Swimmer's Daily

  • Read for instance Brisbane Times and The Australian

    Swimming Australia’s new high performance director Michael Scott will make the banning of Stilnox by team members one of his first moves in drawing a “line in the sand” after the disappointing Olympic performance last year.

    Scott, who officially started his first day with the organisation Wednesday, said while Stilnox was not banned under WADA or ASADA guidelines, it was commonsense for the swim team to fall in line with the Australian Olympic Commitee’s policies. The AOC banned use of Stilnox among the Olympic team in the lead-up to London.

    “My personal opinion is that if it’s banned by the AOC and that’s the event we want to peak at in Rio, then we have to work towards that standard,” Scott said.

    “It’s something I would have to take to the high-performance committee and discuss, but to me it’s commonsense. You’ve got to work in that environment for four years, you need to prepare for that environment now.”

  • Read ninemsn.com.au and Herald Sun

    After revealing Bronte Campbell secretly carried a torn calf into the Games, coach Simon Cusack said the younger sister was then reduced to nurse duties as her Olympic roommate Cate was struck down at London with an inflamed pancreas. Cusack said Cate Campbell complained she had “glass in her stomach” before the 4x100m freestyle relay at London – but remarkably still went out and helped Australia claim gold. “She went downhill from there,” Cusack said.

    James Roberts has revealed he was hospitalized with a stomach virus and lost 4kg in body weight just a few weeks before the London Olympics where the Weapons of Mass Destruction flopped to fourth. Roberts had been the world No. 2 100m freestyler heading into London but was overtaken for the bronze medal as the relay anchor and then failed to qualify for the individual final in a disappointing meet. The 22-year-old said he struggled to put the weight back on after his illness and felt under-strength in London.

    Fellow relay member Eamon Sullivan also swam in London with a concealed injury, having torn his bicep muscle leading into the Games.

  • A good first season for our youngest, resulting in these three pins (plus a fourth that he somehow managed to talk himself into … we’re still discussing that part). We use a Faroese version (basically ‘translation’) of the excellent Norwegian swim school, you can buy their (in my opion very best) learn-to-swim book ‘Slik lærer du Ã¥ svømme’ here on svomming.no, and see their videos here on YouTube.

    A winter's worth of pins

    (Sorry about the shadow, he had trouble sitting still and I wasn’t that patient either)

  • Thumbs up from Alex in BudapestThe Norwegian Swimming Federation has this message to us all here on Facebook, that I’ve tried to translate as best as possible below. Strong people, the Norwegians.

    Today it is one year since we got the sad and incomprehensible message from Flagstaff that Alexander Dale Oen was dead. We hope that everyone will remember him today by using the day for something extra positive. Spread happiness in your surroundings, thank someone who deserves it and have faith in that everything is possible! Just like Alex did :)

  • A glimpse of the work that sport scientist and analysts do behind the main scene.

    Also: Ice baths :-)

  • Texas Ex and three-time Olympic gold medalist Ian Crocker (2001-04) discusses his life after competitive swimming which includes marriage, music, old cars and the extended Texas swimming family.

  • Read The Sydney Morning Herald

    A freak training injury involving a truck tyre has left Australia’s leading women’s freestyle swimmer Mel Schlanger off her usual pace at the national titles in Adelaide.

    After finishing fourth in the 100m women’s final at last year’s London Olympics after having led the 4x100m relay team to a gold medal, Schlanger could only manage sixth fastest in this morning’s heats. […]

    (more…)

  • Read Sydney Morning Herald

    Barry Kime knew he had something special when Chelsea Gubecka joined his Sunshine Coast swim squad just after her eighth birthday.

    Gubecka, who is now 14, is set to become the youngest member of the Australian swim team at this year’s world championships after, in her first senior national titles, she won the 1500 metres freestyle final on Sunday night by almost 30 seconds.

    Kime said it had been easy to spot the potential of Gubecka, who had started learn-to-swim classes at five months old.

    “I got her in and said ‘wow look at this kid, what a rocket’ and within 12 months [she] was on the Queensland swim team for schools,” Kime said.

    “Right from day one, her ability to listen and to adapt [had been strong] and she’s always willing to try her best all the time. Some kids at a young age can’t concentrate for more than five seconds but she’s one of those kids where every word you said she’d just lock onto it and adapt to whatever changes you want to make.”

  • Brian and Nick discover their outer beauty