Swimmer's Daily

  • Age is truly just a number for Anthony Ervin, one he chooses to ignore. More important is the number on the board when he touches the wall, especially when it’s “1.” In winning the 50m freestyle sprint at the Rio Olympics by .01 seconds, Ervin became the oldest swimmer to win an Olympic gold medal. It was 16 years ago he turned the same trick at the Sydney Games, the largest span between Olympic medals in history. It was a long road back after a seven-year hiatus from the sport.

  • Muslims girls in Switzerland must not be exempt from mixed swimming lessons, the European Court of Human Rights (ECHR) has said, in a potentially groundbreaking ruling.

    The court in Strasbourg threw out an appeal that had been brought by a Muslim couple who said they should be allowed to let their daughters sit out swimming lessons with boys.

    It was not a violation of the pupils’ human rights to make them take part in mixed swimming lessons, the court ruled, adding that schools has a “special role” in integrating young children, especially those from foreign backgrounds.

    Read The Telegraph

    Photo by mikecogh

  • Under the icy cloak of the Canadian winter, Matthew Villegas finds himself in an aquatic wonderland as he free dives to the depths of Morrison quarry, in Quebec, Canada.

  • “We swim because there is no off-season” :-)

    https://youtu.be/xU1yNoyLTMI

  • In a study published in the British Journal of Sports Medicine, European and Australian researchers find that not all types of physical activity are equal when it comes to longevity. They studied data collected from more than 80,000 people in England and Scotland who answered questions about their activity levels yearly between 1994 and 2008. The data showed that people who engaged in three types of exercise—racquet sports like tennis or racquet ball, swimming and aerobics—had the lowest risk of dying during the study period.

    Overall, 44% of the people met recommended public health exercise levels. (That’s 150 minutes of moderate-to-vigorous activity each week in the U.S.) Among those that did, people who played racquet sports had a 47% lower risk of dying during the nine-year study than people who didn’t exercise. Swimmers had a 28% lower risk of death and those doing aerobics showed a 27% lower risk of dying. These were the reductions after the scientists adjusted for factors that might affect early death, like smoking.

    Runners surprisingly did not show a lower risk of mortality during the study, but lead study author Pekka Oja, retired scientific director for the UKK Institute for Health Promotion Research in Finland, says that may be explained by the fact that most of the runners were younger than those engaging in the other sports. They may need to be followed for a longer period of time to assess their death rates.

    Cycling also was associated with a relatively smaller drop in mortality risk, possibly because many of the people who reported cycling did it recreationally or to get to and from work and were less likely to work up a sweat and have a vigorous workout. Swimming and racquet sports, on the other hand, inherently require a pretty intense level of exercise.

    Read Time

  • A New York engineer who was pulled from the surf on Thursday died of a broken neck, apparently after being hit by a large wave, according to an autopsy.

    Drowning was a secondary cause of death, said Dr. Roger Mittleman, Treasure Coast medical examiner.

    Stanley Quinn, 58, of Ithaca, was at South Beach Park about noon Thursday when a large wave crashed into him from behind as he stood facing the shore, said Vero Beach Police Capt. Kevin Martin. Rescuers found him face down in the water.

    Lifeguards performed CPR until medical crews arrived.

    A red flag was posted at the time, warning of hazardous conditions on what otherwise appeared to be “a beautiful day,” said lifeguard Timothy Capra. Winds flattened the ocean, but occasional large swells — up to 5 feet tall — broke close to shore in knee-deep water.

    “It sounds like a freak accident,” said National Weather Service meteorologist Randy Lascody, who keeps records of beach deaths. “It is a reminder that you have to be careful in the surf. Water is heavy and has a lot of weight when in large, breaking waves.”

    Read TCPalm

     

    Photo by Editor B

  • Free diver Francisco Del Rosario finds his escape in the world beneath the waves. In this short film, directors Jack Pirie and Alex Hylands-White follow Del Rosario as he free dives on the remote island of El Hierro in the Canary Islands. While suspended in weightlessness under the water, Del Rosario’s dream to fly can become a reality.

  • Would you know what to do if trapped in a sinking car? What would you do if you were choking but were all alone? How can condoms save your life? If you don’t know the answer to any of these questions, you need to watch this video. Your life could depend on it.

    https://youtu.be/nb6DBBwNJ0I

  • Via Reddit

    https://youtu.be/j_Bs-cPz7p4