Swimmer's Daily

  • joseph-michael-diazRead The Gainesville Sun

    Police now believe at least seven children may be alleged victims of a Gainesville teacher and swim coach who was arrested last week on charges of molestation and sexual abuse.

    Gainesville police spokesman officer Ben Tobias said Tuesday afternoon that more children have been interviewed and it appears seven or possibly eight claim to have been victims of Joseph Diaz, 31, of 3003 NW 30th Terrace.

    “That’s our best guess at this point,” Tobias said. “We just have to gather some evidence and do some more interviews but there will be additional charges coming.”

  • Read for instance The Independent

    Ian Thorpe has been released from hospital in Sydney following an infection, his manager has revealed.

    The five-time Olympic champion swimmer had contracted the infection in his shoulder during surgery earlier this year.

    The 31-year-old’s manager James Erskine told the Australian Associated Press: “It looks as though the infections have cleared up. It can always re-infect as it’s done twice before, but we are hopeful.”

    There had been reports earlier this month that Thorpe was in intensive care and could lose the use of an arm, but that was dismissed at the time by Erskine.

    ian thorpe photo
    Photo by Doha Stadium Plus

  • Read The Local

    A new cold-water bathing craze has spread so fast on Norway’s social media since it was imported from the Faroe Islands a week ago, that the man who started it now fears no one in the entire country will escape.

    The ‘Jump in the Sea Challenge’ sees victims dared to throw themselves into icy waters to avoid a penalty, which normally involves buying the challenger large amounts of alcohol.  They then nominate others with their own challenge.

    (warning, Borat mankini)

    (more…)

  • See TED

    When you look at sporting achievements over the last decades, it seems like humans have gotten faster, better and stronger in nearly every way. Yet as David Epstein points out in this delightfully counter-intuitive talk, we might want to lay off the self-congratulation. Many factors are at play in shattering athletic records, and the development of our natural talents is just one of them.

  • Read Vocativ

    Last week, I was eating lunch with a friend and her dad in Manhattan on 23rd Street, directly across from what used to be the McBurney YMCA, when my friend’s dad had a sudden recollection.

    Apparently, in 1968, as part of a freshman requirement for the city college he attended, all male students took a swim class at the YMCA. For reasons somewhat unclear to him at the time (and, we joked, probably repressed until now) the Y had a particular rule: If you’re going to swim, you must swim nude.

    “Nude-nude?” I asked. “Totally nude,” he said.

  • See NBC Miami

    A pool at a Hialeah apartment complex was drained Monday after three children were shocked as they swam on Sunday.

    “When they grabbed on to the metal railing, that’s when they felt the shock and they were paralyzed,” said Mayra Diaz, a cousin of one of the victims.

    (more…)

  • See ESPN

    University of Alabama officials confirmed Tuesday that a member of the school’s men’s swimming and diving team was killed Monday night when violent storms and a tornado struck the Tuscaloosa area.

    John Servati, 21, a junior swimmer and dean’s list student at Alabama, was killed, according to school officials.

    “John Servati was an extraordinary young man of great character and warmth who had a tremendously giving spirit,” UA coach Dennis Pursley said in a statement. “During this incredibly difficult time, our thoughts and prayers go out to his family and to all who had the good fortune to know him. He will forever be in our hearts and a part of the Crimson Tide legacy.”

    http://youtu.be/rZHxQO5kY9w

    (more…)

  • Read BusinessDay

    Michael Phelps might not have been good enough to win a comeback race in the US at the weekend, but he did shunt Chad le Clos down the world rankings.

    Ryan Lochte out-swam the American legend at a gala in Phoenix, Arizona, winning the 100m butterfly final in 51.93sec.

    (more…)

  • The Sydney Morning Herald

    Swimming great Ian Thorpe should leave hospital within days after successfully fighting a number of serious infections.

    The 31-year-old five-time Olympic gold medallist fell ill after undergoing a series of surgeries on his shoulder at the start of 2014.

    The world record-holder has spent the past three weeks receiving treatment and recovering at an intensive care ward.

    “He’s doing well, he’s recovered very well in fact,” Thorpe’s manager Will Erskine told the MailOnline website.

    ian thorpe photo
    Photo by Doha Stadium Plus