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Putin admins sport events help Russia develop country’s infrastructure

Apr 14, 2012

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by

rokur

in Organization

Russia’s Prime Minister and President-elect Vladmir Putin admitted yesterday that Russia bids for so many top sports events because it helps develop the infrastructure of the country. Besides the 2014 Winter Olympics and Paralympics in Sochi and the 2018 FIFA World Cup, other major events they are also staging include the World Athletics Championships and 27th Summer Universiade next year, the 2015 World Aquatics Championships and the 2016 World Ice Hockey Championships. Read Inside the Games

(Putin shirtless and swimming)
Eindhoven Swim Cup: Inge Dekker qualifies for the Olympics in the prelims

Apr 14, 2012

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by

rokur

in Competition

At the Eindhoven Swim Cup this morning, Inge Dekker clocked the quickest time in the women’s 100 butterfly prelims, 58.22 under the Dutch Olympic cut of 58.32, and easily under the FINA A cut of 58.70 also. Sarah SjÃ¶strÃ¶m followed in 58.36, top-ranked swimmer in the world this year with a 56.79 from the British Trials in March, so the final this evening with undoubtedly be exciting. Brazil’s Bruno Fratus clocked a swift 21.99 in the men’s 50 freestyle, ahead of Sweden’s Stefan Nystrand in 22.44, see all results here.

[blackbirdpie url=”https://twitter.com/#!/FemkeHeemskerk/status/191088978135498752″]
Waves, a kinetic sculpture that generates waveforms

Apr 14, 2012

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by

rokur

in Technology, Wow

Daniel Palacios creates this interactive sculpture back in 2006, that generates waveforms with a spinning elastic rope whenever it detects nearby movement. Looks a bit dangerous. The Creators Project via Laughing Squid
When those four in the relay is all youâ€™ve got

Apr 14, 2012

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by

rokur

in Competition, Faroe Islands

So two of our age group swimmers are doing well at the Icelandic Long Course Championships these days, Ã“li Mortensen twice posting a Faroese 400 freestyle junior record (now 4:06.74) and a 16:18.15 Faroese 1500 freestyle junior record in the shadow of PÃ¡l Joensen, and Markus Joensen managing a 2:37.87 Faroese senior and junior record in the 200 breaststroke. Both born in 1996, entering the Faroese/European junior age group next season – and both at peak junior age when the Nordic Junior Championships will be here in the Faroe Islands in December, 2013.

Markus Joensen & Ã“li Mortensen, courtesy of Ã“li Gardshodn

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South African Nationals 16 – 22 April 2012

Apr 13, 2012

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by

rokur

in Competition

The Kings Park swimming pool in Durban will host the week-long South African National Swimming Championships, starting on Monday, which doubles as the final chance for South Africans to swim inside the strict FINA A qualifying times. 12 swimmers have so far achieved the necessary standards, but need to do it again this week, according to the SA qualifying criteria which requires the times to be reached twice during a 10-month period, including once at these championships. Read iol.co.za, see psych sheet here and results here, via speedendurance.blogspot.com.

(PÃ¡l and JÃ³n were there back in 2010. Yeah, we’re everywhere)

The 12 swimmers are: Vanessa Mohr (100m butterfly), Kathryn Meaklim (400m IM), Karin Prinsloo (200m backstroke) and Wendy Trott (800m freestyle), Cameron van der Burgh (100 breaststroke), Heerden Herman (1500m freestyle), Riaan Schoeman (400m individual medley), Gideon Louw (50m freestyle), Darian Townsend (200m freestyle and 200m IM), Sebastien Rousseau (200m butterfly and 200m IM), Chad le Clos (100m butterfly, 200m butterfly and 400m IM) and Graeme Moore (50m freestyle and 100m freestyle).
Aww, Dumas swims with his full-grown pet polar bear

Apr 13, 2012

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by

rokur

in Nature, Wow

60-year-old Canadian Mark Dumas has raised the polar bear, Dawn, since she was six weeks old. He clearly shares a loving relationship with the animal, swimming with it and kissing it an everything. That is until the predator instinct kicks in, of course :-S

Read Time
Suicidal man jumps off bridge, hits swimmer below, kills him and survives

Apr 13, 2012

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by

rokur

in Safety, WTF

Crazy, crazy story from the Philippines today, a 30-year-old man jumped off the old Mandaue-Mactan bridge Wednesday night, landing on a swimmer below who was killed by the impact. While the man himself, who had suffered a nervous breakdown, beat the odds by surviving the 25-meter drop with a black eye and some bruises. Read Inquirer News.

(Photo of Mactan-Mandaue bridge courtesy of Mike Gonzalez/Wikimedia, CC BY-SA 3.0)
Eindhoven Swim Cup: Kromowidjojo sets 52.75 world textile record

Apr 13, 2012

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by

rokur

in Competition

At the Eindhoven Swim Cup tonight, Ranomi Kromowidjojo crushed the competition in the women’s 100 freestyle, posting a new world textile record of 52.75, ahead of Sweden’s Sarah SjÃ¶strÃ¶m in 53.30 and Marleen Veldhuis in 53.95, both Dutch females under the Dutch Olympic cut of 54.30 (FINA A cut being 54.57). Sweden’s Stefan Nystrand won the men’s 100 freestyle in 48.99 (Dutch cut 48.67, FINA A cut 48.82), Sweden’s Joline HÃ¶stman the women’s 200 breaststroke in 2:26.62 (Dutch cut 2:25.63, FINA A cut 2:26.89), Lennart Stekelenburg the men’s 200 breaststroke in 2:11.70 (Dutch cut 2:11.39, FINA A cut 2:11.74), Sharon van Rouwendaal the women’s 100 backstroke in 1:01.07 (Dutch cut 1:00:40, FINA A cut 1:00.82), Bastian Lijesen the men’s 100 backstroke in 53.89, under the Dutch cut of 54.00 (FINA A cut 54.40) and Swiss swimmer Julie Hassler the women’s 800 freestyle in 8:43.49 (Dutch cut 8:29.41, FINA A cut 8:33.84).

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Underwater Leg Wrestling is a real sport, says founder The Waterspider

Apr 13, 2012

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by

rokur

in Fun, WTF

“At first glance, competitive underwater leg wrestling seems, well, like a joke. Or a glorified game of footsie played in the pool. Or just a really effective way of getting kicked in the balls.” I predict a lot of swimmers getting kicked in the balls in the near future. Read Miami NewTimes and visit facebook.com/underwaterlegwrestling