Swimmer's Daily

  • The Afghan Women on the Move project is helping Afghani women become more independent by giving them new skills like swimming and driving. Its creator Maryam Zahid spoke about the confidence her program helps build.

  • Earlier this month, beaches in Sarasota, Manatee, and Hillsborough counties fell under a “no swim advisory. The presence of enterococcus bacteria comes from a variety of factors, health officials say. This includes pet waste, livestock, birds, land-dwelling and marine wildlife, stormwater runoff, and human sewage. However, there haven’t been any sewage spills reported within one mile of the beaches listed in the past two weeks.

  • A French freediver broke the world record for deepest dive with bi-fins as he descended to a depth of 120m (393ft).

    Arnaud Jerald took 3 minutes and 34 seconds to complete the dive, during the annual Vertical Blue competition in the Bahamas.

    It’s the seventh time the 26-year-old has broken the world record in his career.

  • Gold feast for Italy, Dutch double, and ER blast for Popovici 

    Italy bettered the Netherlands 4-2 in the title race on Day 2, but the second day’s biggest blast came in the men’s 100m free semis. Romanian Rocket David Popovici bettered the European record (and his junior WR) with a 46.98 blast, becoming the first European to go sub-47sec in textile. The women’s 100m title went to Dutchwoman Marrit Steenbergen who claimed three golds in two days already. Italy grabbed a 5th title earlier when Giorgio Minisini won the historical first male solo event in artistic swimming. Among the women, Ukraine ruled the day once more, Marta Fiedina landed her third gold as well, came first in the solo technical, then in the highlights routine with her teammates. 

    LEN-Roma 2022
    LEN-Roma 2022
    LEN-Roma 2022
    LEN-Roma 2022

    Swimming 

    A year ago, David Popovici stole the show here in the pool as he rewrote the junior world record list in the freestyle events at the junior Europeans while making the 50-100-200 triple. This June, the 17-year-old established himself as the brightest star of Europe’s next-gen swimmers by doubling down the 100- 200m free titles at the FINA World Championships (the first one to achieve that after 1973), then entertained the home crowd in Otopeni at the junior Europeans three weeks ago (grabbed four titles)  before returning to Rome.  

    And once he graced the scene, he launched a rocket in the morning heats, setting a new Championship  Record (47.20, 0.07sec shy of his junior WR set in Budapest), then came the semis and he was really in the mood, stopping the clock at 46.98. This is a new European record (Kliment Kolesnikov held the previous one with 47.11), a new junior WR – and he is the first-ever European under 47sec in textile suits. He sits 4th on the all-time ranks, Cesar Cielo’s WR – set in this very same pool 13 years ago – stands at 46.91, Frenchman Alain Bernard had a 46.94 (both from the shiny era, though the latter was never ratified as ER), and at the 2019 Worlds USA’s superman Caeleb Dressel swam 46.96 (that is the current textile-best). 

    The finals saw a brilliant run of the home swimmers. Italy’s best female deliverers from the past  Europeans were Margherita Panziera in the 200m back (winning also in 2018 and 2021) and Simona  Quadarella in the longer free distances (completing trebles in Glasgow and Budapest). And they didn’t disappoint the home fans this time either – Panziera opened Italy’s march, seeing off Britain’s Katie  Shanahan who just went on collecting medals in the Foro Italico after starring in Rome last year,  grabbing six medals at the juniors. Hungary’s Dora Molnar – who was the top performer in this year’s juniors in Otopeni with 6 medals as well – claimed her first-ever podium at the elite level. 

    Quadarella expanded her golden streak at Europeans to 7/7, Isabel Gose of Germany challenged her in the 800m free, but the title-holder held on firmly. Another young hero from last year’s Rome juniors,  Merve Tuncel of Turkey – having excelled over the same distances as Quadarella both in 2021 and  2022 – bagged her first senior European medal too.

    Italian men also brought the expected wins. One of the hosts’ most versatile swimmers Thomas Ceccon won the 50m fly, just weeks after his world record-beating swim in the 100m back – ahead of France’s  Maxime Grousset and Portugal’s Diogo Ribeiro. 

