Swimmer's Daily

  • American researcher Denise Herzing has been testing 2-way communications with dolphins since 1998, first with them replying by pointing out underwater icons, but now in collaboration with artificial intelligence researcher Thad Starner by “co-creating” a language that uses features of sounds that wild dolphins communicate with naturally. They are building a prototype device featuring a smartphone-sized computer, two hydrophones and a “Twiddler” mouse/keyboard that a diver will carry, in order to talk with the dolphins. Read more here on newscientist.com.

  • “Did you ever think ‘I’m not going to get out of this alive’?”
    “Yeah, maybe after the first hour”

  • 19-year-old Austrian Olympic swimming team member Jakup Maly had spent much of Sunday digging a hole 2.1 meters deep by 1.8 meters wide on Pompano Beach in Florida, when the sand collapsed around him. It took 60 rescuers two hours to rescue him, where after he was taken to a hospital and later released. Read more here on guardian.co.uk and here on NBC Miami.

  • Keri-anne Payne used her tried-and-tested tactic of leading the race from the start, when she won the LEN Open Water Cup in Eilat, Israel today, in her fastest ever time of 1:52.12. This qualified her for Shanghai 2011 open water competition, in addition to already having secured a place in the 4×200 relay team. Via swimming.org and bbc.co.uk.

    Amazing result for @KeriannePayne in her 10k swim today.. Fastest ever female 10k swim! Must’ve been the jellyfish that spurred you on!xless than a minute ago via Twitter for BlackBerry® Favorite Retweet ReplyDAVID CARRY
    davidcarry

  • French swimmer Yannick Agnel has been struck down by a lung infection, forcing him to change his event schedule at the World Championships this summer. “Antibiotics, a big week in bed and we’re back six weeks back, ” stated the coach Fabrice Pellerin according to L’Équipe. The plan now is to race in the 200 free and 4×200 free, but not the 400 free and likely neither the 4×100 free, even though he in the 400 free is ranked 2nd in the world this year. Via speedendurance.blogspot.com

  • Great video here by ArenaNatation, where César Cielo amongst other things reveals that the most important medal in his collection is not the 50 freestyle Olympic gold medal from Beijing 2008, but rather the 100 freestyle bronze medal.

  • Alberto Pinto Silva, coach to Olympic 50m free champion Cesar Cielo in Brazil, has described as foolish the fact that his country has no Omega OSB11 ramp starting blocks of the kind that will be used this summer in Shanghai and next summer in London when his charge defends the World and Olympic titles respectively. Read more here on SwimNews.com.

    Omega OSB11 start blocks of Tórshavn installed this week. Photo: Helena Dam

    They are testing some kind of Brazilian version, that Pinto says has a different gradient. “The angle of the ramp (track-start platform at the back of the block) is different. It seems like foolishness, but we are talking about the world record holder.”

    I must say that it is amazing, that a huge country like Brazil doesn’t have a single OSB11 starting block, compared to my home country of Faroe Islands with a population of 50.000 people now having them installed in two of our three 25 meter pools. Yes, they cost a bit of money, but you need them, if you are to practice perfect starts!

  • While talking to the Associated Press today, Michael Phelps declared that he will retire from competitive swimming after his participation in the 2012 London Olympic Games. While expressing his concerns after retirement, the 25-year-old Phelps declared that he will put more effort into his foundation and will try to increase the level of sports countrywide and worldwide. In addition, Phelps uttered that he can do anything but he will not become a swimming coach. He justified his decision by saying that coaching is a very difficult task and it requires a lot of tolerance.

    “I see what I put my coach (Bob Bowman) through, and if there was a kid that I was teaching that did the same stuff, I’m not sure how I would react. Now I see why he has gray hair. I’ve put him through so much stress over the last 11, 12 years”

    Read more here on blogs.bettor.com, via Gold Medal Mel

  • Great column here on thisislondon.co.uk by Liam Tancock, where he reveals that he has been taking ballet lessons, and that British swimming training camps involve a FIFA tournament on PlayStation.

    This might come as a surprise but I’ve been taking ballet classes with my training group.

    I’ve had four – and it’s not like we’re wearing frilly tutus or trying to be dancers and perfect the moves. It’s about thinking outside of the box, trying to keep ahead of our rivals by learning from other disciplines.

    – Oh no it doesn’t, and oh yes you were … and I hope that someone’s got the pictures to proove it ! ;-)