Swimmer's Daily

  • See 7 News

    Consider the falls from grace of swimming stars Ian Thorpe, Scott Miller, Geoff Huegill and now Grant Hackett.

    Thorpe is in rehab for depression, after reportedly taking antidepressants and painkillers.

    Atlanta silver and bronze medallist Scott Mille has outlined his addictions to ecstacy, cocaine and crystal meth.

    While Geoff Huegill contemplated suicide after a long battle with depression and drugs.

    Hackett’s battle with similar demons is, according to one former swimming star, understandable.

    Lisa Curry said: “Being a champion is quite temporary, the next day they’re like everybody else and the way they deal with that, it can be quite difficult being in the so-called celebrity bubble.”

  • Read The Sydney Morning Herald

    James Magnussen has revealed the dog-eat-dog nature of elite swimming was a reason the Australian relay team at the London Olympics used the sleeping tablet Stilnox at a controversial bonding session in the pre-Games camp at Manchester.

    However, he stressed it was not an issue among current swimmers, saying it was not prescribed to them and that he knew of no one who used the tablet now.

    james-magnussen-flexing

    “In the current-day swimming, I don’t think it’s a problem at all,” he said on the eve of the NSW championships, which start in Sydney on Friday.

    “We don’t get prescribed it, I don’t use it, people around me don’t use it. It’s something that is not even spoken about within Swimming Australia today. It’s not a problem as far as I can see.” […]

    (more…)

  • See for instance Phuket News (from 25 January 2014)

    The Royal Dutch Swimming Federation has returned for its second high performance training sessions at Thanyapura Phuket this month, as Thanyapura farewells the Norwegian national swim team after a two-week winter training retreat. The Dutch will be training here every winter until the Rio Olympics 2016.

    And here (from 4 February 2014)

    The Dutch Team shall return to Thanyapura Phuket again next January till Rio Olympics 2016.

    Dutch swim team returns to TSLC

  • This beautiful action video features our newest member of the Carbon Family, the Powerskin Carbon Flex. Watch as Ruta Meilutyte, Katinka Hosszu and Daniel Gyurta take it for a spin.

  • Read phoneArena.com

    Chalk up another win for the rugged and waterproof smartphone case industry. Dave McGregor was off kayaking off the coast of Australia, cutting through the waves, riding along tides, all-in-all having a great time.

    Dave likes to mount his iPhone 4 to his kayak to record some of the action and this day was no different. To protect his device, Dave used an Optrix case. Optrix makes a wide array of waterproof and high-activity minded cases that also cater to those that want to take video and pictures of their adventures.

    Back to Dave’s iPhone’s story, Dave is riding a wave and gets turned over. While righting himself, his oar hits the camera mount and down goes the iPhone into the depths of the ocean. The iPhone continues to record video until the battery dies and then the device spends another 82 days in the water.

  • Phelps and Antonio railing WPT

  • See fina.org

    As it was done for previous FINA World Championships, a qualifying procedure with “A” and “B” standard times will be implemented for Kazan 2015.

    1. FINA “A” & “B” SWIMMING QUALIFYING TIME STANDARDS

    Men’s Standard Women’s Standard
    A – 2 Entries B – 1 Entry A – 2 Entries B – 1 Entry
    00.22,25 00.23,03 50 m Freestyle 00.25,23 00.26,11
    00.49,39 00.51.12 100 m Freestyle 00.55,05 00.56,98
    01.48,37 01.52,16 200 m Freestyle 01.58,93 02.03,09
    03.50,87 03.58,95 400 m Freestyle 04.12,47 04.21,31
    07.57,69 08.14,41 800 m Freestyle 08.35,99 08.54,05
    15.13,98 15.45,97 1500 m Freestyle 16.33,61 17.08,39
    00.25,52 00.26,41 50 m Backstroke 00.28,60 00.29,60
    00.54,72 00.56,64 100 m Backstroke 01.01,25 01.03,39
    01.59,19 02.03,36 200 m Backstroke 02.12,14 02.16,76
    00.27,58 00.28,55 50 m Breaststroke 00.31,50 00.32,60
    01.00,44 01.02,56 100 m Breaststroke 01.08,36 01.10,75
    02.11,71 02.16,32 200 m Breaststroke 02.28,12 02.33,30
    00.23,53 00.24,35 50 m Butterfly 00.26,54 00.27,47
    00.52,52 00.54,36 100 m Butterfly 00.59,18 01.01,25
    01.57,37 02.01,48 200 m Butterfly 02.11,14 02.15,73
    01.59,99 02.04,19 200 m Ind. Medley 02.13,98 02.18,67
    04.19,21 04.28,28 400 m Ind. Medley 04.44,50 04.54,46
    1 Team 4 x 100 m Freestyle 1 Team
    1 Team 4 x 200 m Freestyle 1 Team
    1 Team 4 x 100 m Medley 1 Team
    4 x 100 m Freestyle Mixed – 1 Team
    4 x 100 m Medley Mixed – 1 Team

    If a National Federation enters only one (1) swimmer per event, all swimmers entered must meet the qualifying “B” standard time.

    If two (2) swimmers are entered in the same event, both of them must meet the qualifying “A” standard time.

    (more…)

  • Olympic swimmer Michael Phelps makes a cameo appearance as himself in the midseason premiere of USA Network’s “Suits.” Watch the episode Thursday, March 6 at 9 PM ET on USA. link

  • jacco-verhaerenRead The Sydney Morning Herald

    Australia’s head swimming coach, Jacco Verhaeren, says there’s ”no doubt” he would welcome troubled great Ian Thorpe back into the fold as part of his plan to use Australian legends to revive its Olympic fortunes.

    Thorpe is being treated for depression but Dutchman Verhaeren, who coached Thorpe’s good friend and Olympic rival Pieter van den Hoogenband, said his door was always open for Thorpe if he wished to help restore Australia as a powerhouse.

    Verhaeren visited Canberra this week as he settles into his new role, having taken over from Leigh Nugent after the disastrous 2012 London Olympics.

    “He [Thorpe] is somebody you would like to have on board, no doubt about that,” Verhaeren said.

    “Ian’s an icon, a legend, and having him on board in whatever role we would appreciate, I would love to have him there.<