Good point here on SwimmingWorld Magazine:
Debate continues on the current breaststroke turn and finish rules that govern competitive swimming. Video from the 2011 FINA World Championships of Brazil’s Felipe Silva finishing with an illegal dolphin kick to capture gold in the 50 meter breaststroke is proof that FINA needs to take another look at how it monitors the stroke.
You think it comes by itself ? Below the first part and intro of a multipart season long series about preparing for the upcoming 2012 Olympics. Courtesy of George Bovell III.
SWIM from George Bovell on Vimeo.
“The last day of summer vacation 2011: 13 people, a chicken, one take on one amazing summer.” Music: The Swimming Song by Loudon Wainwright III. The camera action is a bit shaky at times, but still I like it a lot :-)
Swimmers in Darwin, Australia got a small yet significant shock when a crocodile was found in a public pool. Lifeguard Tim Dupe said he initially thought the reptile was a rubber toy until it snapped it jaws. Swimmer’s Daily comment: The reptile epidemic is spreading, from now on I’ll put a bullet through every toy left in the pool! Read The Telegraph
Around 40,000 people were watching the tides at the Laoyancang dam of the Qiantang River in east China, when the biggest return tide in nine years destroyed the barriers, washing out about 100 tourists, security guards, a reporter and a car. Twenty people were injured, including nine with serious injuries. Read for instance crienglish.com and 3news.co.nz.
Tough talk from Frédérick Bousquet’s coach Brett Hawke, on whether anyone can beat his former protegé César Cielo in the 50 freestyle:
Peter Busch: “On the 50 side, can you see anyone touching Cielo right now?”
Brett Hawke: “No. Not really. If I’m going to be honest, Cesar is built for that race and he loves that race, and to win that race with all the nonsense that was going on in the lead up to the World Championships… I was really proud to see him win that…”
Peter Busch: “Do you ever miss training him?”
Brett Hawke: “Absolutely, it was a great time in my life training him.”
Read more about this and opinions on the Speed Endurance Swimming Blog
They’ve got some crazy rules down there in Llanwrtyd Wells in Wales. “Competitors must swim (without the use of their arms) down the bog and back again. Only 1 length is required if they are in a fancy dress.” The world record is now 1 minute 24 seconds, from when Andrew Holmes this year swam the full back and forth lengths of a 180 ft (55m) trench. Now, I’m thinking … maybe if the fancy dress was something tight fitting, like a gimp or this Freddie Mercury outfit, then we could cut the distance in half and break that record ! Via simma.nu/no.
The Bog Snorkelling Championships from Noah Goodrich on Vimeo.
Yup, the Martin Strel, the Big River Man and his son Borut. They arrange swimming holiday trips on Slovenian lakes and along the Croatian Mediterranean coast, as we read about in a review a few days ago. Go visit their website www.strel-swimming.com, it’s got animated sprites and everything.
They nicknamed it “jellyfish alley” already early in the swim, with 5 of the 11 team members having been stung by jellyfish after 15 hours of swimming. But they kept going, managing to complete the full 56 miles in impressive 35 hours and 18 minutes. Team including celebrities Ronan Keating, Jenny Frost, Pamela Stephenson, Jason Bradbury and others, and olympic medalist Steve Parry who said upon completing The Swim:
“I’ve been swimming for the majority of my life and The Swim has been the biggest challenge of my life. It’s been a fantastic team of open water swimmers and adventurous celebrities who have come together for an amazing challenge to raise £1million for Cancer Research UK’s life-saving work.â€
