On the final day of Amsterdam Swim Cup, Lavrans Solli and former Icelandic swimmer Sindri Thor Jakobsson managed to improve upon each their Norwegian national record, Solli with first a 26.15 in the prelims and then a 25.99 and bronze in the men’s 50 backstroke, and Jakobsson with a time of 2:01.20 in the 200 butterfly. Both owned the now former records, 26.21 and 2:01.94 respectively. Via www.simma.nu/no
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Magnussen targets the 100 free world record at the Australian trials
James Magnussen is hoping he can threaten Cesar Cielo’s 100 meter freestyle world record of 46.91 in Monday night’s Australian Olympics trials final, after cruising through the semi-finals in 47.93. This despite of struggling with illness. Read for instance ninemsn and The Sydney Morning Herald.
“Taper seems to get me every year and I’m feeling a bit crook again,” Magnussen said.
“I was sort of hoping this morning just to stay nice and light and not have to push myself.
“I won a world championships having pneumonia so if anything it hasn’t really worried too much – if I have to swim with one lung, so be it.”
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CC photo #79: Masters meet in Vági, March 17th, 2012
Calm before the first race of the Masters meet in Vágur, Faroe Islands, yesterday evening. I competed myself, still nackered because of having tried to swim 50 butterfly and 50 freestyle fast with only two heats in between (and then attending the post-race party).
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Faroese TV on Pál Joensen’s first altitude training camp
Bartal has been busy this weekend, transcribing this segment out of Kringvarp Føroya‘s sports broadcast on March 8th, 2012. On how Pál and Jón joined the Danish swim team on an 4-weeks altitude training camp in Sierra Nevada and Pretoria recently, the first ever for Pál and Jón.
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Norway’s Ingvild Snildal qualifies for the Olympics
After having improved upon the Norwegian women’s 200 butterfly record twice in the same day, Ingvild Snildal yesterday evening won the 100 butterfly at the Amsterdam Swim Cup 2012, qualifying in 58.32, ahead of home favorite Inge Dekker in 58.41 and Poland’s Otylia Jedrzejczak in 59.63. A bitt off her 56.96 Norwegian record from Rome 2009, but a clear improvement upon her textile record. Via tv2.no.
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Ian Thorpe 50.53 and 21st in the 100 free prelims, out of the Olympics
After a disappointing swim in the mens 100 freestyle preliminaries at the Australian Olympic Trials, it is now official that Ian Thorpe will not get to compete at the London Olympics. On a more positive note, Leisel Jones qualified with a time of 1:07.64 in the 100 breaststroke, yesterday evening, behind Leiston Pickett in 1:06.88, making Jones the first Australian swimmer ever to qualify for four Olympic Squads. Thomas Fraser-Holmes and Kenrick Monk qualified in the 200 freestyle with 1:46.88 and 1:47.16 respectively, Emily Seebohm and Belinda Hocking in the 100 backstoke with 59.28 and 59.41, and Hayden Stoeckel and Daniel Arnamnart in the mens’ 100 back with 53.98 and 54.05 respectively. Read more here and here on SwimmingWorld Magazine.
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Thorpe crushed and speechless
Ian Thorpe says he is crushed after he missed out on the 200m freestyle final at the Olympic trials in Adelaide.
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CC photo #78: Swim meet in Vági today
SuSvim meet in Vágur, Faroe Island today and tomorrow, March 17 – 18, 2012. This site will probably be a bit silent today because of this.
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Underwater thieves evade array of lasers to steal Costa Concordia’s bell
Underwater thieves have evaded an array of laser systems that measure tiny shift in the capsized Costa Concordia shipwreck and 24-hour surveillance by the Italian coast guard to haul off the ship’s bell, a symbolic image associated with the disaster two months ago, when at least 30 people are believed to have perished. Read for instance National Post and BBC