Comeback champ Geoff Huegill up until tonight to qualify for the Olympics, but missed out with a 52.50 and 5th in the 100 butterfly, Christopher Wright and Jayden Hadler qualifying in 51.67 and 52.09 respectively. James Magnussen blasted the 50 free with a world top ranking time of 21.74 in the 50 free, Eamon Sullivan also qualifying for the individual with a 21.92. Belinda Hocking qualified in the women’s 200 backstroke with a time of 2:06.68, and Meagan Nay also with a time of 2:07.83. And Kylie Palmer and Jessica Ashwood qualified in the 800 freestyle, in 8:26.60 and 8:27.97 respectively. Read more here on SwimmingWorld Magazine.
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CC photo #82: Waiting outside the Jaked stand in Rome
Fun memories from the Rome 2009 World Aquatics Championships. Birita wanted one of those brand new Jaked supersuits, so we arrived at about 8 in the morning only to find out when the shop opened at 10 that they didn’t have size 20 nor 22. The day before we had been too far back in line to have any chance of getting a suit, so the next day we woke at 6 and went almost straight to the pool by taxi, in order to be first in line. It worked.
By the way, I’m the guy with the computer, killing time by writing this piece on my Faroese site. There is something wrong with the times I mention, changing from stand opening at 10 to stand opening at 09. Must have been the heat. Here is a video from when the stand opened …
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Loughborough: Britain’s secret success factory
Scarcely anyone outside the East Midlands can point to Loughborough on a map, but if the Loughborough University were a country, with past and present students its citizens, it would have come fifth at the last Commonwealth Games – ahead of South Africa – in terms of its 44 medals won. Loughborough Swimming head coach Ben Titley has seen 12 Loughborough swimmers qualify for London already – among them Liam Tancock, a world-record holder in 50m backstroke.Its students have won the British Universities & Colleges Sport championship for 30 years running, sometimes finishing with more than double their closest rival’s points tally. Read more here on The Independent
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The road to London – Jayden Hadler
Behind the scenes with NSWIS athlete Jayden Hadler on his journey to the 2012 London Olympic Games, who qualified yesterday in the 200 IM. Mmm, jellyfish soup.
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Phelps sad no rematch but Thorpe ‘not the same’
Tough talk but spot on talk by the true great:
“After reading his quote when he said he thought he was going to fail, right there the trials didn’t even need to happen,” Phelps told USA TODAY on Tuesday after a completing a cross-training workout at Under Armour headquarters in Baltimore. “He was already set on not making the team, and that’s not the Ian Thorpe that I swam against in 2004.”
Read more here on USA Today
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Magnussen turned to swimming after rugby league grand final foul-up
James Magnussen’s former footy coach has revealed that the devastation of losing the under-16s grand final after the siren convinced the towering second-rower to ditch league and concentrate on swimming. Having juggled swimming as a “bit of cross training for footy” and studying for his HSC, Mayo said Magnussen was a late bloomer in the pool. Until that dreadful day.
Having gone undefeated all season, the Sharks were four points ahead of the Foster Hawks at the siren when the ref called for a scrum. The Sharks won the feed and their lock scooped the ball from the back of the scrum. Thinking the game was over, he kicked it away – only for a Hawks winger to recover it and score in the corner. “He was bitterly disappointed,” Mansour said. “I told him to throw himself into his swimming, give it your best and take that up professionally.”
Read more here on The Herald Sun
By the way … “Speaking from his kebab shop” ?!?
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Brett Hawke to coach Bahamas at Olympics
Brett Hawke, the head coach of Auburn University’s swimming and diving program, has been named by the Bahamas Swimming Federation as the head coach for the Bahamas’ swim team at the 2012 Summer Olympics in London, England. Bahamiam sprinter Arianna Vanderpool-Wallace, who has been training under Hawke for the past three and a half years, says having her college coach by her side will assist greatly in her push toward a historic performance in London. Read more here in The Nassau Guardian.
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Championnats de France de Natation 2012 promo
Cool, wish I understood the language, and their qualification system :-)
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Muffat and Agnel set French records, Manaudou qualifies for the Olympics
At the French Nationals today, Camille Muffat posted a 1:55.40 textile best and French record in the 200 meter freestyle semifinals, while Yannick Agnel scorched the men’s event with an also French record of 1:44.42. Amaury Leveaux also qualified in the 200 with a time of 1:46.77, while Gregory Mallet and Clement Lefert qualified for the relay with also under FINA A standard times of 1:46.77 and 1:46.90. Laure Manaudou qualified in the 100 backstroke with a time of 1:00.16, and Alexianne Castel also with a time of 1:00.56. And in the men’s 100 backstroke, Camille Lacourt and Ben Stasiulius qualified in 52.75 and 53.98 respectively. Read more here on SwimmingWorld Magazine.