INSPIRED STARS RAISE THE WR TALLY TO 17

Alia Atkinson from Jamaica knew she was close to the victory and for some seconds looked at the scoreboard, perhaps waiting to see her name next to number 2. When she realised that in fact she was aligned with number 1, she couldn’t almost believe it: her expression after getting the gold in the women’s 100m breaststroke says everything about the surprising outcome of the race.

Swimming next to her, Ruta Meilutyte of Lithuania, the World Record (WR) holder in 1:02.36 and fastest of the semis in a Championships Record (CR) of 1:02.43, seemed to have the race under control, but gliding in excess in the last stroke, she allowed the triumph of the Jamaican star.

In an equalled WR of 1:02.36, Atkinson won the first gold medal ever in the history of three Championships for her country, while Meilutyte got the silver in 1:02.46. On Day 2, the 50m breaststroke had finished in the reverse order, with the Lithuanian earning gold and Atkinson finishing second.

On the fourth day of the 12th FINA World Swimming Championships (25m) in Doha, this was one of the highlights of the evening session, which registered four other World Records: after getting the gold and the best world mark in the 50m free, Florent Manaudou (FRA) was again imperial in the 50m backstroke, stopping the clock in 22.22, much faster than the 22.61 established by Peter Marhsall (USA) in 2009.

The French champion, also surprised with his time, didn’t have much time to rest, qualifying some minutes later for the final of the 100m free with the third fastest time of the semis (behind Cesar Cielo and Joao de Lucca, from Brazil).

Alia Atkinson of Jamaica couldn’t almost believe it after getting the gold in the women’s 100m breaststroke

Katinka Hosszu (HUN) continued to impress, getting her fourth gold, accompanied by WR performance. After the 100m and 200m backstroke, and the 100m IM, the Magyar champion dominated the field in the 200m IM, touching home in a new global best of 2:01.86, improving her own WR (2:02.13) set in August 31 in Dubai (UAE) during the FINA/MASTBANK Swimming World Cup. With her two silver medals in the 200m butterfly and 400m IM, Hosszu is now the best female swimmer in Doha, confirming her status as dominator of the current short-course season, crowned by the recent award of FINA Best Female Swimmer of 2014.

In the first event of the day, the team of Russia improved their own WR (1:23.36) from 2013 in the men’s 4x50m free relay, touching home in 1:22.60. Thanks to a very fast start from Vladimir Morozov (21.01), the Russian quartet always controlled the pace of the race, and his teammates – Evgeny Sedov, Oleg Tikhobaev and Sergei Fesikov – were very regular, never losing the first place. The minor medals in this new event at the FINA World Swimming Championships (25m) went to USA (silver) and Italy (bronze). In the mixed 4x50m free relay, also a premiere, the United States (Josh Schneider, Matt Grevers, Madison Kennedy and Abbey Weitzeil) also improved the WR of this recent event, earning gold in 1:28.57 and leaving the previous WR holders, Russia, with the silver.

Source:FINA

YOG 2014: YOUNGSTERS READY TO SHINE IN NANJING

A pool of young talents is gearing up for the second edition of the Summer Youth Olympic Games (YOG) taking place in China’s “Southern capital” on August 16-28, 2014.

After a dazzling inaugural edition in Singapore in 2010, which saw South African Chad Le Clos (swimming) and Chinese Qiu Bo (diving) start making their mark in the world arena, the 2012 Olympic medallists are inspiration for the youth, who them to, hope to leave a strong impression in the pool and beyond.

The world’s up-and-coming elite aged 14-18 will compete in 28 sports, including swimming and diving. Nanjing 2014 will feature two new sports, golf and rugby, ahead of their debut at the 2016 Rio Olympics.

Counting fewer events and disciplines, the YOG competition programme comprises 5% of non-Olympic, mixed-gender or mixed-NOC events.

448 athletes from 144 nations

A total 3,800 athletes from 204 National Olympic Committees will make the trip to Nanjing. Among them, 400 swimmers and 48 divers from 144 countries, still stranger to international podiums for the most part, will line-up in 36 and five events, respectively.

The swimming and diving competitions will be held at the Nanjing Olympic Sports Centre Natatorium, which is part of a huge, state-of-the-art complex that will host the opening and closing ceremonies but also athletics, gymnastics, modern pentathlon and shooting events.

In Swimming (August 17-22), 17 boys’ and 17 girls’ events, individual and team relays, as well as two mixed events complete the programme. Among those expected to make waves in the Chinese city is Lithuanian swimming sensation Ruta Meilutyte, who rose to fame after claiming two world titles (50m and 100m breaststroke) during the 2012 FINA World Swimming Championships in Istanbul, Turkey.

Ruta Meilutyte. photo credit FINA

The now 17-year-old renovated the success with gold in the 100m breaststroke at the 2012 London Olympics and FINA World Championships in Barcelona last year.

In Nanjing, the Olympic champion is entered in four events: the 50m and 100m breaststroke – her signature event -, the 100m freestyle and 200m individual medley.

In Diving (August 23-27), the Nanjing 2014 programme features boys’ and girls’ 3m springboard and 10m platform, and a mixed team event, which will, for the first time, include 3m springboard and 10m platform.

Diving powerhouse China counts Qiu Bo among their many stars. Qiu was one of the positive discoveries of the 2010 Youth Olympics in Singapore, sweeping the gold in the 3m springboard and 10m platform. The Chinese great, who was 17 at the time, later earned three world titles in the 10m platform in Shanghai (2011) and Barcelona (2013) and finished second behind USA’s David Boudia in the 10m platform.