Coral Springs Swim Club Hosts Florida Gold Coast “A” Invitational This Weekend

WRITTEN BY SHARON ROBB

October 21, 2010

South Florida Aquatic Club heads the field for this weekend’s Florida Gold Coast “A” Invitational at the Coral Springs Aquatic Complex.

The meet, that begins on Saturday, will be a tune-up for high school swimmers to get in some fine tuning before next week’s district meets get under way in Broward, Miami-Dade and Palm Beach counties.

For the younger age group swimmers it will give coaches the opportunity to gauge their training and stroke technique.

SOFLO top seeds are.

Allison Kopas, 12, in the 50-yard butterfly.

Catharine Cooper, 10, 50- and 100-yard freestyle.

Kevin Porto, 10, 100-yard freestyle.

Samantha Stinemire, 12, 100-yard backstroke.

Charlotte Hartung, 17, 100-yard backstroke.

Elle Weberg, 25, 50- and 100-yard breaststroke.

Alex Rodriguez, 19, 50-yard breaststroke.

Gustavo Valery, 12, 50-yard backstroke.

Jessie Alcaide, 25, 50-yard freestyle.

Emily Kopas, 14, 400-yard individual medley.

Other teams competing include Davie Nadadores, Metro-Dade Aquatics, Fort Lauderdale Aquatics and Lake Lytal Lightning.

The timed final competition begins on Saturday at 9 a.m. for swimmers in age groups 10-and-under, 11-12 and 13-and-over. The second session that features the 500-yard freestyle begins five minutes after the first session.

On Sunday the competition resumes at 9 a.m. followed by the 400-yard individual medley five minutes after the first session ends.

Meet director is Charlie Alexander, an 11-time Ironman finisher. The public is welcome to attend.

Comets And Coral Springs Swim Clubs Will Each Host Six Meets For 2011 FGC Club Season

In a testimony to the tireless work of coaches, parents, volunteers and sponsors, the Comets Swim Club and Coral Springs Swim Club were each awarded six Florida Gold Coast-sanctioned meets for the 2011 season.

The 2011 meet schedule was approved at a recent FGC Board of Directors meeting.

The Comets will host six meets at the Academic Village Pool in Pembroke Pines and the Coral Springs Swim Club will host six meets at the Coral Springs Swim Club.

The schedule highlights are Junior Olympics in March, Senior Championships in July and Sprint Championships in December. The schedule is as follows:

Jan. 28-20, Comets, FGC Invitational, yards

Feb. 19-20, Coral Springs, FGC Invitational, yards, 14 and under

Feb. 25-27, Comets, FG Area 3 Developmental Championships, yards

March 11-13, Coral Springs, FGC Junior Olympics, yards, 14-and-under

May 28-29, Comets, Area 2 Developmental meet, long course

June 3-5, Comets, Florida Gold Coast Invitational, long course

June 23-26, Coral Springs, Florida Gold Coast Invitational, long course

July 22-25, Coral Springs, FGC Senior Championships, long course

Sept. 10-11, Comets, Area 2 Developmental Y meet

Sept. 24-25, Coral Springs, FGC Invitational, Y meet

Dec. 3, Comets, Broward 8-and-under championships, Y

Dec. 10-11, Coral Springs, County Sprint Championships, Y

High School District Sites Announced For Next Week

It’s show time in high school swimming for South Florida Aquatic Club swimmers.

After two months of high school dual meets and invitationals, high school swimmers and divers will begin their quest for a berth in the Nov. 11-13 FHSAA State High School Meets at the Orlando YMCA.

All host teams and sites are posted on the official state high school website of the Gainesville-based Florida High School Activities Association (fhsaa.org).

Top district qualifiers advance to the Nov. 4-6 region meets, the final step to the state meets.

The following is the schedule for SOFLO swimmers, parents and coaches in Broward, Miami-Dade and Palm Beach.

Monday, October 25: District 8-3A, Wellington Host at Wellington Aquatic Center, diving, 3:30 p.m.

Monday, October 25: District 12-2A, Olympic Heights Host at Fort Lauderdale High, diving, 9 a.m.

Tuesday, October 26: District 12-2A, Olympic Heights Host at Pompano Beach Aquatics Center, swimming, 9 a.m.

Tuesday, October 26: District 8-3A, Wellington Host at Wellington Aquatic Center, swimming, 9 a.m.

Tuesday, October 26: District 11-3A, Hialeah American Host at Milander Pool, 9 a.m. swimming, 10 a.m. diving.

Tuesday, October 26: District 12-3A, Our Lady of Lourdes Host at University of Miami, diving, 6 p.m.

Wednesday, October 27, District 12-3A, Our Lady of Lourdes Host at Tamiami Poll, 9 a.m.

