Swimmer's Daily

  • Northern California voters have removed a judge from office over a controversial sentencing decision, according to an Associated Press projection. Judge Aaron Persky was targeted for giving a short jail sentence to Brock Turner, a former Stanford University swimmer convicted of sexual assault with the intent to commit rape. John Blackstone reports.

  • Taking part in Great North Swim, 8-10 June? Check out the official weather forecast brought to you by the Met Office.

  • No matter the weather, the water is where Madison Huertas wants to be.

    “It’s so relaxing to me, almost calming, because when you’re in the water, you don’t have to think about anything else,” said Huertas.

    But Huertas, 13, is one thoughtful kid. She learned to swim just a few years ago after she was inspired by watching Missy Franklin compete in the 2012 Olympics.

    “I was afraid of the water until I was 8 years old,” Huertas said.

    Now, she is a competitive swimmer, and she has another mission to get other kids and grown-ups to learn how to be safe in the pool.

    She has launched a public campaign, writing articles, and she plans to start a non-profit to help with swim lessons and advocate for lifeguards at apartment pools.

    “Every time I turn on the news, [I see] another drowning in an apartment complex,” said Huertas.

    See WFAA

  • Inverurie-raised Hannah Miley will take on Survivex’s helicopter escape training programme in September for stillbirth and neonatal death charity Sands.

    The organisation is currently collecting donations to create a new bereavement suite in Aberdeen.

    Miss Miley was inspired to take up the challenge by her dad Patrick, who was a helicopter pilot for 27 years.

    She said: “I hugely admire all helicopter pilots – especially those who fly out to the oilrigs every day in all weather conditions.

    “In their honour I would like to put myself through this training and to challenge myself to experience it first-hand.”

    The HUET training will involve a series of helicopter ditching scenarios with the level of difficulty stepped up each round.

    A wave machine, gale-force winds and total blackouts will all be simulated to make the experience as realistic as possible.

    But while the 28-year-old has been active in the pool since she was a toddler, and has racked up a series of world championship and Commonwealth medals, Miss Miley admits that the task ahead will not be easy.

    “Ironically I have a huge fear of small spaces and water,” she said.

    “The sensation of feeling trapped and not being able to breathe will be a huge challenge for me to overcome.”

    Read The Press and Journal

    Photo by roy.luck

  • Australia’s most successful Olympian, Ian Thorpe OAM, has committed to an ongoing role with the AIS that will focus on improving athlete wellbeing nationally.

    The five-time Olympic gold medallist is the first member of the AIS Athlete Wellbeing and Engagement Advisory Committee, which will also include industry experts in areas such as mental health. Thorpe will also speak at the inaugural AIS Athlete Wellbeing and Engagement Summit – Beyond The Podium – to be held in Canberra on June 5-6.

    The AIS has expanded its commitment to issues such as mental health in sport by establishing the Athlete Wellbeing and Engagement division, which will be officially launched at the two day Summit. It will bring together practitioners and athletes from various sports across the country to develop a national action plan for athlete wellbeing.

    Thorpe will attend the Summit’s opening morning and provide an ongoing athlete voice on the AIS advisory committee, using his sporting experiences to help mentor future athletes.

    “I’m incredibly passionate about this issue and really looking forward to playing a significant role with the AIS Athlete Wellbeing and Engagement division,” Thorpe said. “It’s really important to have the voices of athletes in this process and the benefit of sharing wisdom to emerging champions can’t be underestimated. There were times during my career that I couldn’t quite find the right person to talk to and this is a great step in the right direction.

    “This is about tapping into the knowledge of athletes and sharing what we know as high performers to help this generation and the generations that follow.”

    AIS Deputy Director, Athlete Wellbeing and Engagement, Matti Clements said: “We’re delighted to work closely with Ian to develop strategies in this crucial area. Ian’s record as an athlete speaks for itself, plus his intelligence, commitment to the cause and ability to communicate his own challenges mean he’s a perfect person to champion athlete wellness.”

    The AIS Athlete Wellbeing and Engagement strategy will focus on five pillars: mental health; athlete conduct and professionalism; career and education; personal development and; community engagement.

    The Summit will be attended by high performance athletes including Olympic gold medallist and Australian Sports Commission Deputy Chair, Alisa Camplin-Warner, along with Mark Knowles (Hockey), Kim Brennan (Rowing), Daniela Di Toro (Paralympic sport) and more.

    Read ausport.gov.au and Herald Sun

  • A beautiful day at the beach turned into every man’s nightmare for a Brazilian teenager.

    Jose Ernesto da Silva had his penis ripped off by a shark as he swam with pals over the weekend, according to reports.

    Shocked onlookers rushed into the water to assist the terrified young man and pulled him from the ocean.

    He died in hospital Monday.

    The 18-year-old had been instructed by lifeguards to come closer to shore prior to the attack, Brazilian media reported. Signs warned that deeper water could result in an attack.

    See Toronto Sun … there is a video also, but warning, it is beyond graphic !

    Photo by M.Cicchetti Photography

  • Olympic swimming legend Ian Thorpe visited the Invictus Games 2018 training squad at Melbourne Sports and Aquatic Centre, Albert Park. Thorpie provided the squad training tips and techniques, and spoke of his experience on the world sporting stage. This was the final selection camp before the Australian team is announced mid-year.

  • Swimmer Ian Thorpe, Australia’s most decorated Olympian, has called on national bodies to stop setting gold medal targets as it puts too much pressure on athletes.

    Speaking at an Australian Institute of Sport (AIS) summit on “Athlete Wellbeing” on Tuesday, the fives-times Olympic gold-medallist and 11-times world champion said the focus should be on athletes representing the country “well”.

    “I don’t think it’s beneficial when sporting organisations are talking about how many gold medals we’ll win at a competition and that will be the highest number we’ve ever won,” the 35-year-old told the Beyond the Podium forum in Canberra.

    “It puts an immense amount of pressure on athletes around something they have no control over.

    “What I’d prefer to see happen is we know the athletes represent our communities, they’ll represent the diversity of this country and they’re going to represent it well, to the best of our ability, and that will lead to gold medals.”

    Read Euronews

  • The Red Bull Cliff Diving World Series 2018 kicks off this weekend in Texas, with Britain’s six-time world champion Gary Hunt hoping to add to improve on last year’s second-place finish.