It has been a quiet couple of months now since the Olympics, with visiting numbers waning and swimmers and bloggers and swim sites alike seemingly struggling like me with finding the energy again. But then Nice shakes it up, two ‘unbeatable’ world records gone in two days, energy back and numbers also. More days in Angers ahead, and then the Europeans in Chartres and the Worlds in Istanbul. And maybe more important: Hope is back, that maybe those ‘supersuits’ weren’t that important after all. Merci beaucoup – here is a nice little song that Walk off the Earth released yesterday, coincidentally in French :-)
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Speedo photographer Michael Muller swims with Great Whites to get the best shot
Photographer Michael Muller has among other things been working with Speedo for several years, but has this personal passion also, to swim freely among sharks in order to get the best possible photos. See PetaPixel
Michael Muller on “Last Call With Carson Daly” from Stockland Martel on Vimeo.
Here is an example of his work with Speedo and Michael Phelps
Here is him shooting Speedo
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CC photo #321: Yannick Agnel on top of the Berlin 2012 World Cup podium
Yannick Agnel (FRA) winner of the men’s 200 freestyle at the FINA / Arena 2012 Swimming World Cup meet in Berlin, Germany. Paul Biedermann (GER) second and Darian Townsend (RSA) third, see result list here.
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Divers rescue a tangled whale shark
Last week, divers off the coast of Mexico came across a pregnant whale shark who had been tangled so badly in rope, that it had cut into its fins and body. Seems to have ended happily, though. Via Buzzfeed
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Camille Muffat 8:01.06 and huge world record in the 800 SCM free
Olympic Nice Natation is having a ball at the French Nationals – Yesterday Yannick Agnel set that world record in the 400 freestyle, this morning he set a new European record in the 800 freestyle, and now Camille Muffat demolished the women’s 800 meter short course freestyle world record, with a time of 8:01.06, more than 3 seconds faster than Alessia Filippi’s 8:04.53 from the super-suited circus of Rijeka 2008. Teammate Lotte Friis was a distant second in 8:16.91, see result list here, via SwimmingWorld on Facebook.
Video here (geo-restrictions apply)
The last couple of laps
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Danish club asks best swimmer not to compete at club champs, because he is too good
Wow, a story for our wtf-category: Varde Svømmeklub has asked 17-year old Christian Larsen to not compete at the club championships this Saturday, because he is too good. The board believes that he will be a better role model if he stays away and lets younger, slower swimmers take the club championships honors. He and his parents disagree. Source jv.dk (in Danish) via simma.nu/dk -
Yannick Agnel 7:29.17 and a new European Record in the 800 freestyle
Oh my, Yannick Agnel is on fire – The morning after breaking Paul Biedermann’s 2009 world record in the 400 freestyle, Agnel takes down the European short course 800 meter freestyle record, with a blazing 7:29.17 in the prelims, second fastest ever in textile after Grant Hackett’s 7:25.28 from 2001, Agnel of course qualifying for the final. The ‘real’ world record stands at 7:23.42, which was Grant Hackett in Melbourne 2008. Read SwimNews and see the result list.
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Video: Yannick Agnel 3:32.25 and world record in the 400 SCM free
Update 2: Video below replaced with a YouTube version
Update: In case the videos below are geoblocked, it might work to try the direct link: http://video.eurosport.fr/natation/championnats-de-france/2012/le-record-du-monde-de-yannick-agnel_vid254572/video.shtml
Courtesy of Eurosport
The interview, afterwards (in French, of course)
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CC photo #320: Yannick Agnel at the Berlin 2012 World Cup meet
French swimmer Yannick Agnel at the FINA / Arena 2012 Swimming World Cup leg in Berlin, Germany, after having won the men’s 200 freestyle in 1:42.10. See result list here. Today he broke the men’s 400 freestyle world record :-)