Kastrup Svømmehal in Kastrup, Denmark, ready for the 2010 Nordic Junior Championships (25m), December 11-12, 2010. Flags in the far end are from left: Denmark, Estonia, Finland, Faroe Islands, The Danish Swimming Federation, Iceland, Norway, Sweden. Mie Ø. Nielsen was a big player here, and we (the Faroese) also won a gold medal with Birita Debes’ 1:01.46 in the 100 backstroke :-)
The annual About Swimming Readers’ Choice Awards is on, including categories ‘swimsuits’, ‘goggles’, ‘handpaddles’, ‘training fins’, ‘on-line or brick and mortar swim shops’, ‘swimming twitter feed’ and (most important) ‘swimming blog’. You can nominate your swimming favorites from January 18th through February 15th, vote from February 22nd though March 21st, and then see the winners announced on March 30th. I nominated Speed Endurance Swimming Blog, let the catfight begin!
China’s Sun Yang today clocked a 3:42.89 in almost-meet-canceling pouring rain at the Miami Super Challenge in Miami, Queensland, Australia, followed by compatriots Li Yunqi in 3.45.69, (16-year-old) Hao Yun in 3:45.69 and Dai Jun in 4th in 3:50.79, with 1st Aussie Wally Eggelton in 5th in 3:57.60. Sure wish I had a video from that race. See results here and read Speed Endurance Blog
We know the story, she’s given up on a lot of money in order to be able to stay NCAA eligible. According to USA Today some $130,000 in prize winnings plus three endorsement offers, while her mother has taken a year-long sabbatical to be her scheduler and media handler. But team is important to Missy Franklin:
“Team is so important to me,” she says. “I love being part of a team. It, for me, is one of the best feelings in the world.”
Read more here on USA Today
A bit old video here, but interesting. Dad sounds like a swell guy, making her swim farther out into the sea than she dared.
National Team member and Olympic hopeful Tyler Clary shares his thoughts on challenges and dealing with pressure leading up the 2012 Olympics Trial on Omaha, Nebraska. Ouch, he dislocated his shoulder at the Duel in the Pool in December, something that ‘happens from time to time’ as he has ‘super-loose’ shoulders. Still, ouch.
The beautiful Stadio Olimpico del Nuoto indoor aquatics centre at the Foro Italico in Rome, Italy, during the 13th FINA World Aquatics Championships in Rome 2009. Inaugurated in 1959, designed by architects Enrico Del Debbio and Aniballe Vitellozzi to host the swimming, diving, water polo, and swimming portion of the modern pentathlon events for the 1960 Summer Olympics, refurbished to host the European Aquatics Championships in 1983, reconfigured and expanded for the 1994 World Aquatics Championships, and then used again as the Roma 09 warmup pool.
Jake Schultheis “captured his only fish in the sea” with a pre-staged marriage proposal for girlfriend Cassidi Humphries on Thursday morning, a news release from the Virginia Aquarium said. It took a moment for Humphries to realize the message was intended just for her, but she got it when he got down on one knee, popped open a lighted ring box, and presented her with a diamond ring. And said “Yes!”. Read WAVY.com
Aww, and it rhymes and everything
The Australian Institute of Sport, working with Australia’s national swim team, has just published a new study of altitude training in the Europe Journal of Applied Physiology, where they took 37 elite swimmers and divided them into three groups:
Although they found a clear increase in total hemoglobin mass of about 4% in both altitude groups, they did not find the same increase in performance. In the scientists’ own words:
Although altitude training induced erythropoeisis, this physiological adaptation did not transfer directly into improved competitive performance in elite swimmers.
Read more here on Sweat Science