Wednesday, October 27, District 12-1A, Coral Shores Host at Founder’s Park, swimming, 9 a.m., diving, noon.

Thursday, October 28: District 9-3A, Deerfield Beach Host at Coral Springs Aquatic Club, diving only 3:30 p.m.

Friday, October 29: District 9-3A, Deerfield Beach Host at Deerfield Beach Aquatic Complex, swimming, 9 a.m.

Friday, October 29: District 10-3A, South Broward Host at Plantation Central Park, 9 a.m. swimming, 10 a.m. and 1 p.m. diving.

Friday, October 29: District 11-2A, Dwyer Host at North County Aquatic Complex, swimming, 9 a.m., diving, 10 a.m.

Friday, October 29: District 11-1A, Archbishop McCarthy Host at Pompano Beach Municipal Pool, swimming, 9 a.m., diving, 10 a.m.

Saturday, October 30: District 7-3A, Jupiter Host at North County Aquatic Complex, swimming 9 a.m., diving 10 a.m.

Saturday, October 30: District 10-1A, St. Andrew’s Host at St. Andrew’s School Aquatic Complex, swimming, 9 a.m., diving, 2 p.m.

Admission is $5 for all district meets.

Sharon Robb can be reached at sha11cats@aol.com

http://www.swim4soflo.com

SOFLO’s Phelan Makes College Debut, Schwab Competes When Indiana Opens Season This Weekend

WRITTEN BY SHARON ROBB

October 21, 2010

Indiana University opens its 2010-11 college swimming season with South Florida Aquatic Club’s Brittney Phelan and Nicholas Schwab this weekend.

Both the men’s and women’s teams will open with a pair of dual meets at the Counsilman Billingsley Aquatic Center on the Bloomington campus.

The Hoosiers open up against Big Ten rival Northwestern on Friday afternoon and on Saturday SEC member Kentucky.

Phelan, a freshman, will make her collegiate debut after an outstanding four-year high school and club career in South Florida at the Coral Springs Aquatic Club.

The Cypress Bay graduate from Weston will swim the breaststroke events and relays.

Phelan swam a career-best time in the 200-yard breaststroke at the Florida Gold Coast Senior Championships before leaving for college and another chapter in her swimming career. After an impressive opening 50-yard split of 31.83, she went on to win by a half pool length.

At 15, she won the 100 breaststroke at zones in Texas.

Indiana’s women’s team returns as the two-time defending Big Ten champion. The Hoosiers return eight All-Americans from last year.

Schwab begins his red-shirt sophomore season for Indiana in the freestyle.

The 6-foot Douglas graduate and Florida Atlantic University transfer is looking to help lead Indiana back into Big Ten contention. He was a member of the Douglas state champion team and all-county on both freestyle relay teams.

2010 INDIANA SCHEDULE

October 22, Northwestern

October 23, Kentucky

October 29, Texas and Michigan

October 30, Texas and Michigan

November 11, Virginia and Penn State

November 12, Virginia and Penn State

December 2-4, USA Swimming Short Course Nationals, Columbus, Ohio

Dec. 3-5, Hoosierland Open, Bloomington

January 8, Michigan

January 22, at Purdue

January 28, Virginia Tech at Louisville

January 30-February 6, USA Diving Winter Nationals

February 16-19, Big Ten Championships, Bloomington

March 11-13, NCAA Zone Diving, Columbus, Ohio

March 17-19, NCAA Championships, Austin, Tex.

March 22-26, USA Swimming Sectionals, All Day

Sharon Robb can be reached at sha11cats@aol.com

http://www.swim4soflo.com

AQUATIC NOTEBOOK: Issue 18 Lochte, Phelps, Coughlin Lead Golden Goggles Nominations

Lochte, Phelps, Coughlin Lead Golden Goggles Nominations

WRITTEN BY SHARON ROBB

October 21, 2010

Floridian Ryan Lochte, Michael Phelps and Natalie Coughlin lead the nominations for the Golden Goggle Awards.

The trio each earned four nominations for USA Swimming’s top performances of 2010.

Lochte of Daytona Beach, Phelps and Nathan Adrian were nominated for Male Athlete of the Year.

Coughlin, Rebecca Soni, Dana Vollmer and Elizabeth Beisel were nominated for Female Athlete of the Year.

Phelps, Lochte and Coughlin each had two individual nominations and two relay nominations.

Amanda Beard, Tyler Clary, Jessica Hardy and Kate Ziegler are nominees for the Perseverance Award, given to a swimmer who came back from injury, adversity or retirement.

Breakout Performer of the Year nominees are Teresa Crippen, Eva Fabian, Missy Franklin and David Plummer.

The awards ceremony will be held Nov. 22 at the Marriott Marquis in New York City. The awards serve as a fundraiser for the USA Swimming Foundation.

