Swimmer's Daily

  • On a broken knee a gymnast competes. An obsessed wrestler keeps his rival’s picture in his locker, his home, his wallet. A runner races till he falls unconscious.

    These are not normal people. These are the Olympians. These are people like John Naber, old-time backstroke specialist from the 1970s, who – as rower Steve Redgrave revealed in his book, Inspired – works out that he needs to improve by four seconds in four years to win the 100m gold.

    Four seconds is huge in a world judged on fractions so he reduces his life to fractions. He breaks his life into months, days, hours and calculates he must improve by 1/1,200th of a second every successive training hour. In four years he wins four Olympic golds.

    How do you beat these kind of people? How does Joseph Schooling? Through work but also confidence. By standing on the blocks in five months in Rio and believing he can outswim the greatest swimmer the earth has found. Yes, him, Phelps.

    It’s scary, it’s crazy, it’s fantastic. It’s also why I like the way Schooling talks – with that little swagger of the young athlete trying to hide his nervousness and conceal his doubt and stake his place in a hard world.

    Read The Straits Times

    https://youtu.be/kcePUHG6rHk

  • Russia’s sports minister said on Tuesday he was prepared to resign over a raging doping scandal in his country which could cost more Russian athletes their places at the Rio Olympics after “tens” more cases of cheating were exposed in wrestling.

    Russian wrestlers may now join the country’s track-and-field athletes in being barred from competing at the Games in August, after an internal Russian Wrestling Federation (WFR) investigation uncovered multiple doping cases, WFR President Mikhail Mamiashvili said.

    The disclosure came a day after four Russian athletes were exposed as having tested positive for the banned drug meldonium, further damaging Moscow’s efforts to overturn a doping suspension in time for the Olympics starting in Rio de Janeiro on Aug. 5.

    Russian President Vladimir Putin said on Tuesday his sports minister, Vitaly Mutko, would remain in his position despite the scandal. Mutko later said, however, that he was prepared to end his eight years in the job if asked to do so.

    “The country has a leadership who take these decisions. When I see that the matter concerns me, I will leave my post,” R-Sport news agency quoted him as saying.

    Russian sport was thrown into turmoil last year when a report by the World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) exposed endemic cheating and corruption in Russian athletics.

    Russian athletes have been suspended from international competition and will miss the Olympics if the country cannot get the ban overturned — a humiliating blow to the pride and prestige of a sporting superpower.

    Since then, at least 18 Russian sportsmen and women have tested positive for meldonium, complicating Russia’s drive to prove itself compliant with international anti-doping standards.

    Mamiashvili said two male wrestlers, 2014 world championship silver medalist Evgeny Saleev and 2015 World Cup silver medalist Sergei Semenov, had been caught using meldonium.

    But he said the sport’s doping problem was widespread.

    “There are tens of positive tests in the team, everyone is in a bad condition psychologically,” Mamiashvili told R-Sport.

    Read Reuters

    https://youtu.be/G2a83G1VG5g

  • Synchronized swimming is more than just floating and dancing in water. Pac-12 Network’s Ashley Adamson learned the hard way after joining the Stanford synchronized swimming team for practice.

  • Russian swimmer Yulia Efimova said in a self-recorded statement from Los Angeles, Monday, that she still hopes to compete in the Rio summer Olympic Games despite failing a doping test for meldonium.

    SOT, Yulia Efimova, Russian Olympic swimmer (Russian): “Dear friends! I think that you have already heard that I tested positive for doping. This is really true. The probe which took place in February, in Los Angeles showed up meldonium. I regret that you didn’t learn this from me personally. Someone rushed to pass this confidential information to journalists. I regret that it brought negative emotions to my relatives, friends, people and companies who helped me but above all, you, my sports fans. I am a professional sportswoman and I clearly understand that I have full responsibility for everything that is inside my organism. At the moment we are preparing for the hearing of my case. We aim to demand the full withdrawal of the charges and to prove that I didn’t break the anti-doping rules. And one more thing: I am continuing to train in the hope that I will perform during the Olympic Games in Rio.”

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  • Russia’s titled swimmer, four-time world champion Yuliya Yefimova has admitted that she has tested positive for meldonium (sold under the brand name Mildronate) that was banned starting January 1, 2016. However, she used this medication for medical reasons, the athlete said on Monday on the Rossiya 24 TV channel.

    “The blood samples taken from me in Los Angeles in February tested positive for meldonium,” she said.

    According to her, she used mildronate last time when it was legal and allowed. “I took it for medical reasons after carefully studying the direction. Experts are currently trying to find out how meldonium traces could be found in the samples taken months after I completed the course,” she said.

    In Yefimova’s words, she did not receive notifications on meldonium ban from January 1 and will insist all accusations in doping use are lifted off her.

    “I have not received any notifications that meldonium will be included in the list of banned substances from 1 January 2016. Not even one. Neither from Russian nor from international organizations. Neither in the electronic form nor verbally,” Efimova told Rossiya 24 TV channel on Monday.

    “I categorically reject accusations of doping use. We are currently preparing for hearings of my case. We intend to insist on all accusations to be lifted and prove that I did not violate anti-doping rules,” Efimova added.

    The athlete noted that she continues training in hopes that she will be able to take part in 2016 Summer Olympic Games in Brazil.

    Read Pro Russia News and see RG.RU

  • Putin criticized Russia’s sports officials during a meeting in Moscow on Wednesday.

    He said they have failed to fullfill their responsibilities amid the doping scandal affecting several Russian athletes.

    The president urged officials to actively develop partnership with international organisations, primarily the World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) and the International Olympic Committee.

  • Prince Harry meets swimmers preparing for the 2016 Invictus Games.

    With 50 days to go to the start of the Invictus Games 2016 in Orlando, Prince Harry today joined wounded, injured and sick service personnel and veterans at Aldershot Sports Centre.

    Prince Harry watched a speed training session in the pool, catching up with familiar faces from the 2014 Invictus Games as well as meeting new competitors who have all been spurred on by the inaugural games and are using sport as part of their recovery.

    The UK team heading to Orlando in May will is being delivered by a partnership comprising The Ministry of Defence, Help for Heroes and the Royal British Legion. The Endeavour Fund has provided funding to support the UK Armed Forces team who will compete in Orlando and Jaguar Land Rover is sponsoring the UK team.