China’s Sun Yang and Faroe Islands’ Pál Joensen ready for the Shanghai 2011 men’s 800 freestyle final. Too bad they had those chairs reserved for teams right behind the entrance – made it look like the stadium was half-empty, which it certainly was not.
Not that I’m totally shocked – swimming has all kinds of problems, including that it really helps to be as light as possible. Read dagblog.com
Days ago I finished Age Is Just A Number, perennial Olympic swimmer Dara Torres’ ghost written autobiography. Lithe and streamlined as juniors, women swimmers often struggle with weight as their hips and breasts blossom. Nearly six feet tall, Torres was coached to make weight. She either weighed-in under 152 or swam extra workouts – perversely dubbed the Breakfast Club. Liking food, but not wanting to ever feel part of what she saw as “the fat group,” Torres learned to vomit after meals, and struggled with bulimia in her early years. Having a professional model for a mother probably didn’t help.
Sigh, no fun breaking a front tooth.
http://twitter.com/#!/mariekeguehrer/status/153960244521877504
You might not have know about it, but the Guinness world record for the largest gathering of people wearing swim caps was 546 people, set in Japan in July 2011. Now it is American, with 2045 people absolutely demolishing the record at the 2012 Tybee Island Polar Plunge in Georgia, USA. Via The Graveyard shift
BBC’s Nick Hope feeling on his own body what high altitude training feels like. Three-times Commonwealth Games swimming champion James Goddard also comments on his chances against Ryan Lochte and Michael Phelps – ‘the two greatest swimmers of all time in my event’ – come London 2012. See BBC
Finally someone going for a warm dip in wetsuits with aquatic wildlife on New Year’s Eve, rather than an icy dip with wild people the day after ! :-)
Swimming with Manatees from Jess Wang on Vimeo.
People going crazy on Polar Bear Swim 2012 at English Bay, Vancouver, British Colombia, Canada. Air temperature: 5ºC / 41ºF. Water temperature: 7.7ºC / 46ºF.
Polar Bear Swim 2012 from Beto Galetto on Vimeo.
“Randy Bennett is the Canadian Head Coach for the 2012 Olympics. Ryan Cochrane looks to be the only challenger to current world record holder in the 1500 meter freestyle Sun Yang of China heading into the London Olympics.”
Let’s (hopefully) see about that last statement! :-P
Video courtesy of Gary Hall Sr. / The Race Club, including “footage of Ryan’s amazing technique”.
Fun tweet from David Carry, who has been testing some Kopi Luwak coffee. We’re talking coffee made from the beans of coffee berries which have been eaten by the Asian Palm Civet (Toddy Cat), defecated, gathered, washed, sun dried, roasted and brewed. And then drunk by people as the most expensive coffee in the world with prices reaching $160 per pound. Nice.
http://twitter.com/#!/davidcarry/status/153827524869234688
Image courtesy of Praveenp / Wikimedia Commons