    After title-holder Adam Peaty had skipped the Worlds due to his foot injury, his European throne was also vacated – and just like in Budapest, Nicolo Martinenghi took over the reign in the 100m breast. A  bit unexpectedly, the crowd could cheer for a 1-2 finish as Federico Poggio stunned many by finishing  

    runner-up. Only the battle for the bronze was fierce, five finalists hit the wall within 0.18sec.  Lithuania’s Andrius Sidlauskas out-touched the others, including GB’s James Wilby, who had beaten  Peaty at the Commonwealth Games, and Dutchman Arno Kamminga who had to settle for the 7th place,  despite being considered the biggest threat to Peaty’s magical run a year ago as the second man ever clocking a time starting with 57sec (now he swam 59.68). 

    Still, the Dutch – including Kamminga – had a couple of golden moments in the evening. Marrit  Steenbergen was no match for the others in the 100m free, beat France’s Charlotte Bonnet and GB’s  Freya Anderson with ease, then she returned to anchor the Netherlands’ mixed medley relay to another convincing victory. Thus, Steenbergen clinched three golds in two days here (came first with the  4x200m free relay as well), and Kamminga also had some consolation. Though Italy’s relay featured two freshly crowned champions, Martinenghi and Ceccon, in the second half of the race their advantage gradually decreased and Steenbergen outpaced Silvia di Pietro over the free leg. Indeed, while the  Dutch clocked 53.24 in the individual final and geared up for a 52.33 split in the relay, di Pietro couldn’t hit a higher speed at all (54.18, then 54.17). Thanks to that, the Dutch won by 1.88sec – while the Brits, without Peaty’s usual input, finished third after three straight triumphs. 

    Artistic Swimming 

    Another milestone was passed in the afternoon when the first-ever male solo event kicked off at the  European Championships. The historical title went to Giorgio Minisini, as expected – the Italian,  multiple medal-winner at World and European Champs in mixed duet – performed his routine under the title ‘The Plastic Sea’, a special effort to call people’s attention to the devastating pollution of the world’s oceans. Spain’s Fernando Diaz got the silver while Serbia’s Ivan Martinovic finished third – both competed at this level for the first time. The medal ceremony was filled with emotions, Minisini dropped some tears while he was announced as the first-ever male solo European champion. 

    The other two finals didn’t offer any upset either. Ukraine grabbed two more titles, Marta Fiedina won the solo technical, then half an hour later was also part of the highlight routine, where their usual high throws and brilliant dives were really highlights of the session. Italy and France got the minor spoils. 

    Linda Cerruti brought another silver for Italy, while Vasiliki Alexandri of Austria managed to earn more points than Greece’s Evangelia Platanioti. At the World Champs, they finished in reverse order, now the bronze meant the world for the soloist of the Alexandri triplets. Bouncing back from a serious illness she had contracted here in Rome, the Austrian was all in tears after learning that she finally claimed a  medal at a major event.

    Press release courtesy of LEN, photos courtesy of LEN/S. Castrovillari

  • Razzetti claims first title, Hungary earns 100th gold 

    As a fitting start, Italy’s Alberto Razzetti claimed the first title on offer at the European Aquatics  Championships in Rome by winning the 400m IM. The Netherlands did a brilliant job in the women’s 4x200m free to clinch a historical first-ever gold in this event, while the Hungarians,  thanks to Kristof Milak’s blast in the anchor leg, won the men’s relay and the nation’s 100th European Championship gold in swimming. Ukraine also took a golden start in artistic swimming, finishing atop in the team technical event. 

    Swimming 

    The first individual final of the day turned into an Italy v Hungary battle where the home swimmers took the upper hand at the end. Alberto Razzetti managed to outlast 3-time champion David Verraszto,  the second oldest swimmer in the championship – while Pier Andrea Mateazzi pipped Hubert Kos for the bronze, giving a 1-3 finish for the home nation. 

