Swimmer's Daily

  • The minutes tick away in swimming’s equivalent of purgatory: it’s the last call room.

    For some it must feel like hell. But for Hungary’s Katinka Hosszú this is a space of serenity. This is a space where she starts to embrace victory, drawing strength in her pursuit of gold.

    Why? Because the 28-year-old believes races are defined by mentality, to the extent that they are largely settled before swimmers have even entered the pool.

    “I do believe that basically in the last call room before the race … it’s pretty much done,” Hosszú tells CNN Sport ahead of the 17th FINA World Championships in Budapest this month.

    “It depends what kind of mentality you go in with. I do believe that. It’s about how ready you are … after that, the race is going to happen exactly [as you imagine.]”

    As she moves from the last call room to the pool and the starting block, Hosszu’s psychological preparation intensifies.

    “When I walk out, I don’t even see the crowd,” Hosszú says. “I don’t even hear anything. I usually listen to music, so I’m already in my zone. I have my lane, I have my black line, and that’s it.”

    Read KITV

    Photo by Doha Stadium Plus

  • Michael Phelps, the most decorated Olympian of all time, with 23 Olympic golds and 39 world records in the pool, will test his speed against a Great White Shark.

    Phelps said, “I guess it was more exhilarating than really anything that maybe I’ve done outside of a pool, and I think that was something that surprised me the most.”

    To prepare for the show, Phelps swam with the team of the Bimini Shark Lab to give him a crash course to “teach him how to safely dive with sharks — including how to stay calm when a hammerhead swims two feet above his face.”

    Phelps said, “We had an abundance of divers underneath of me and camera guys all over the place, so I felt very safe and comfortable.”

    Still, something did make him nervous…

    See CBS Baltimore

  • Budapest, Kazan, Chinese Taipei and Hong Kong have submitted bids for the 2022 and 2024 World Swimming Championships (25m), the International Swimming Federation (FINA) has announced following a meeting of its ruling Bureau in Budapest.

    The FINA Bureau also awarded Hungarian capital Budapest, which pulled out of the race for the 2024 Olympic and Paralympic Games earlier this year, the 2018 World Junior Synchronised Swimming Championships.

    The four candidates for the two editions of the World Swimming Championships (25m), known as the World Short Course Championships, are also bidding to host the FINA World Aquatics Convention.

    The host for each event will be allocated by the Bureau on July 17.

    Several decisions were taken today by the FINA Bureau, which met prior to the FINA World Championships in Budapest, due to begin on Friday (July 14).

    FINA approved the organisation of a World Water Polo Conference following the International Olympic Committee’s (IOC) decision to cut the squad sizes from 13 to 11 for Tokyo 2020.

    The worldwide governing body expressed its support for the IOC’s decision to increase the number of swimming events in the Japanese capital.

    A mixed 4x100m medley mixed relay was added to the swimming programme, along with additional men’s 800m and women’s 1,500m freestyle races, ensuring that male and females will be able to take part in the same number of events in the pool at the Games in the Japanese capital.

    Swimming is now the largest sport at Tokyo 2020 with 49 medal events.

    The Bureau also acknowledged the “excellent cooperation” with the Tokyo 2020 Organising Committee.

    Read Inside the Games

  • Welsh gym enthusiast Carlton Williams has returned to take back his Guinness World Records title for the Most push ups in one hour (male).

    This record has proved to be one of the most hotly contested fitness records we monitor, with three challengers raising the bar since Carlton achieved a total of 2,220 back in 2015.

    Arriving at the Body Club Fitness Centre, in his home town of Margaret River in Western Australia, he had a tough mark of 2,392 push ups to beat.

    See Guinness World Record

  • Summer is the most popular time of the year for swimming lessons, but the determining the best age for a child to start can be a tough decision for parents.

    Tonight an 11 Listens answer to the age-old question parents face, “At what age should I sign my child up for swim lessons?”

    See THV11

    Photo by Philms

  • A man swimming off a popular clothing-optional beach in Florida on Sunday was bitten on both legs by a bull shark.

    Miami-Dade Fire Rescue Lt. Felipe Lay said the unidentified man was swimming in the afternoon off Haulover Beach when he was attacked, according to WPLG-TV. Haulover Beach is 9 miles north of Miami Beach.

    Miami-Dade Fire Fescue Ocean Rescue lifeguards said they became aware of a shark in the water and immediately alerted beachgoers to get out of the water. Officials said the shark was 4-to-5 feet long.

    See Fox News

  • The fastest Swimmers in the world will meet in Budapest in July 2017 – Katinka Hosszu, Chad Le Clos, Katie Ledecky, Daiya Seto and much more!

  • The clash of titans in water polo kicks off in Budapest from 16th to 29th of July! During the 14 days of competition, the best 16 men’s and women’s teams will compete for the gold medal.

  • More than 50 countries represented, 8 days of competition, over 400 of the world’s best athletes in action and a total of 9 events including Mixed Routines. Get ready for synchro and the most artistic athletes in the aquatic world at #FINABudapest2017!