Swimmer's Daily

  • The most anticipated Danish Trials event of this evening, the 4×200 meter freestyle time trial. Splits Mads Glæsner 1:49.46 (53.02), Daniel Skaaning 1:49.04 (52.13), Anders Lie 1:49.09 (52.54) and Pál Joensen 1:47.79 (52.19). Total time 7:15.38, enough to put them in contention for a relay spot at the London 2012 Olympics.

  • Pál Joensen after his 400 freestyle at the Szczecin 2011 European Short Course Championships. He has a lot more to be happy about now, at the Danish Trials 2012, having qualified for the Olympics in the 400 freestyle, and helped the Danes to be in contention for also an Olympic 4×200 freestyle participation.

    Pál Joensen happy with his Szczecin 2011 400 freestyle

  • On the 3rd night of Danish Olympic Trials, 15-year-old Mie Ø. Nielsen qualified for the Olympics in the women’s 100 meter backstroke, with a scorching time of 59.69, and new Danish junior and senior record, and Nordic record beating Louise Ørnstedt’s 1:00.48 from a home meet in Odense back in 2005. She had actually qualified for the 4×100 freestyle yesterday, when clocking a 55.10 new Danish record and 3rd in the women’s 100 freestyle, but now it is for an individual event too :-) See result list here.

    DSC01437

    (Mie Ø. Nielsen at the Stockholm 2010 World Cup)

    In the men’s 200 freestyle time trials, things got of to a bad start with Mads Glæsner and Daniel Skaaning pushing hard from the start but fading in the end, clocking 1:49.46 and 1:49.04 respectively, the Danish commentators losing hope already midway through the relay. But then Anders Lie kept hope alive, splitting 1:49.09, before Pál scorched the pool in a personal record split of 1:47.79. Relay clocking 7.15.38, to keep them in contention for a London 2012 selection.

    Pál tosar við danskar miðlar eftir 4x200 frí

    No other swimmer made the necessary FINA A standard to qualify for the Olympics, and quite a few of them also missed the qualification time for the Debrechen 2012 Europeans, needed to get that second chance of qualifying for the Danish Olympic team.

    All results from today’s finals can be seen here.

  • Exciting news, the Deepsea Challenger has already been to the deepest point in the ocean, unmanned and unscathed, and now James Cameron might be just hours from attempting his unprecedented solo dive to the Mariana Trench. If seas remain calm, which is a big if, around those corners of the world’s oceans. Read more here on The National Geographic

  • Emotional. Powerful.

  • Exciting stuff !

  • At the French Olympic Trials today, Ben Stasilius set a new French record in the 200 meter backstroke, with a time of 1:56.39 trumping Pierre Roger’s 1:56.64 from the French Nationals in 2009. This was the only French Olympic qualification today, one of the noteworthy miss outs the women’s 100 freestyle, although they did have 4 women qualifying for the 4×100 free relay. Read more here on SwimmingWorld Magazine.

  • Members of the Chinese aquatics team well equipped on the final night of the Rome 2009 World Aquatics Championships. Gee, almost missed my New Year’s resolution tonight, because of a network outage :-/

    Chinese fans at Roma 2009 (2)

  • No, these are not The Faroese Mafia, but our up-and-coming swimming stars. From left to right Magnus Jákupsson, Faroese born and raised who moved to Denmark in August 2011, but who still competes for our islands. Frans Johannesen, son of a Faroese couple who moved to Denmark when he was a kid, therefore raised in Denmark and competing for them. And Pál Joensen, born and raised and still training here. Between the three of them, they have qualified for the A-final in every event at the Danish Open 2012 they’ve participated in, only Magnus was disqualified in the 200 IM (bad boy!). The real Faroese Mafia is best kept a secret.

    (Mafia member René Thomsen took this picture)