Swimmer's Daily

  • Press release from the LEN Office …

    LEN informs that the 2012 European Swimming Championships that were to take place in Antwerp (BEL) have been reallocated to the City of Debrecen (HUN) and will be held on the same dates as previously planned, from May 21st to 27th.

    The event will take place at the Debrecen Swimming Pool Complex that hosted the European Short Course Swimming Championships in 2007.

    As previously announced, the corresponding Diving Championships will be held in Eindhoven (NED) from May 15th to 20th.

    The Synchronised Swimming discipline, originally intended to take place in Antwerp, has also been reallocated, with its continental titles now to be contested in Eindhoven. LEN appreciates the Dutch city’s availability on such short notice and the constant contribution of the Royal Dutch Swimming Federation. The exact dates of this competition have yet to be reconfirmed.

    LEN also wishes to express gratitude to the Hungarian Government and Sports Ministry, the City of Debrecen, as well as the Hungarian Swimming Association for the outstanding support that they again demonstrate toward European Aquatics, and on this particular occasion in offering their experience and resources to once more welcome the LEN Swimming Family to Hungary.

  • According to www.swimming.org, British Swimming can confirm that no discussions have taken place with LEN with regard to the staging of the 2012 European Championships following Antwerp’s recent withdrawal as host city. However, British Swimming is planning to discuss with LEN the possibility of hosting future European Championships post-2012.

  • According to SwimNews.com, Antwerp in Belgium has now withdrawn from hosting the European Championships (long course) in May this year. Belgian news site Sporza says here that the problem is budgetary, that they had a gap of 400,000 euros a month ago, and that they lost a key partner two weeks ago. Organizer Georges Straetemans was hopeful and had this Friday as an achievable deadline, but that LEN now apparently had no patience. A new venue is expected to be announced soon, Sporza mentions London.

  • Take a tour of the Jayhawks campus as well as downtown Lawrence, the student athletes academic center, strength and conditioning complex and the swimming and diving facilities. A clue: It is nice.

  • Now U.S. residents have the chance to win swim products like Nike jammers and Dolphin Swimwear in the Epic Sports Score Daily Sweepstakes, with at least 6 prize options each day in the swim category. For free, no purchase necessary, two winners each day until February 29th. See epicsports.com

  • A cartoon comic strip by Danish writer/artist duo Mikael Wulff and Anders Morgenthaler, aka Wulffmorgenthaler. Direct link is here, but beware, a lot of their strips are seriously NSFW, in the category that might make even French people blush.

  • An amazing feat by Slovenia’s Peter Mankoč, to win the European Short Course Championships 100 IM nine (9) times in a row, before a bronze in Istanbul 2009, a silver in Eindhoven 2010 and then gold again in Szczecin 2011. The photo is from Rijeka 2008, let me just list up the rest of his 100 IM wins, to give us a feel of this feat: Valencia 2000, Antwerpen 2001, Riesa 2002, Dublin 2003, Riesa 2004, Trieste 2005, Helsinki 2006, Debrecen 2007.

    Peter Mankoč celebrates his 9th consecutive 100 IM EC SC win

  • South Korean swimming star Park Tae-Hwan graduated from university Monday and is heading to graduate school to follow his dream of becoming a professor in PE even as he targets more Olympic glory. He managed an impressive win in the 1500 freestyle at the NSW State Open Championships this past weekend, breaking the South Korean national record with a time of 14:47.38, but says he will not compete in this event at the London Olympics, aiming instead for a world record in the 400 freestyle and a good show in the 200. Via AFP and Yonhap News

  • “The Wayne State University swimming and diving teams successfully defended their GLIAC Championships last week in Jenison, Mich. The women’s team won its third straight and sixth in seven years, while the men’s team captured its seventh championship in the last decade.” All shot on GoPro HD Hero 2. Edited on MBP in Final Cut Pro X. Love it.