LEN announces today that the European Swimming Championships in Debrecen have a record entry of 570 swimmers from 44 of the 51 member federations, one federation up from the Budapest 2010 Europeans, then including diving, synchronized swimming and open water swimming. Some federations take the opportunity at the Europeans for another Olympic qualification, while others make do without their top athletes to give them more time to prepare for London. Largest teams are Italy (49), Hungary (36) and Germany (35). Participating 2008 Olympic champions are Britta Steffen (GER), Federica Pellegrini (ITA) and Alain Bernard (FRA), and oldest swimmer 38-year-old and 2000 Olympic Champion Lars Frölander (SWE). Read more here on LEN.eu
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Olympic trading card the thing this summer
Ricky Berens tweeted yesterday that he’d received copies of his new (and first ever) Topps trading cards, and rated them as awesome. They are nice, yes, but the Danish have even RPG-esque rating of tactics, technique, stamina and strength, as seen on the Mie Ø. Nielsen trading card to the right, presented by her on Facebook also yesterday.Here is a video presenting Topps 2012 U.S. Olympic Team and Olympic Hopefuls trading cards.
And here is a video in Danish where sailor Susanne Boidin presents the Olympic trading card folder, with our guy Pál Joensen already collected, he is rated 4 in tactics, 6 in technique, 9 in stamina and 3 in strength (sheesh, we’ll see about that, dear Danes).
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Leading architects surveying the London 2012 Olympic Park
Leading architects Amanda Levete and Piers Gough and critic Charles Jencks give their verdict on the key venues of the London Olympic site. They are blown away by the beauty of the Aquatics Centre and the Velodrome – but left deeply underwhelmed by the main stadium. Read more here on The Guardian.
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Eamon Sullivan on ESPN Australia/NZ
Russ Barwick talks to Australian Olympic gold medal hope in the 4 x 100m freestyle relay and 50m freestyle, Eamon Sullivan.
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Behold, the Sea Lion amphibious sports car
125 mph on land, 60 mph on sea, you need this :-)
Read more here on MailOnline
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The Dale Oen Experience website launched
Together with Robin Dale Oen, Alexander was planning to launch The Dale Oen Experience – A fund to provide children and youth experiences of their lifetime. The desire was to inspire children to challenge themselves, find their capacity and see their own worth. The plan was that Alexander and Robin would create The Dale Oen Experience after the Olympics in London 2012 and manage the fund together. Now Alexander is not here anymore, but his message is still important. Go visit daleoen.com, donations welcomed on BiC: DNBANOKXXX, Electronic iBan No: NO4112040474763.
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CC photo #138: Rein Haljand and Pál Joensen at the Kalev Spa
Pál Joensen being instructed by Rein Haljand, Professor of Kinesiology at Tallinn University in Estonia. This from when we visited them in Estonia, back in January 2009. Pool is the Kalev Spa in Tallinn.
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Olympic champ Mellouli to train with Pál and Danes at altitude
Pál Joensen and coach Jón Bjarnason left for Denmark today, to join the Danish Olympic squad, Spain’s Aschwin Wildeboer and Tunesia’s Oussama Mellouli, in an elaborate altitude training program developed by the Dutch head coach of Denmark, Paulus Wildeboer.
(Mellouli and Joensen at the 2010 Mare Nostrum meet in Canet)
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Cullen Jones makes teaching swimming a priority
This year Cullen Jones is juggling his training for the U.S. Olympic trials – he will compete in the 50- and 100-meter freestyle events – with traveling around the country for USA Swimming’s “Make a Splash” program, which promotes teaching kids from diverse backgrounds to swim.
When I woke up from being completely resuscitated, from when I almost drowned when I was 5, my first question to my parents was, ‘What’s the next ride we’re getting on?’ It really didn’t hit me and it didn’t faze me at that time that that could have been the last day of my entire life.
Read more here on USA Today
