Swimmer's Daily

  • Funny how an undoubtedly modern and open-minded reporter can begin by quoting Ian Thorpe on saying that he doesn’t like people writing about his private life, and then go on writing about his private life. It reminds me of when people are being loud about being more tolerant than others, not understanding that by doing this, they are being exactly the opposite. I myself struggle with homophobia, feeling slightly perverted by not being able to rent Brokeback Mountain in public :-P

    (the17thman found this video)

  • In conjunction with their positive doping tests, which resulted in the loss of results from the Maria Lenk Trophy meet, Henrique Barbosa and Nicholas Santos have been removed from the Brazilian World Championships roster. Vinicius Waked did not make the team, so he is naturally missing as well, and now only Cesar Cielo remains, having qualified before the Maria Lenk Trophy meet. Read SwimmingWorld Magazine.

  • The Corryvreckan Whirlpool is a mile of swirling, turbulent water that separates the Scottish Inner Hebrides island of Jura from northerly Scarba. Rumour whirls around this murky place, they say it is the third largest whirlpool in the world, that the Royal Navy classify it as officially ‘unnavigable’, that an unfortunate Norse king was swept to his death here at some point, and that George Orwell almost drowned here. But still a few hardened swimmers take up the challenge, having about half an hour to swim the mile before the tide changes. I like it! :-) Via blog.bestwestern.co.uk.

  • Steve West recently became the oldest man ever to qualify for the U.S. Olympics trials, with a 2:20.65 in the 200 breaststroke. Juggling family, job and sports, he still manages to squeeze in the 3 times 1 hour of training a week that he needs to pull out a 2:20 in the 200 breast. Kudos from the Faroe Isles!

  • FINA will press for an urgent CAS appeal before pool racing at the Shanghai 2011 World Championships begin on July 24, if current investigations conclude that Brazil was wrong to issue only warnings to Cesar Cielo, Nicholas Santos, Henrique Barbosa and Vinicius Waked for testing positive with furosemide. Especially Waked’s case looks suspicious, if the Brazilian doping control panel really gave out only warnings because it was the swimmers’ first offence. From SwimNews.com:

    Of the four, Waked’s case looks the weakest by some margin: he has already served a suspension after testing positive for Isometheptene. He returned from that ban in April 4 last year. It is hard to see how a second offence could result in a warning.

  • The king is back, at the Canada Cup yesterday, Michael Phelps posted a world’s best this year in the 100 meter butterfly, 51.32, beating Chris Brady and Wu Peng and others. Read more on for instance SwimmingWorld Magazine and SwimNews.com.

  • 17-year-old Justin Wright has taken legal actions against his parents, so he can continue his relationship with 24-year-old Rhi Jeffrey, American gold medallist from the 2004 Olympics. Jeffrey retired in 2007, but has since moved to New Zealand to revive her career in an attempt to qualify for the 2012 Olympics in London. When Wright and Jeffrey struck of a relationship, his parents withdrew consent for him to compete in national swimming events. But now Wright has won court permission to be a member of Swimming New Zealand against his parents’ wishes, and lives with Jeffrey. Read more here on timeslive.co.za.

  • This scientific paper details the first documented attack on a live human by a cookiecutter shark, named so because it uses its large bottom jaw teeth to bite out a cookie-cutter shaped piece of flesh from its victim. In this particular case from 2009, the shark first tried to carve out a piece of the 61-year-old man’s chest, and then was more successful in getting a piece of his leg, while he attempted to board a support kayak. There are pictures of the wound in the paper, looking quite gruesome when fresh, but then later turned out to heal quite fine. Via treehugger.com.

    Cookie Cutter Shark

  • They will only meet in the 400 freestyle, with China’s Sun Yang racing the 400, 800 and 1500 at the upcoming Shanghai 2011 World Championships, and South Korea’s Park Tae-hwan the 100, 200 and 400. But ouch, Mellouli and the rest, Yang wants the 400 gold medal the most, because he feels that Park will be the toughest to beat. Read koreatimes.co.kr.

    “I desire the 400m freestyle more than the 800- and 1,500-meters because my toughest opponent, Park Tae-hwan, will be in that event,” the 19-year-old said in an interview with China Daily.

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