Olympic Times – Sports Daily

Australia’s recent record-breaking performances will count for nothing if their swimmers cannot reproduce that form at the Beijing Olympics, according to triple gold medallist Grant Hackett.
Hackett, who is aiming to become the first male swimmer to win gold in the same event at three successive Olympics, said eight world records at Australia’s Olympic trials last month had given the team a major boost, but the United States would still be the favourites in Beijing.
“We feel confident but we feel that’s only the start of what needs to be done,” he told a news conference at the world short-course championships in Manchester on Saturday.
“Those trials surprised a lot of people in Australia. We didn’t expect to break eight world records and have so much depth in many races.
“The team is confident but we’re not getting ahead of ourselves,” added the 27-year-old, who will be aiming for a third straight 1,500m title in China.
“The Olympic Games is where the real results will be posted and remembered.
“No one remembers the Olympic trials. We’re confident, proud of the way we performed, but the job’s not done yet.”
Australia’s best result at an Olympics was as hosts at the 2000 Games, when they took 18 medals in the pool. However, Australian swimming chiefs expect their team of 22 women and 20 men to better that mark in Beijing.
Unlike most of the world’s top swimming nations, who hold trials earlier in the year, the U.S. will have their qualifying event just five weeks out from the Aug 8-24 Games.
Hackett predicted U.S. swimmers will raise the bar at their trials by adding to the rising tally of world records set so far this year.
“They’re going to have an unbelievable performance,” he said. “They’ll be the number one team going into the Olympics, no doubt about that.
“Their performances lately have been great and their swimmers have not even been rested.”
Hackett will enter unknown territory in Beijing when he competes in the 10-kilometre open water event, which he said would be the “ultimate test” after a career spent only in the calmer waters of swimming pools.
“I’m not experienced in this field. The best thing is the element of surprise,” he said. “People don’t know what I’m capable of. I’ve worked on my preparation, I’m as fit as I’ve ever been.”

from: chinadaily.com.cn

Alain Bernard snatched the 100 metres freestyle world record from Olympic champion Pieter van den Hoogenband at the ailing Dutchman’s home pool in the European swimming championships on Friday.
The 24-year old Frenchman clocked 47.60 seconds in the 100 semi-finals to beat the 47.84 mark Van den Hoogenband set in the semi-finals of the Sydney Olympics in September, 2000, on the way to the first of his two Olympic 100 freestyle titles.

It was one more blow for Van den Hoogenband, who has had the toughest of times since he turned 30 last week.

He pulled out of the morning’s 100 freestyle heats, having been ill during the week and failing to make the semi-finals of the 200 freestyle, an event he had won four times.

Bernard hit the 50-metre mark in 22.88, well inside Van den Hoogenband’s world record split of 23.16, and hurtled down the return length to carve 0.24 seconds from the world mark. His previous best was 48.12.

France experienced an extraordinary day of elation and disappointment, with the second high point coming in the evening’s last race when their women’s 4×200 freestyle relay squad held off the British quartet to win by 0.27 seconds in 7:52.09.

But Russians Anastasia Zueva and Grigory Falko denied France two expected gold medals when they upstaged favourites Laure Manaudou and Hugues Duboscq in two earlier finals.

Manaudou, who won four European titles in 2006, had posted a European 100 backstroke record of 59.50 in Thursday’s semi-finals.

RUSSIAN REVENGE

But Zueva led all the way against the world silver medallist to reclaim the European record and strike gold in 59.41, with defending champion Manaudou having to settle for silver in 1:00.05 after winning in 2004 and 2006.

Manaudou, in the lane next to Zueva, turned away and hung on the further lane rope, refusing to acknowledge her conqueror. Her mood brightened later when she led off the relay victory for her second Eindhoven gold after winning Wednesday’s 200 backstroke from Zueva.

Duboscq, who had broken the men’s 200 breaststroke championship record twice on Thursday, led for the first 150 metres but Falko overhauled him on the last length to grab the gold and the championship record in 2:09.64.

Norway’s Alexander Dale Oen, who had beaten Duboscq for the 100 breaststroke title when both dipped below the one-minute mark for the first time, swept through for silver in 2:09.74 and Duboscq was left with bronze.

