Swimmer's Daily

  • “Practice with heart, swim with intelligence and compete with courage”

  • Pau Ribes wanted to be a synchronized swimmer since he watched his first show at the age of 7. Unfortunately, at the time, synchronized swimming was a sport only practiced professionally by women. Still, he didn’t give up on his passion, with the help of Panteres Grogues—a nonprofit dedicated to helping the LGBT community succeed in sports. In 2015, Ribes made his debut on the world stage, marking the first time men were allowed to compete on an international level. He hopes to continue swimming and smashing barriers, with the goal of one day being able to compete in the Olympics.

  • The first doping violation in a domestic Japanese swimming competition has been confirmed, an official source said Sunday.

    The swimmer was tested at an intercollegiate competition in Osaka Prefecture in September. The Japan Anti-Doping Agency will decide on a punishment in the coming days following the swimmer’s positive result on the “B” sample.

    According to a source, the swimmer took supplements produced overseas whose labels did not mention the banned stimulants they contained. Although it is not considered a serious violation, the swimmer is likely to be found to be negligent.

    The swimmer in question has participated in national freestyle sprints at the high school level but has not represented Japan in senior international competitions.

    Read Japan Times

    Photo by visitcampnou

  • A huge fundraising effort is underway for the family of former Iranian Olympic swimmer Hamid Mobarrez who is fighting for life alongside his son Eli-Luca after an horrific car crash.

    The family were driving in Milton on the New South Wales south coast when they were involved in the accident that took the life of the swimmer’s wife Tamy at the scene.

    The collision happened just minutes away from the scene of the deadly Boxing Day crash that killed the family of actress Jessica Falkholt who is still clinging to life in hospital.

    See 9News

    https://youtu.be/1ZGSAhAm0Mo

  • Olympic swimmer Ryan Lochte has wed the mother of his 7-month-old son.

    Lochte and former Playboy model Kayla Rae Reid were married by a judge Tuesday in Gainesville, Florida, where Lochte attended college. Their son, Caiden, was born last June.

    Read NBC Los Angeles

    https://youtu.be/rvHcGSqdU9E

  • A visual poem about the physical and mental benefits of open water swimming and an expression of my love for the ocean.

  • Monona Grove senior Ben McDade says his mind is always clearer when he’s in the water.

    https://youtu.be/2ZrmVCqrhqQ

  • Swimmers are being urged to be careful after a woman was bitten by a sea lion in San Francisco’s Aquatic Park on Thursday morning, the fourth such attack in recent weeks.

    The woman was bitten on the knee at approximately 7 a.m. and was hospitalized, according to the Chronicle. There were three incidents in December at the park that may have been also caused by sea lions.

    “We’re encouraging the public, if they are swimming, that they swim in pairs and keep a close eye out,” Fire Department Lt. John Baxter told the Chronicle.

    Read NY Daily News

  • Missy Franklin has gone to the dogs, as in the Georgia Bulldogs.

    The five-time Olympic gold medalist has relocated to Athens, Georgia, where she is pursuing a psychology degree and mounting a comeback in the pool.

    Starting the new year with a cross-country move from Northern California, where she was attending the University of California in Berkeley, was a huge decision for the 22-year-old from Colorado. Although happy training under Cal men’s coach Dave Durden, Franklin longed for the support her extended family in Georgia could provide and the chance to be around a women’s and men’s team run by one coach.

    Finally, she decided, it was time to do what was best for her.

    “I really struggled with that for a while because I looked at it from a selfish perspective,” she told The Associated Press by phone on Thursday. “It really isn’t a selfish decision. I started thinking about the road I have ahead of me. I started looking at options, which is really big for me.”

    That road includes the 2020 Tokyo Olympics.

    Read The Washington Post