Swimmer's Daily

  • It’s July 28, 2012. What turns out to be the night of the most scrutinized 100 meters of swimming at the London Olympics.

    China’s Ye Shiwen, 16, covers the final two lengths of the eight-length 400m individual medley in 58.68 seconds, a time that didn’t seem possible for a woman.

    Ye destroyed those closing 100 meters of freestyle 2.9 seconds faster than the next swiftest finalist and .03 slower than men’s 400m individual medley gold medalist Ryan Lochte. She shattered the women’s 400m IM world record by 1.03 seconds.

    The last 100 meters were watched again and again, the eye-popping, dubious Ye flying past American Elizabeth Beisel for gold.

    Hungary’s Katinka Hosszu says she remembers everything about that race. Ye was in lane five. Hosszu was in lane three.

    “In my mind,” said Hosszu, the 2009 World 400m IM champion, “I was going there for the gold.”

    Hosszu led Ye, Beisel and the field after 100 meters of butterfly and at the 200-meter mark, after the backstroke leg. But she fell behind Beisel and Ye on the breaststroke and trailed by 1.89 seconds going into those final 100 meters.

    “A lot of people tell you before the race, stay positive, and you cannot think about what happens if you lose,” Hosszu said in a phone interview Tuesday. “I was so focused on winning. The last 100, I’m not winning anymore. I kind of gave up.”

    Hosszu turned at the 300-meter mark, looked ahead, breathed to her right and saw the feet of Beisel and Ye pulling away. The gold was gone. Battling for bronze didn’t enter her mind.

    “I kind of took a couple of easy strokes,” Hosszu said, “and I actually didn’t even make it to the podium.”

    Hosszu trailed by 3.06 seconds after 350 meters, still clinging to third place, but was passed by China’s Li Xuanxu for bronze in the final stretch. She finished fourth, 5.06 seconds behind Ye and .58 of a second behind Li.

    It was the first night of swimming at the London Games. Hosszu, then 23, had two more individual events left, plus a relay.

    “My Olympics was pretty much done,” she said. “I wanted to go home.”

    Read NBC OlympicTalk

    Photo by Doha Stadium Plus

  • After a months-long investigation into a hazing scandal Western Kentucky University was rocked by the announcement that the swim and dive program had been suspended for five years.

    Pictures on the swim and dive team’s Facebook page shows members huddled together during a match. But now, the team is torn apart in the wake of a hazing scandal.

    “I was kind of surprised, but you never really know what’s going on behind closed doors sometimes,” said Marcus Ward, a member of the WKU football team.

    The university, the NCAA and Bowling Green Police joined forces after a swim team member filed a complaint. In it the all-star athlete claims that he was assaulted, threatened, forced to drink alcohol and was humiliated for months. Police found evidence of marijuana, alcohol and poster boards with pictures of naked team members at a fraternity house. One of the pictures was marked with a racial slur.

    See WAVE3

    wave3.com-Louisville News, Weather

  • An emotional and rejuvenated Michael Phelps confirmed Wednesday what the swimming world had long assumed — he’ll try to add to his record total of 22 Olympic medals at the 2016 Games in Rio de Janeiro.

    Phelps made his Olympic intentions plain the day before his return to competition after a six-month suspension for drunk driving. He’ll swim the 100-meter butterfly at the Mesa Arena Pro Swim Series meet on Thursday.

    His presence promises a festive atmosphere here and greater attention for the sport as eyes turn toward the 2016 Olympics.

    “I’m really excited,” fellow Olympic gold medalist Breeja Larson said of Phelps’ Rio announcement. “I think he brings a lot of excitement to the sport and a lot of spectators. The more spectators there are, the more fun it is for us. And it’s really cool to be part of a team with veterans who’ve gone through a lot and to see his example of how he handles different situations with media and crowds.”

    Phelps, who grew up in Rodgers Forge and lives and trains in Baltimore, described a period of “brutal” self-examination in the wake of his arrest last September but said he’s emerged as a happier person and a more dedicated swimmer.

    “In workouts, I feel like a kid again, I really do,” Phelps, 29, said in his most extensive public remarks since the arrest .

    Read The Baltimore Sun

  • This morning, President Ransdell and Athletic Director Todd Stewart informed coaches and swimmers about their decision to suspend the team for five years. We reached out to President Ransdell for additional comments, but did not receive a reply.

    However, an e-mail was addressed to WKU faculty and staff, saying the action is both prudent and necessary following the conclusions obtained by Bowling Green Police and Title IX Office.

    The final police report includes the full complaint filed by former swimmer, Collin Craig. In his complaint to police he says quote: “I was singled out, belittled, threatened, intimidated and shunned.”

    But, the ill-defined accusation doesn’t end there.

    In one portion of the complaint, regarding sexual assault, Collin refers to a situation where a female was passed out and a male was touching her inappropriately while others watched.

    See WBKO

  • We gave Madeline Groves a GoPro and an objective to film her day at the National Champs last week. Here’s the result.

    Courtesy of Australian Dolphins Swim Team on YouTube

  • Swim for MS is a national fundraiser in which volunteers create their own swim challenge while recruiting online donations to support the Multiple Sclerosis Association of America (MSAA). Swim for MS is unique because you can create and arrange your own special Swim activity, participating individually or recruiting other swim enthusiasts to form a team.

  • The WKU Men’s and Women’s Swim and Dive teams have been suspended due to hazing allegations. WKU student opinions are all over the place when it comes down to whether the university made the right decision.

  • After complaints of hazing, sexual assault and drug use from a former team member prompted police and Title IX investigations into Western Kentucky University’s swimming and diving teams, the school on Tuesday announced a 5-year suspension of the program.

    According to a news release from WKU, Title IX Coordinator Huda Melky found evidence of violations of the student code of conduct’s discrimination and harassment policy, as well as the sexual misconduct/assault policy.

    School president Gary Ransdell said the program has a “culture of misconduct” that is “intolerable.” He called the suspension “both necessary and prudent.”

    See The Courier-Journal

  • Underwater hockey. Underwater WHAT? It’s hockey. Only it happens underwater. What’s so complicated about that? Some people think it means hockey sticks and (somehow) ice, but as a group of local players showed us, that’s not the case.

    Here’s what it does mean: Underwater hockey involves six person teams wearing snorkels, masks and fins. They hold a 12-inch stick and try to use it to push a weighted puck along the bottom of the pool toward the goal—all while holding their breath.

    Turns out, it’s not so easy. Just ask the Capital Region Underwater Hockey players. Many of them are former high school sprinters or even water polo players who have been bitten by the bug.

    “It’s a lot different than a lot of sports because you can’t breathe when you want to,” one player pointed out.

    So, is underwater hockey a sport? The players tell us once you try it, you’ll understand.

    See myfoxdc.com

    DC News FOX 5 DC WTTG