Greece celebrated two titles. Ioannis Drymonakos came through in the last couple of strokes of the 200 butterfly in 1:54.16 ahead of 2005 world champion Pawel Korzeniowski of Poland (1:54.38), with both inside the old European record, and Aristeidis Grigoriadis won the 50 backstroke to follow his silver in the 100 back.

Italy’s Alessia Filippi inherited Manaudou’s 800 freestyle title for her second Eindhoven gold after winning the 400 individual medley on Tuesday. Manaudou pulled out of the 800 to concentrate on the 100 backstroke.

Romania’s Camelia Potec, Olympic 200 freestyle champion, set the pace for the first 700 metres, with Spain’s 2004 European champion Erika Villaecija in close attendance, before Filippi charged through to win in 8:23.50, with Villaecija taking silver and Potec fading to bronze.

Mireia Belmonte put Spain on the top step of the podiuum with an impressive win in the women’s 200 individual medley in a championship record 2:11.16 from Hungary’s Evelyn Verraszto. Olympic champion Yana Klochkova was last.

from: chinadaily

Australia’s triple Olympic gold medallist Jodie Henry announced on Friday that injury will prevent her from competing at the 2008 Beijing Games but it won’t end her swimming career.
The former 100m freestyle world record holder officially withdrew from next month’s Olympic selection trial in Sydney, after succumbing to a pelvic complaint that has hampered her preparations.
“It has been a very hard decision to make as the Olympics is every swimmer’s goal and I would have loved to be able to go to Beijing and try and defend my (100m freestyle) title and to help the girls win another relay,” the Australian Associated Press quoted Henry as saying in Brisbane in east Australia.
“I have been struggling with an injury which has meant that I haven’t been able to train as much as I would have liked, and as much as I have needed to, to be ready for the Olympic trials.
“Whilst missing the Olympic team is a huge disappointment for me, I am pleased because now that my injury has been finally diagnosed I can start the road to recovery,” she said.
Swimmers must compete at the cut-throat selection meet in order to qualify for the Australian Olympic swim team and Henry said her injury meant she would not be sufficiently prepared.
Henry made clear her intentions to return to the pool as soon as possible.
“I am happy to say that I am definitely not retiring as there is no way that I want my swimming career to end like this,” Henry said.
Henry’s absence will be a major blow to Australia’s defense of the women’s 4x100m relay title in China.

from: chinadaily.com.cn 

The “Good Luck Beijing” 2008 16th FINA Diving World Cup will kick off on Tuesday in the National Aquatic Center, also known as “Water Cube”, with its first event men’s 3-meter springboard diving.
The 16th edition of FINA Diving World Cup, which runs from February 19 to 25, serves as an Olympic qualifier and attracts 296 players from 56 countries and regions.
Lots of world famous divers, such as Chinese diving queen Guo Jingjing and Russian diving czar Dmitry Sautin, will compete in the World Cup.
Chinese He Chong, winner of the men’s 3-meter springboard diving in 2007 national championships, and Qin Kai, winner of the event in 2007 Melbourne World Championships and 2006 diving World Cup, will compete in Tuesday’s competition.
The National Aquatic Center, nicknamed by the Chinese as “water cube”, is one of the flagship Olympic facilities, neighboring the Birds Nest, the main stadium.
The facility, which will host swimming, diving, synchronized swimming competitions during this summer’s Olympics, offers a huge slice of gold, silver and bronze medals in the Olympics.
The divers showed their satisfaction of the “water cube” after training here on Monday.
“I like the diving pool here,” said Loudy Wiggins of Australia, two-time Olympic 10-meter platform diving bronze medalist in 2000 and 2004.
“I feel comfortable because it’s similar to Athens and Sydney,” She added.

from: chinadaily.com.cn 

Australian Eamon Sullivan broke the world record in the men’s 50m freestyle at the New South Wales swimming championships in Sydney on Sunday.
Sullivan clocked 21.56 seconds to chop 0.08 seconds off Russian Alexander Popov’s mark of 21.64 seconds set up in 2000.
His winning mark also bettered half a second off his personal best fro Sullivan, who finished third in the 100m and fifth in the 50m freestyle at last year’s world championships in Melbourne.
“I just surprised myself,” he said. “I felt really, really good in the warm-up and working towards getting under 22 for the first time.”
The 22-year-old shook off a series of injuries before his breakthrough meet at the national championships 14 months ago where he captured the 50m national record in Brisbane.
It was the first swimming world record by an Australian men swimmer in an Olympic event since Ian Thorpe in the 400m freestyle at the 2002 Manchester Commonwealth Games.
The 50m event was introduced into the Olympic program in Seoul in 1988.

from: chinadaily.com.cn 

As leant from the operation team of the National Aquatics Center, or the “Water Cube” on February 14, the venue is ready for the 16th FINA Diving World Cup from February 19 to 24, 2008.