    In the newly shaped program, the 4x200m free relays were on show – in the past, the 4x100m free concluded the opening day – and they brought tremendous excitement. In the women’s event, it was a  duel between the Netherlands and Great Britain but with a special flavor as the Brits swam on lane 1.  

    The lead was constantly changing over the first three legs but Marrit Steenbergen’s speed over the anchor leg was too much for Freya Anderson thus the Dutch landed their first-ever gold in this event.  Hungary secured a bronze and medal No. 97 for Katinka Hosszu who swam together with a couple of youngsters who were not even born when she had competed in her first junior Europeans. 

    The men’s final was a true thriller. The Swiss led after the first leg, then the French stormed in front and held on even after 600m, enjoying an almost full second advantage ahead of the Italians and the  Hungarians. However, there came Kristof Milak who left no chance for the others. The butterfly king showed he had the speed for the freestyle too, his 1:44.42min split decided everything, he gained a full second on the Italians and almost 2.5 on the French to secure Hungary’s 100th European Championship gold medal.  

    This was not the first time for Milak, Nemeth, Hollo, and Marton to achieve something big together:  back in 2017, the same four had stunned the Americans in Indianapolis to win this relay at the junior  Worlds by 0.01sec. Five years later it was time for a reunion and it ended well once more to give the  Magyars their first title in this relay since 1954. 

    Artistic swimming 

    Ukraine skipped that event at the World Championships in June but now they were back and left no doubt whose routine was the best in the team technical final. The Italians went through some nerve-

    wrecking moments as they swam for second and needed to wait till the end to see if they could keep the first or the second place.  

    The Ukrainians – training in Italy since the war broke out – got ahead of them but apart from this, no one else offered better performance, so the home team could happily wave to the enthusiastic crowd with the silver medals around their necks, while France earned the bronze.

    Press release courtesy of LEN, photos courtesy of LEN/S. Castrovillari

  • Star athletes are gearing up to shine in the sunshine 

    In Rome, all is set for the kick-off of the European Aquatics Championships in the Foro Italico, the legendary pool complex, site of the 1983 edition and the 1994 and 2009 FINA World  Championships. In total 951 athletes from 50 countries will be competing for 231 medals in 77  competitions across the aquatic disciplines of swimming, open water, artistic swimming, diving,  and high diving. For the first time since 2010, pool events will be staged outdoors. 

    This edition will offer some novelties – in artistic swimming, Rome will see the first-ever senior  European men’s solo event, and High Diving also appears for the first time at a LEN event with a  temporary tower and pool built to welcome Europe’s best. 

    LEN-Roma 2022

    As LEN President Antonio di Silva said at the opening press conference, “Great efforts have been made  to ensure that the permanent and temporary facilities in Rome and Ostia (for open water) will give  athletes the best possible environment to perform and ensure that fans, and millions of TV viewers  around Europe, will be able to enjoy top class competition.” 

    The President was grateful to the organizers as he added: “I would like to extend my sincere gratitude to the Italian Swimming Federation, as well as to the authorities of the city of Rome and the Italian  State, for their commitment to hosting this event, despite the challenges caused by the Covid epidemic. 

    “Events like Roma 2022 also give us hope and optimism about the future. This event is the most  important in our calendar and we can all look forward to spectacular competition over the next 11  days.” 

    President of the organizing committee, Andrea Pieri also shared a couple of details on the preparations while LEN Operation Manager Marco Birri offered talked about the encouraging numbers mirroring a  huge media interest. More than 400 accreditations have been issued and 37 right-holding broadcasters will offer live coverage of the event which also fits to the overall schedule of the multisport Europeans running parallel in Munich these days.  

    While the dangers of Covid-19 exposure are definitely lower at the outdoor venues, LEN and the LOC  still keep some protocols in place, which require all athletes and officials to undergo testing upon arrival and so far five positive cases have been detected. 

    At the same time, athletes gear up for another outstanding edition of LEN’s top showcase, and those invited to the press conference were keen to share their thoughts on the upcoming championships. 

