Swimmer's Daily

  • The Antwerp 2012 European Junior Championships are over, Russia dominated by taking 12 out of 40 possible gold medals, 6 silver and 2 bronze, Italy in second with 7 gold, 4 silver and 3 bronze and Germany in second with 6 gold, 10 silver and 7 bronze. Most valuable asset was the Russian relays, taking 4 gold, 1 silver and 1 bronze, most winning individual Germany’s Maximilian Oswald with 2 gold, 1 silver and 1 bronze, among the girls Denmark’s Mie Ø. Nielsen with 2 gold and 1 bronze.

    (Vukic taking gold on day 1)

    Boys 400 IM

    Young Matthew Johnson from Great Britain took the gold medal in 4:17.26 ahead of Germany’s Kevin Wedel in 4:21.50 and Russia’s Semen Makovich in 4:21.86. Johnson the favorite all the way through with an entry time of 4:16.53 and leading prelim time of 4:22.79.

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  • Jákup and Bjarki testing the waters at Toftavatn in the Faroe Islands today, wife and younger daughter watching in the background. A bit challenging, yes, water maybe 10 degrees Celcius (50 degrees Fahrenheit), but we ended up swimming in it, all three of us.

    Our two boys trying out Toftavatn

  • Russia’s top swimmer, Evgeny Korotyshkin, talked to RT about how he nearly quit the sport and what he expects from himself at London 2012. Read and watch RT

  • This documentary shows a very human Thorpe and his struggle to come back from retirement. In related news, Thorpe reveals dark days when, in 2010, he confirmed his financial empire was in ruins. And he answers the other question, if he sleeps with men and women. Read news.com.au

    “Being asked about (being gay) gets annoying,” he says. “I think people feel threatened by me because they can’t define exactly what I am.”

  • Croatia’s Sanja Jovanović at the Rijeka 2008 European Short Course Championships. Still the most impressive crowd I’ve experienced, the Croatian supporters there. She won gold in the 50 and 100 backstroke there.

    Sanja Jovanović at Rijeka 2008

  • On this penultimate day of the Antwerp 2012 European Junior Swimming Championships, Russia jumped even more ahead in the medal race, now at 11 gold medals, 4 silver and 1 bronze, Germany in second with 5 gold, 7 silver and 5 bronze, and Italy in third with 5 gold, 3 silver and 2 bronze. The Russian relays have now won 3 gold and 1 bronze, Russia’s Mariya Baklakova joining double gold medal winners Gabriele Detti (ITA) and Iuliia Larina (RUS).

    (Attendees at the Antwerp 2012 European Juniors should know this song by now)

    Boys 200 backstroke

    After having won the prelims in 2:02.17 and the semifinal in 2:00.22, Great Britain’s Joseph Patching in the final clipped also Italy’s Luca Mencarini 1:59.45 to 1:59.66, Lithuania’s Danas Rapsys taking bronze in 2:00.12, Italy’s on paper favorite Fabio Laugeni fading to a 2:00.69 and fourth in the final.

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  • After three days of racing at the Antwerp 2012 European Swimming Championships, Russia is still clearly in the lead with 8 gold medals, 3 silver and 1 bronze, ahead of Italy’s 4 gold, 1 silver and 2 bronze, and Germany’s 3 gold, 7 silver and 4 bronze. Most winning swimmer(s) is now Russias relay teams with 2 gold and 1 bronze, the individuals still Italys Gabriele Detti and Russia’s Iuliia Larina with 2 gold medals each.

    Mie Ø. Nielsen at the Stockholm World Cup 2010

    (Mie at the Stockholm 2010 World Cup)

    Boys 200 butterfly

    Great Britain’s Matthew Johnson took the gold in 1:58.50 ahead of Russia’s Andrey Tambovskiy in 1:59.25 and Germany’s Tobias Zajusch in 1:59.78. A nice sweep from behind by the youngster aged one year younger than the favorites, Johnson ranked 4th on the entry list with a time of 1:59.2, 4th in the prelims with a time of 2:01.64 and 4th in the semifinal with a time of 2:00.62.

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  • Russia’s Valentina Artemyeva at the Rijeka 2008 European Short Course Championships. She won gold in the 50 and 100 meter breaststroke there, see omegatiming.com.

    Valentina Artemyeva at Rijeka 2008

  • Just yet another photo of the ‘Phelpsian’ Mireia Belmonte García.

    DSC03547