The FINA World Cup is the third largest diving event after the Olympics and FINA world Championships. Furthermore, the 16th FINA World Cup will take place at the just-inaugurated Olympic venue, so that it has attracted 310 athletes, 218 coaches and 42 international judges from 54 countries.
Many top divers from worldwide have been registered and the host team has fielded the best lineup, including 3m springboard divers Guo Jingjing and Wu Minxia, who will also participate in women’s synchronized events. On men’s side, He Chong and Qin Kai will take part in 3m springboard, while veteran Wang Feng will join Qin Kai in synchronized competitions.

The women’s 10m platform will feature world champions Wang Xin and Chen Ruolin, who will be also synchronized participants.
There will be big names from Russia, Canada, Australia and France too.
The 16th FINA World Cup is following the Olympic standards to set 8 events: Men/Women 3m springboard, 10m platform, synchronized 3m springboard and synchronized 10m platform.The competitions will last 6 days with the following time table:

February 19 – Men’s synchronized 3m springboard preliminaries and finals
February 20 – Women’s 10m platform semifinals and finals
February 21 – Men’s 3m springboard semifinals and finals; women’s synchronized 10m platform preliminaries and finals
February 22 – Men’s synchronized 10m platform preliminaries and finals
February 23 – Women’s 3m springboard semifinals and finals
February 24 – Men’s 10m platform semifinals and finals; women’s synchronized 3m springboard preliminaries and finals

from: beijing2008.cn

The Water Cube’s debut event was not all about competition: it’s about getting familiar with the water and try out hands six months before the big-time Olympics in the Chinese capital.
The Swimming China Open ended its six-day competitions on Tuesday in the bubble-wrapped Olympic venue, with 32 golds bagged by teams including host China, Germany and Japan, the top three on the medal tally.
A sizable competition force of more than 200 swimmers came to Beijing. Only a few top swimming powers such as the United States and Australia were absent.
But the meet was not short of top-notch swimmers. German sent in the world 100m freestyle record-holder Britta Steffen and world championship silver winner Annika Lurz. Steffen won two gold medals in women’s 50 and 100 meters freestyle, while Lurz was crowned in the women’s 400 meters freestyle and 100 meters freestyle relay.
World No. 2 butterfly specialist Pawel Korzeniowski of Poland and Sweden’s sprinter Stefan Nystrand were also among the few leading swimmers who impressed the spectators in Beijing.

Ceremony girls hold flower bouquets at a medal ceremony during the Good Luck Beijing 2008 Swimming China Open
at the National Aquatics Centre, nicknamed “Water Cube”, in Beijing February 4, 2008.
China Open is the first event held in the center, which will host the Olympic swimming and diving events in August. [Xinhua]

Korzeniowski won his best event in men’s 200 meters butterfly and sprint specialist Nystrand claimed the men’s 50 meters and 100 meters freestyle titles.
However, Olympic 200m butterfly champion and multiple-medalist Otylia Jedrzejczak of Poland did not think too much about winning golds at the event. “I’ve been doing intense training,” she said.
The Chinese team, headed by top breaststroker Qi Hui and long-distance swimmer Zhang Lin, indeed shared some of the limelight. With two golds and three results under the Olympic qualifying A standards, Qi declared a comeback from being bogged down by failed trainings.
Zhang in turn impressed the home crowd with a new national record in men’s 400 meters freestyle, and brought himself closer to world’s first-ranking South Korea’s Park Tae-Hwan.
But the Chinese team may have to make another few leaps to realize its Olympic ambitions after the retirement of Olympic women ‘s 100 meters breaststroke gold medalist Luo Xuejuan.
China’s No.1 male swimmer and butterfly specialist Wu Peng appeared in the stadium but didn’t compete. Wu and some other Chinese swimmers are not in winter training.

