5th in succession, and soon the Dutch had one to break three goals clear. This time they couldn’t make it, and to mirror the earlier phase, Arianna Gragnolati finished a counter, ending Italy’s goalless struggles of 15:40 minutes. In 59 seconds it was even, Roberta Bianconi buried a penalty for 6-6. What’s more, with 1:24 remaining Italy had a match-ball but could not even take a shot in their man-up. The Dutch also ran out of ideas so the game ended in the championships’ first draw, leaving room for a series of outcome in the group.

    Israel had a promising match against France, the newcomer side came back from 4-1 down to 5-4 by halftime, but the rival’s experienced players closed down the match in the third with a 3-0 run. The rest of the games all saw 20+ goals from the favourite sides, Spain could even go beyond 30 against Turkey.

    European Water Polo Championships, Day 4
    Women’s Round 3

    Group A
    Greece v Croatia 21-2
    France v Israel 9-5
    Netherlands v Italy 6-6

    Standings
    1. Greece 9, 2. Netherlands 7, 3. France 6, 4. Italy 4, 5. Israel 0, 6. Croatia 0

    Group B
    Russia v Germany 27-5
    Hungary v Serbia 23-6
    Spain v Turkey 32-2

    Standings
    1. Russia 9, 2. Spain 9, 3. Hungary 6, 4. Germany 3, 5. Serbia 0, 6. Turkey 0

    Fixtures, Day 5 – Men’s Round 2
    11.00 Croatia v Turkey (C)
    12.30 Germany v Georgia (A)
    14.00 Romania v Slovakia (D)
    15.30 Greece v Netherlands (C)
    17.00 Montenegro v Malta (B)
    18.30 Russia v Serbia (D)
    20.30 Hungary v Italy (A)
    22.00 Spain v France (B)

    Press release from LEN, photos courtesy of Deepbluemedia/Giorgio Scala

  • From VOA Learning English, this is the Health & Lifestyle Report.

    When temperatures rise, many people swim to beat the heat. But swimming does a lot more than give relief from hot weather. It is a great workout for the whole body.

    Health experts at the University of California, Berkeley write on their website Berkeley Wellness that swimming is “an ideal way to stay in shape.”

    Swimming is a high-cardio but low-impact exercise.

    Cardiovascular exercise is often simply called “cardio.” Cardio involves the heart, lungs, and circulatory system. The Berkeley experts say swimming is great for your cardiovascular system. It increases your heart rate and exercises your lungs without putting stress on the rest of your body.

    Some high-cardio exercises, such as running, can improve your health but can also be hard on your body. Swimming, on the other hand, is so easy on the body that people often use it to heal from injuries.

    Listen to VOA Learning English

  • Having battled the waves to round Land’s End, it’s now decision time for Ross and the crew. Which way next? Do they go across to Wales for a shorter, but potentially more turbulent swim, or take the (much) longer but potentially more sheltered swim up the Irish coast?

  • Official video report from the X-Waters Ural Swim 2018.
    7-8 July, Lake Turgoyak.
    350 participants.

  • Photographer Ken Kiefer took several women to waters full of crocodiles in Mexico to participate in a life-threatening shoot. Kiefer was seeking to capture underwater glamour shots. Who said modeling couldn’t be dangerous?

  • 8 months of filming on most of the main Hawaiian islands!

  • A look at the era in Olympic history when the swimming pool was dominated by the pioneering Japanese. Starting off with a gold in 1928.

  • In the middle of rural Kansas, armed security patrol the entrance to a doomsday bunker that’s reserved for the wealthy elite and sales are booming. Inside Edition headed deep below the surface of the Earth and into an underground bunker like no other. Larry Hall, the owner of the Survival Condo Project says, “Since the election of Donald Trump we have seen a whole new demographic of people calling in. People we didn’t know they existed before.”

  • Some 2,400 swimmers from 50 countries will take part in the 30th Samsung BosphorusCross-Continental Swimming Race to be held on July 22.

    Participants will swim the course, which will start at Kanlıca pier on the Asian side and end 6.5 kilometers later in front of Kuruçeşme Cemil Topuzlu Park on the European side.

    According to a statement made by Samsung, a total of 4,430 people have applied to take part in this year’s race. Of this figure, 3,269 are men and 1,161 are women, the statement said. After eliminations, 2,400 swimmers have earned the right to participate in the competition.

    The race has been organized by the Turkish Olympic Committee (TOC) since 1989. It is the world’s only intercontinental swimming competition.

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