These guys can’t be serious ! :-)
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D’Arcy pips Phelps in the 200 butterfly
Nick DรขโฌโขArcy has become just the second man in nine years to beat American superfish Michael Phelps in his pet event, the 200m butterfly. Phelps was nearly a body length ahead coming off the final turn, but D’Arcy reeled him in to win in 1:55.39 to the 1:55.40 of the American great. Earlier this year, Phelps was beaten by China’s Wu Peng, bringing to an end a streak of 60 consecutive races stretching back almost a decade in his pet event. Via Sunshine Coast Daily, ABC News and The Sydney Morning Herald.
Here is a post-race interview with D’Arcy
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Swimming New Zealand has ‘no hope’ of medals
New Zealand’s Olympic swimming hopes appear dim after SPARC’s damning review of the sport an insistence on change – with insiders saying there is little or no hope of medalling at London next year. Read more here on nzherald.co.nz, via the17thman.
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100 Black Men of Jackson want drowning risk lowered
In USA, African-American children are three times more likely to drown than white children, based on studies and statistics. Nearly 70 percent of African-American children can’t swim, compared to 40 percent for white children, according to the most recent survey from USA Swimming. The civic group 100 Black Men of Jackson wants to change this, having started an aquatics program to teach 125 area youths from ages 8-17 how to swim. Here is another one working hard to help, because of own bad experiences. Read clarionledger.com.
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CDC announces healthy swimming video contest
CDC’s Healthy Swimming Program is asking the public to make short, creative videos that feature simple steps everyone can take to ensure a healthy and illness-free swimming experience. There is a 1000 dollars to be won, plus worldwide fame and knowing that you made a difference, so get at it! Via imperialvalleynews.com.
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How to do a fast breaststroke/butterfly turn
Norwegian breaststroker Aleksander Hetland explains (in English) how he does fast breaststroke turns, and then demonstrates it in the water. He won bronze at the Dubai 2010 Short Course World Championships, so listen up ! :-)
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Klim: “I am a master of my domain at the moment”
Australian swim star Michael Klim admits to there having been times when he has climbed out of the pool and shaken his head, now after his comeback, mornings he has returned form a session and told his wife Lindy he wasn’t sure he could continue.
The most recent difficult time came in Dubai when he was hit by a virus in the days leading up to an event and swam 51.7sec in the 100m freestyle. His old world record was 48.18sec.
As he rested in the cool of his Dubai hotel room, flattened by illness and racing, his friend and Olympic champion Ian Thorpe just happened to call.
“I’ve hit a bit of a wall,” Klim told Thorpe. “I’ve been going so well.”
Thorpe had also been gliding through the water and then hit the wall. They spoke about the plateau.
“My time trial I did a couple of months ago was faster than my Dubai race,” Klim says. “It’s hard. I expect to be improving every single time.”
Read more here on the Sunday Telegraph.
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Royal wedding preparations in Monaco
Oh my, Charlene Wittstock is probably the first olympic swimmer to have her own royal maccaroons designed. Via gamutnews.com.
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The +Pool, a floating pool in the heart of New York
Designers have come up with an astonishing, floating, plus sign-shaped pool they hope to build in the East River, off Brooklyn Bridge Park. One of the technical challenges is water filtration, with the pool being planned as basically a “giant strainer”, filtering contaminated river water into clean, swimmable pool water. In order to accomplish this, the team has launched a Kickstarter project called +Pool, asking the public to pledge the $25,000 by Friday, July 15, that they need to build and test a model of the filtration method. Currently, they’ve got $13,005 pledged by 280 backers, with 27 days to go. Via Brooklyn Daily Eagle.
+Pool is designed as four pools in one: a childrenรขโฌโขs pool, sports pool, lap pool and lounge pool. Each pool can be used independently, combined to form an Olympic-length lap pool, or opened completely for play. รขโฌลWe want to appeal to athletic swimmers as well as bathers,รขโฌย says Wong Dong-Ping Wong from the firm Family New York.