The Pool in the Bubble
Water Cube is one of the flagship Olympic facilities, neighboring the Birds Nest, the main stadium.
The facility, which will host swimming, diving, synchronized swimming competitions during this summer’s Olympics, offers a huge slice of gold, silver and bronze medals in the Olympics. By then, swimming sensations like Michael Phelps, Australian stars Leisel Jones, Libby Lenton and Laure Manaudou of France, are all poised for the gold rush.
Its debut event has drawn accolades from officials and the athletes. A high-ranking IOC member Kevan Gosper called it “out of this world” and “breathtaking“.
Mongolia’s Tsogjargal Narantsog, who swam in the men’s 100 meters butterfly heat, was officially the first swimmer in the pool.He won cheering applause despite a slow performance. China’s Shi Feng also made a few headlines when he won the venue’s first gold on offer in men’s 100 meters butterfly.
As praises were piled on the center, glitches were also discovered in the test event: mixed zone is too small, change room is too hot and air is too dry. But venue officials assured these problems would be addressed. “The operation teams and other relevant parties will brainstorm on making necessary changes to the facility,” said Shang Heshun, director of the venue.
“So far, all operations have gone well and we have gathered valuable experience for the August Olympics,” he added.

from: chinadaily.com.cn 

China earned four straight titles and a new national record set by Zhang Lin. Seven finals of the “Good Luck Beijing” 2008 Swimming China Open were staged on Saturday morning, and Zhang Lin, who carried away two titles, was undoubtedly the most brilliant star in the “Water Cube.”
In the women’s 50m freestyle final, staged first, German veteran Britta Steffen clinched an easy victory with a time of 24.93. Steffen had won the women’s 100m freestyle final Friday. Delaroli Cazziolato of Brazil finished second, and Steffen’s compatriot Daniela Goetz came in third.
In the men’s 100m breaststroke final, Japanese swimmers monopolized the top two places: Tateishi Ryo took the title with a time of 1:01.58, leading his compatriot Suenaga Yuta by 0.52. Hungarian veteran Daniel Gyurta ranked fifth.
In the women’s 200m breaststroke final, Jung Seul Ki of Republic of Korea took the crown with a time of 2:25.16, and her compatriot, Jeong Darae, finished second. Qi Hui, who had earned an Olympic Qualification A berth and was to compete in the women’s 100m breaststroke preliminaries this evening, finished eighth.
In the men’s 400m freestyle final, Zhang Lin improved over his best time of 3:46.27, which he achieved in Australia recently, to a time of 3:45.04 and broke the national record he set. Compatriot Sun Yang and Poland’s Pawel Korzeniowski came in second and third, respectively.
In the women’s 200m freestyle final, Zhu Qianwei of China carried off the gold and set her personal best time of 1:58.90. German veteran Annika Lurz and Otylia Jedrzejczak of Poland took the second and third places.
In the women’s 800m freestyle final, You Meihong of China overtook Cozma Lonela of Romania after 450m to wrap up the victory with a time of 8:31.18. Her compatriot Li Mo finished second by a margin of 9.18.
The morning’s finals were highlighted by the men’s 4x200m free relay, staged last. The Chinese team, consisting of Huang Shaohua, Zhang Zhitao, Xin Tong and Zhang Lin, overtook Germany, thanks to Zhang Lin’s tough fight at 700m to clinch the title with a time of 7:23.15.
The heats of four events — women’s 400m freestyle, men’s 100m freestyle, women’s 100m breaststroke and men’s 200m breaststroke — will be staged beginning at 6:30 on Saturday evening.
The “Good Luck Beijing” 2008 Swimming China Open is being held at the National Aquatics Center from January 31 to February 5.

