Earlier this month, Chinese swimmer Wu Peng declared that next year’s London Olympics will be his last time competing. 24-year-old Wu’s first Olympics were the 2004 Athens Games, where he made the finals, and now he’s intensifying his training schedule to prepare for London 2012, eager to go out strong with a medal victory. Via NTD Television
Pál Joensen and coach Jón Bjarnason have arrived safely in Atlanta, and been training and talking to Chris DeSantis and stuff. The duel between Europe and USA will start this Friday Dec 16 at 7 PM ET (that’s at midnight GMT), see Mutual of Omaha and USA Swimming. Here is a picture of the competition pool that Jón took, looks quite ready!
Whale sharks, sweet ! – See Georgia Aquarium
GA Aquarium from T.J. Hicks on Vimeo.
This video is good! – Courtesy of Fort Lauderdale Aquatics
FLA Swim Team Promo Film from Seaglass Productions on Vimeo.
So what is this, 11.43 meters? A facility for ultra-sprint training at the University Michigan, where you just barely have room for your start, turn and finish. Courtesy of athletovation.
According to The Voice of Russia and Pravda, 45-year-old Andrei Sychev in Siberia has set a new long distance / long duration ice swimming record, completing 2.1 kilometers in 56 minutes and 7 seconds at the National Ice Swimming Championships in Tyomen, Sibiria this weekend. The water temperature was 0.5°C and the air temperature -13°C (that’s 32.9°F and 8.6°F, respectively).
Here below is a slideshow from last year. I find the accompanying music very appropriate, “I got a fever, and the only prescription is more cowbell!” :-D
So it turned out that Germany successfully defended their top position in the European Shorts Course Championships position from 2010, with now 7 gold, 2 silver and 1 bronze medal in Szczecin 2011. Russia proved to be the best team by points, winning the Championships Trophy by a clear margin with 901 points ahead of Italy in 2nd with 768 and Germany in 3rd with 625.
Here is Andrei Vorontsov, National Team Director / Head Coach of the Russian Swimming Federation, raising the trophy outside the Radisson Blu hotel together with Valentina Artemyeva, winner of the 2011 Szczecin 50 and 100 breaststroke. Pure coincidence that I got this picture, as we were leaving at the same time :-)
Read more here on ecszczecin2011.eu
The Speedo Ice Swim Africa is an event held annually in Nuwedam, Fraserburg, South Africa, where the swimmers complete a mile in 5°C warm water (that’s 41°F). This year is was held on 23 July, so yes, this teaser is a bit late. But there’s always next year! :-)
Speedo Ice Swim 2011 Teaser from Shoestring Productions on Vimeo.
Jeez, those stats are scary: “Don’t we realize that this is a full-blown epidemic in our country. They say that 1 in 4 girls, 1 in 6 boys do not reach the birthday age of 18 in our country without being sexually molested by somebody they know”. Read also diananyad.com.
