Swimmer's Daily

  • This was epic! After weeks of buying thousands of Coke bottles and many more hours of opening and pouring, the magnificent Coca-Cola pool was created.

  • The man who swims like a fish has the memory of an elephant.

    Michael Phelps never forgets. But until 2015, when he moved from Baltimore to Arizona to train with coach Bob Bowman, the most decorated Olympian of all time had never looked at all his medals together.

    “I could remember back to every single thought I had on the medal stand, after the race, every single one of them,” Phelps said in March. “I could remember my facial expression after getting third in 2004 in the 200 free. Every little tiny thing.”

    To most swimming fans, Phelps’ races are harder to distinguish from one another. Which race produced his first gold medal? In what two events has Phelps won three golds? Which relay featured Jason Lezak’s heroic anchor leg? What’s more amazing than seeing Phelps’ 22 medals in one place? Knowing he isn’t done.

  • Ryan Lochte powered out to a big lead in the event he won four years ago at the London Olympics, his powerful arms churning through the water, looking very much like a lock for another trip to the games.

    Actually, he was trying to hide the pain.

    By the end, it was apparent to everyone.

    In a stunner on the very first night of the U.S. swimming trials, an ailing Lochte was denied a chance to defend his Olympic title in the 400-meter individual medley, finishing third Sunday behind a pair of college teammates who raced right by him on the closing laps.

    “I went out there and did my best,” Lochte said. “It wasn’t enough.”

    Lochte appeared to be swimming in molasses on the breaststroke and freestyle legs, allowing Chase Kalisz and Jay Litherland to claim the two spots on the U.S. team for Rio.

    Actually, the 11-time Olympic medalist was hindered by a groin injury sustained in the morning preliminaries.

    “I thought about … scratching,” Lochte said. “But, I mean, it’s the Olympic trials. If I had a broken leg, I’d still go out there and swim.”

    Read ABC News

  • In Brazil, epicenter of the Zika virus, local authorities and organizers of the upcoming Olympic Games have been striving to assure the world that it’s safe for athletes and tourists. The World Health Organization has issued a series of guidelines for those traveling to Rio, but some worry warnings could stigmatize struggling communities. Special correspondent Lulu Garcia-Navarro of NPR reports.

  • In the first of a three-part series on national swimmers, Singapore’s best Olympic medal hopeful Joseph Schooling opens up about his initial struggles in the United States, why beating childhood idol Michael Phelps meant nothing to him, and why he believes he is going to make history by becoming the first Singaporean to win an Olympic swimming gold.

  • Katie Wood was last in the ocean when she was 2. The 21-year-old told a friend she wanted to swim in the ocean as part of her bucket list. An online fundraising effort made it all possible. Kristine Lazar reports.

  • Former Olympic swimming champion Park Tae-hwan will file for an injunction against the Korea Olympic Committee on Thursday while he awaits a Court of Arbitration for Sport ruling on a controversial doping suspension, his legal representative said.

    Park has already served an 18-month ban imposed by swimming’s world governing body FINA but is fighting to repeal a KOC regulation that imposed an additional three-year suspension, effectively ruling him out of the Rio Olympics.

    The KOC said last week it had turned down Park’s appeal to overturn the suspension, leaving the swimmer’s hopes of competing at Rio in the hands of the CAS.

    Sean Lim, an attorney with the Lee & Ko law firm representing Park, said at a news conference in Seoul that the swimmer would lodge an injunction against the KOC and Korea Swimming Federation later on Thursday.

    “Park is filing for injunction in Eastern Seoul district court today right after the briefing,” Lim said. “This is to prepare for the situation where the KOC refuses to comply with the CAS decision.”

    Read Reuters

  • Thomas Mlambo, host of sport @ 10 interviews Michelle Weber – Long distance swimmer, the only female athlete swimmer to qualify for the Rio 2016 Olympics.

  • The Kansas City Swim Academy will be well-represented over the weekend in Omaha at the United States Olympic swimming trials.