from: beijing2008.cn 

“Water Cube” debut draws accolades from IOC official, swimmers

The debut of China’s National Aquatics Center, nicknamed by the Chinese as “water cube“, has drawn accolades from International Olympic Committee (IOC) official as well as swimmers for the Olympic test tournament.
“This is an excellent and wonderful facility…and the best aquatic venue by far,” said Richard Kevan Gosper, the International Olympic Committee (IOC) Press Commission Chairperson.
“It (the Olympic test) will be a very successful event, and all operation work has gone very smoothly,” he told reporters on Thursday afternoon.
The Good Luck Beijing 2008 Swimming China Open, which opened on Thursday and serves as a test of the venue ahead of the Olympics, is scheduled to be participated by 234 swimmers from more than 36 countries and regions.
“I felt a very good mood for competition the time I entered the cube,” said Zhang Lin, a Chinese swimmer on the national team, adding that the pool water temperature was just right for him.
Ryan Pini, from Papua New Guinea, said “the venue is very easy to get around, and the volunteer services are quite satisfying.”
However, a few other swimmers also voiced their advice for the improvement.
Otylia Jedrzejczak, a Poland swimmer who swam women’s 200m butterfly on Thursday, complained it was too hot in the water and the change room. “But besides that, everything else is OK,” she said.
The swim meet is the maiden show of the Water Cube, but only as a test event, few world-class swimmers take part in. Swimming powerhouses like the United States and Australia will only send observers to the event.
The 17,000-seat venue will host swimming, diving, synchronized swimming and water polo during the game period and 42 gold medals will be awarded there.
The squat box-like structure with three pools below ground level is made up of a steel skeleton sheathed in a Teflon-like plastic membrane that resembles bubbling water and gives the venue its name.
The eco-friendly structure’s translucent shell allows in natural sunlight, providing heat and light and cutting energy use by up to 30 percent, according to the information provided by the Beijing Olympic organizing committee.

from: xinhuanet.com 

Mark Spitz‘s record haul of seven gold medals at a single Olympics will not be threatened by compatriot Michael Phelps at the Beijing Games in August, according to retired Australian swimmer Ian Thorpe.
Five-times Olympic gold medalist Thorpe, who retired at the age of 24, said tough competition for Phelps will mean Spitz’s haul at the 1972 Games in Munich will remain the benchmark.
“I wish him all the very best. I don’t think he will do it, but I’d love to see it,” the 25-year-old told reporters in Beijing on Monday.
“There’s a thing called competition. It won’t just be one athlete that will be competing, and in a lot of events he has a lot of strong competition,” Thorpe said.
American Phelps, 22, who will choose an event programme in Beijing that will give him every chance to beat Spitz’s record, won six golds in Athens in 2004.
Thorpe won three golds as a 17-year-old at the 2000 Sydney Olympics and did the 200 and 400 meters freestyle double in Athens.
He announced his retirement in November 2006, citing a lack of motivation. Thorpe said he was content with life after competition and had no desire to return to the pool competitively.
“I have had inklings of getting back in and swimming, not competitively, but they last for like five seconds, and then I’m over it again,” he said.
“For those brief five seconds it’s a wonderful thought, but it’s not going to happen until I can think about it for at least five minutes.”
In November, swimming’s world governing body FINA said it had abandoned its investigation into Thorpe after Australian doping authorities cleared him of any wrongdoing. The case came to light in March after test results were leaked to a French newspaper.
Thorpe, who has always maintained his innocence and vowed to take legal action once the case was closed, said he was still scarred from the controversy.
“I feel exactly the same way as before… I don’t know the words to be able to explain my grief in dealing with this and how I felt during that time and how I continue to feel to this day, being accused of something I was opposed to throughout my career,” Thorpe said.
“I’m still working through that and there will be a resolution, I can tell you that, and it will happen in the next couple of years.”

from: chinadaily.com.cn

Hungarian Olympic champion swimmer Agnes Kovacs announced on Wednesday that she would not compete in the Beijing Olympic Games, MTI news agency reported.
Kovacs said her decision was mainly motivated by the fuss around the doping test which preceded the European short-course championships held in Debrecen last month.
She said: “This affair has influenced my decision. If it had not happened, I would have had sufficient strength to continue training for the Beijing Olympics.”
The Olympic, world and European champion swimmer faced a doping charge after providing an insufficient urine sample for anti-doping officials in late October.
The swimmer said she had been unable to complete the unscheduled test because she had to leave to attend a previous engagement with UNICEF goodwill ambassador Sir Roger Moore. Another test taken on November 8 was found negative.

The disciplinary committee of the Hungarian Swimming Association ruled that Kovacs had had a valid reason for leaving and that she had not violated doping regulations. In early December the world swimming organization FINA also cleared her of the charge.
The swimmer, however, has not ended her career. She said she would continue to compete up until the Hungarian championships in July.

from: xinhuanet.com