    Here is what they had to say.

    Katinka Hosszu, Hungary, Olympic, world, and European champion swimmer 

    On her target of claiming 100 medals at major championships (her count stands at 96) “I think it would be something special to get 100 medals since nobody has achieved that yet so that would be exciting. I may have a chance here as I’ll swim relays but even if I reach my goal that  wouldn’t mean that I’m done with swimming.” 

    On still swimming the toughest events, the IMs and the 200m fly at the age of 33 “If I could swim 50m events, I would swim the 50! Much easier to have one length as Sarah (Sjostrom)  does here. However, the way I was born… the events suiting me the best are still the medley and 200 fly  so I keep on doing them, however hard they are.” 

    Sarah Sjostrom, Sweden, Olympic, world and European champion swimmer 

    On returning to Rome where she claimed her first world title at the age of 15 in 2009 “I love to swim in Rome, obviously this is one of my favorite pools. When I came to Rome in 2009, I  surprised everyone… I think it won’t be such a surprise if I won this time.” 

    On dropping the 100m events for these European Championships 

    “Now it’s a light program for me, I swim only the 50m and a couple of relays. I got Covid straight  after Worlds, that is one reason, the other is that I’m not used to having two major competitions in one season. So this is just a temporary, I’d like to do the 100m free in the future, but not now.” 

    On her new hairstyle, colored purplish 

    “I like to surprise people when I take my swimming cap off. Many Swedish girls have blonde hair, so I  like to surprise people and chose this color for this event.” 

    Federico Burdisso, Italy, Olympic medallist and world champion swimmer 

    On Italy’s fantastic run at the World Championships in June and the high expectations here “We don’t feel any pressure while competing at home. We are in an upbeat mood, we have a fantastic  team, a real team, we know each other, each of us, we are young, hungry for success, it’s going to be  great to race in front of our fans.” 

    On how challenging to swim fly events, next to world champion Kristof Milak (HUN) “There is no challenge here, Kristof is simply out of reach. I only hope that I can reduce the gap a bit next year. I’m still looking forward to the races, wish to get medals and repeat our win in the medley  relay.” 

    On swimming outdoors at a major championship

    “I love swimming outdoors, especially here. I think it’s not a challenge for either of us, I  just hope we’ll have nice weather. Since we haven’t seen much rain for two months, I guess we won’t  have storms in the next days.” 

    Marta Fiedina, Ukraine, Olympic medallist, world and European champion artistic swimmer 

    On having outstanding success in recent years but needing to deal with the war hitting her home  country 

    “Yes, we got great results, and I was really happy to achieve all those successes. Of course, what  happens in Ukraine all affects us, but we just got more motivation to represent our beautiful country,  to show we are strong people with a strong spirit.” 

    On their preparations during recent months 

    “We have been training here in Italy since March. The Italian Federation gave us everything we needed,  we had perfect training conditions, nice apartments, and even the underwater music works which is important for us. We cannot be grateful enough for that. As I know, other Ukrainian athletes also have  fine training, swimmers are in Germany and Italy, and divers are in Croatia so we can get ready for the  championships.” 

    Chiara Pellacani, Italy, Olympic medallist, European champion diver 

    On having a top competition held outdoors 

    “For us, this is really special, for sure, it’s more challenging than for the swimmers. We tried to adjust ourselves, we trained in Napoli as this facility was closed because of the construction works. But we are  excited to compete here in Rome.” 

    On her goals after having some outstanding results in the past two years 

    “I really want to continue collecting medals and improve my results compared to last year in Budapest.  Again, I expect big things in the synchro events, but I also work on my individual dives, and I may do  better this time.”

    Press release courtesy of LEN, photos courtesy of LEN/S. Castrovillari

  • The body of a missing swimmer found in Lake Michigan on Sunday, Grand Haven police say. (Aug. 7, 2022)

  • La Petite Baleen swim school offers lessons for infants kids and adults aged 2 and up. For more information visit swimlpb.com.