Swimmer's Daily

  • Courtesy of Crazy Russian Hacker and his American sidekick

  • therese-alshammarBehold this wonderful video by Swedish national TV svt.se, featuring the queen of Swedish swimming Therese Alshammar, her son Fred, and her coach/partner Johan Wallberg. Via simma.nu/se

    In Swedish – My attempt to translate follows below the video

    It is now 8 months since Therese Alshammar had her son Fred, and she has the all the time been set on that her time as competition swimmer is not over. On the contrary, she has decided to do anything to reach the Olympics in Rio in two years time, and there win that gold she is missing and so much longs for.

    Alshammar: A lovely objective, and a privilege to be able to have it as a goal, to be able to work towards it. And it is motivating in itself to think that you have a chance to be there and compete for some of the biggest medals. But then there is nothing I’m missing, as this is my normal life, I find it most fun to be able to train and see if I can swim faster than I’ve ever done. And to do what’s needed to try to win that Olympic gold medal.

    (more…)

  • Read Digital Journal

    Dolphins swim by exerting minimum effort, according to a new study. This finding overturns an 80-year-old paradox that argues dolphins are not designed for swimming.

    By using bubbles in a pool, researchers have concluded that swimming dolphins generate thrust quite easily and have no need to compensate for their supposedly underpowered muscles. To show this, researchers filmed the animals swimming through a curtain of tiny air bubbles. The frame-to-frame shifts in bubble position let the researchers work out how much thrust the dolphins produced.

    Read more here 

    Image courtesy of Rob Shenk, CC BY-SA 2.0

  • katherine-puloRead Illawarra Mercury

    A Dapto mum who was not allowed to swim at Port Kembla Olympic Pool because she was wearing too much clothing for the lifeguard’s liking has lodged a complaint with Wollongong council, citing discrimination.

    Body-conscious Katherine Pulo wore a rash vest and a stretchy, lightweight dress as she approached the pool with her two sons about 11.45am yesterday.

    She told the Mercury she was stopped by a council lifeguard who told her: “I can only let Muslims in the pool in dresses.”

  • Aargh, it is ‘premium content’ on The Australian, but still …

    New national head coach Jacco Verhaeren believes being the No 1 team in the world is the “only ambition Australia can have”. The decorated Dutch coach arrived in Australia this week as part of the push to revive the Australian team’s fortunes after the London Olympics slump and hit the ground running, attending the Victorian championships in Melbourne yesterday to meet and greet swimmers and coaches.

  • josh-islamRead Marine Corps Times

    A junior Marine died this week in a swimming pool at Camp Pendleton, Calif., while completing a water skills test, Marine Corps officials said this week.

    Pfc. Joshua Islam, 18, of Union County N.C., was participating in an intial screening at School of Infantry-West as a precursor to the Marines’ physically demanding reconnaissance training, said Col. Sean Gibson, a spokesman for Training and Education Command. He had graduated from boot camp at Marine Corps Recruit Depot Parris Island, S.C., only three months earlier, in October 2013.

    He died Monday in a pool at Camp Las Pulgas, near Pendleton’s center, while undergoing a test that required him to tread water for 30 minutes.


    See also wcnc.com

  • See fox4kc.com

    Our FOX 4 HyVee Team of the Week is on the Missouri side this time around. The swimmers at Park Hill South might hold the metro’s best shot of winning a state championship in girl’s swimming. Watch Jason Lamb’s full report.

  • A very GoPro-like action cam, see nilox.com

  • homayun-and-efimovaSee DAASM

    Yuliya Efimova’s Medical Advisor and Conditioning Coach about Substance Abuse

    Dr. Dr. Homayun Gharavi, medical advisor and conditioning coach in professional Sports, on the breaking news about Yuliya Efimova’s positive doping test

    DAASM:
    You have been working with Ms. Efimova’s as her personal physician and conditioning coach for a few years now. What was your reaction to the recent press releases?

    Home Gharavi (HG):
    Of course it is shocking. Yet, my first question was ‘how did it happen?’. I have known Yuliya since 2009. She has been to Germany on and off for treatment. In 2013, we started a structured cooperation, where I have been responsible for her land-based training, but also for manual treatment. Working so closely, especially during intensive moments at the London Games, the WC in Barcelona, and the Europeans in Denmark, you get to know the person quite well. Of all the professional athletes I have been working with, Yuliya is one of the most articulate and correct persons. So, the first thoughts in my mind were some wild conspiracy theories.

    DAASM:
    So you doubt the results?

    HG:
    No. The Anti-Doping routines are absolutely reliable and secure … professionally as well as legally. So, I personally have no doubts about that. The results must be accepted as correct. Yuliya called me in a moment of confusion and fear and we had to go back and look for the reason on her side. This morning she told me before boarding the plane to los angeles, that despite of the disastrous news, she still appreciates that the anti-doping system truly makes a big contribution to keep the sport clean.

    Read more on DAASM