When Australia’s best swimmers fight for Olympic selections this week, most including Leisel Jones and Libby Trickett will leave the latest in swimsuit technology on the rack, unconvinced by the Speedo Fastskin3 racing system that they helped launch last December.
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Aussie swimmers angry over extra funding to comeback stars
Australian swimmers are demanding their governing body declare how much money has been spent to bankroll the return of comeback stars Ian Thorpe, Michael Klim and Libby Trickett amid rumors of “six-figure handshakes”. According to The Daily Telegraph, it is understood that in the team agreements, where rankings determine pay, Thorpe was given AUS $100,000 while triple Olympic champion Stephanie Rice was offered just $12,500.
(Image courtesy of Morton Lin, CC BY-NC-ND 2.0)
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You can hear your splits underwater in the London 2012 pool
Interesting fact, courtesy of Elizabeth Simmonds on Twitter
Was weird hearing the live commentary underwater during the race.. Very surreal hearing ur 50m split times blasted through submerged space!
— Elizabeth Simmonds (@QueenMond) March 9, 2012
And hilarious follow-up tweet
Also just got asked by a 6 year old if I would do him the honour of coming to his house to play tomorrow. Best chat up line ever..
— Elizabeth Simmonds (@QueenMond) March 9, 2012
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CC photo #71: Faroese supporters with Pál in Dubai
Despite of having less than 50,000 inhabitants, it is a common saying here in the Faroe Islands, that you’ll find Faroese where ever you go. Like here at the Dubai 2010 World Short Course Swimming Championships, where we got to meet two Faroese families living there, and where that fair-haired boy with the #1 finger had even swum in the brand new competition pool before Pál.
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Charlie Houchin 400m kick
That boy’s got an outboard motor for legs, splits 34.23 – 37.40 – 38.09 – 37.14 – 36.87 – 37.57 – 37.87 – 37.68 = 4:56.88 (pffft, no kick in the end ;-). Norway’s Gard Kvale predicts him to be 2nd behind Vanderkaay in the 400 freestyle at the US Trials.
[blackbirdpie url=”https://twitter.com/#!/GardKvale/status/178333755969249280″]
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The Copa Pura Vida 2012 swim meet
Really nice video here, it seems from the Copa Pura Vida meet in Pichilemu, Chile. Those starting blocks are hard-core !
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Adlington smokes the 800, Faulkner, Simmonds and Rock make team
On this 7th day of British Trials, Rebecca Adlington clocked a 8:18.54 in the 800 freestyle, Olympic qualifying and faster than anyone ever but Janet Evans, Lotte Friis, Kate Ziegler and herself. Eleanor Faulkner also managed to qualify in the 800 freestyle, with a time of 8:27.11, commenting “Becky [Adlington] is my role model and I’m just trying to keep up with her”. Elizabeth Simmonds qualified in the 200 backstroke with a 2:08.67, and Michael Rock in the 100 butterfly with a 52.02. Read for instance SwimmingWorld Magazine.
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Nugent says Thorpe will stun the swimming world
Australia head coach Leigh Nugent predicted on Friday that multiple Olympic champion Ian Thorpe would stun the swimming world by qualifying for the London Games next week. Eamon Sullivan doesn’t think Thorpe should be given a go on the Olympic team if he doesn’t qualify. Thorpe himself says he hasn’t been foxing, but has been ‘training the house down’. Huegill is unsure if it is enough, thinks he might have left it too late. Trickett says critics are judging Thorpe too harshly, asks people to give him a break.
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Head & Shoulders – Michael Phelps Commercial
Olympian Michael Phelps gets his head in the right place with Head & Shoulders Active Sport for Men. Via Michael Phelps on Facebook.