Swimmer's Daily

  • Presentation by Prof. Jan-Anders Manson on Innovation in Sport, during the opening session of the 3rd FINA World Aquatics Convention in Doha (QAT). Read for instance fina.org here and here

    World records were slaughtered and the high-tech ‘shark skin’ swimsuits were the new and controversial hot topic; the sport’s credibility was at stake. Then, five years ago, the suits were banned and the FINA swimwear approval commission was set up.

    “With our work today we will not be caught unprepared again,” commission chairman Jan-Anders Manson told AIPS during the FINA World Aquatics Convention in Doha. The world of swimming was witness to steady record-setting before the ‘shark skin’ suits. But shortly after their introduction world records were being smashed by swimmers in new super costumes.

  • For years, when on holiday in Ayia Napa, Charlie Dark would “look cool around the pool with my sunglasses on and get in the shallow end but that’s as far as my skills went”. But now the 44-year-old DJ and creative writing teacher is learning to swim for the first time so he can enjoy swimming with his two children.

    Dark is far from unusual: according to the Amateur Swimming Association (ASA), one in five adults in England are unable to swim – more than nine million people – despite swimming also being the most popular participation sport in the country.

    Like many, Dark’s memories of school swimming lessons are not fond ones: the teachers “just stood on the side and shouted at you”, and so he grew up with a secret fear of the water.

    Six weeks ago, however, he joined a challenge in which 15 non-swimming adults began training to do the Great North Swim – a mile in open water – in four months’ time.

    Read The Guardian

  • It no doubt is a beautiful day for a swim, but one gator picked the wrong place to go for a dip and it ended up being its last.

    Residents at a Nokomis home in Mission Valley Estates got quite a surprise Friday morning when they spotted a 6-foot alligator enjoying their swimming pool.

    A trapper came and removed the gator which will be killed.

    See 10News

    https://youtu.be/igEQ0vjulrI

  • A projection system run 500 days before the start of the 2016 Summer Olympics in Rio de Janiero has the world’s most decorated Olympian, Michael Phelps, picking up two more gold medals in what would be his fifth trip to the Games. 

    The projection system, run by the Dutch company Infostrada Sports and posted by NBC Sports, has Phelps winning the 200-meter individual medley and 100-meter butterfly — both events he’s won gold medals in for the last three Olympics. 

    The Rodgers Forge native already has 22 total medals, including 18 golds (11 individual golds), and 13 individual medals. These two individual medals would give him 15, the all-time record for individual medals by a male or female. 

    Of course, Phelps has to go to Brazil and compete for these to either be a possibility. He hasn’t officially said one way or another whether he would compete in what would be his age-31 summer. But since he returned to competition, most everyone thinks he will. 

    Read The Baltimore Sun

    http://youtu.be/HbcJR3KTowY

  • “For me the conflict was really basic, really human. I want to be accepted, I want to belong”.

    Find out more about Mark’s story and how sport can contribute for a better world at www.olympic.org/idsdp

  • Two people have a brave dog, Nico, to thank for their rescue after rip currents swept them out about 100 yards off the shore at a Venice County beach in California.

    Nico’s owners adopted him about six months ago and say he had no prior ocean experience before they got him.

    Once the grateful, exhausted swimmers were back on the beach they asked Nico’s owner, Dan Clark, if he was a trained rescue dog.

    Dan said, “This is the first I’ve ever seen him do anything like that.”

    See WPTV

    https://youtu.be/c2I6VrpcLrI

  • At the Norwegian Short Course Championships in Kristiansand last week, Henrik Christiansen took yet another huge step towards world class level, when he demolished 4 of his own Norwegian records over 4 days , in the longest events.

    Read simma.nu/no, SwimmingWorld  and see the videos attached below.

    19 March 2015 – 800 free 7:38.58, was 7:43.26 from Stavanger 3 April 2014

    20 March 2015 – 400 free 3:41.81, was 3:42.75 from Doha 5 December 2014

    21 March 2015 – 1500 free 14:37.44, was 14:47.55 from Stavanger 5 April 2015

    22 March 2015 – 400 IM 4:09.79, was 4:12.32 from Doha 4 December 2014

    Featured photo courtesy of the Norwegian Swimming Federation

  • Kylie Palmer, Jake Packard, Leah Neale and Taylor McKeown discuss their memories of the Australian Dolphins Swim Team and what it takes to make it.