Fans can vote for the winners online through Nov. 19 at www.goldengoggles.com.

BOUSQUET OVER-THE-COUNTER MISTAKE PROMPTS TWO-MONTH BAN

French Olympian Frederick Bousquet, the reigning European 50-meter freestyle champion, is in the midst of serving a two-month doping ban after testing positive for a banned stimulant. Bousquet tested positive for heptaminol in a June 13 drug test during the Canet swim meet, part of the Mare Nostrum Series in Europe. Bousquet said he took an over-the-counter medicine with the substance to treat a severe case of hemorrhoids for which he has had “for the past eight years.” He told French officials that he usually takes a medicine which does not contain the substance but when he had a painful flareup before the meet he went to a pharmacy where he was given the medicine but failed to read the label ingredients.  The French Swimming Federation suspended him on Sept. 20 which means he will be eligible to return for the French National Championships in December.

U.S. WOMEN’S WATER POLO TEAM POSES NAKED

This may be one way to get women’s water polo publicity. Twelve members of the U.S. women’s water polo team posed nude for the second annual ESPN the Magazine’s Body Issue which is out on newsstands now. The photo leaves little to the imagination. Several players said they wanted to disprove the stereotype of women’s water polo players as being overly muscular and masculine. A photo of all 12 players appears on one of the magazine’s six covers. Two other shots are used inside the magazine including an underwater photo….The U.S. men’s water polo players were a little more modest posing in swim suits for their fundraising 2011 National Team Calendar. The proceeds will fund training for the 2012 London Olympics. All 16 current team members are featured in the calendar and on the cover. It can be found at Barnes and Noble, amazon.com or usawaterpolo.com.

NYAD CALLS OFF CUBA SWIM

Marathon swimmer Diana Nyad was forced to postpone her attempt to swim from Cuba to the Florida Keys, a 102-mile swim that has been in the making for 30 years. Nyad announced her decision on October 16^th on CNN with Dr. Sanjay Gupta. For most of the summer, Nyad, who grew up in Fort Lauderdale and trained at Pine Crest, was waiting for government approval from both the United States and Cuba. But weather conditions worsened delaying the swim and eventually cancelling it. She plans to make the attempt again in July 2011. She will be age 61. Nyad last tried in 1978 when she was thrown off course by strong currents and was forced to stop. “It seems forever but it will go by quickly,” Nyad told Gupta…

The final race of the FINA 10K Marathon Swimming World Cup 2010 is Saturday, October 23 in United Emirates. Brazilian Ana Marcela Cunha won the last series stop in Cancun in 2 hours, 17 minutes and 29 seconds to lead the women’s series rankings. American Francis Crippen won the men’s race in 2:07:53. South African Chad Ho leads the men’s series.

RECORDS FALL AT ARENA WORLD CUP

Brazilian Thiago Pereira and Therese Alshammar of Sweden remain in the lead of the overall rankings for the FINA Arena Swimming World Cup after a successful fourth stop in Tokyo, Japan.

Pereira won the 100- and 400-meter individual medley, 52.84 and 4:04.03 and was the fourth best performer of the meet. He leads the men’s point standings with 88 points.

Alshammar won the 50- and 100-meter butterfly, 25.27 and 56.12, established the most valuable performance of the meet in the 100 and leads the World Cup rankings with 80 points.

In addition to Pereira’s two wins, Australia’s Kyle Richardson won the 50- and 100-meter freestyle, 21.42, 47.26; South Africa’s Roland Schoeman in the 50 breaststroke, 26.42 and 50 butterfly, 22.56; American Peter Marshall in the 100 backstroke, 50.94, Germany’s Steffen Deibler in the 100 butterfly, 50.43 and Austria’s Markus Rogan in the 200 individual medley, 1:53.85.

In the women’s competition, the U.S. won four gold medals, two by Julia Smit in the 200 IM (2:08.05) and 400 IM (4:27.70), one each by Jessica Hardy in the 100 breaststroke (1:05.85) and Elaine Breeden in the 100 butterfly (2:04.54). Sweden’s Jennie Johansson won the 50 breaststroke, Hinkelien Schreuder of the Netherlands won the 50 freestyle and Austria’s Marieke Guehrer won the 100 freestyle.

Japan was impressive in front of its home crowd winning eight gold medals.

Naoya Tomita (2:03.18 200 breaststroke), Takeshi Matsuda (1:50.64 200 butterfly, fastest ever in a textile suit), Tomoko Hagiwara set national records on the opening day of the World Cup. Matsuda had the best performance in the 200-meter butterfly in 1:50.64. Aya Terakawa won the most valuable performance in the 200 backstroke in 2:03.62.

The last three meets of the World Cup now travel to Europe, Oct. 30-31 in Berlin, Nov. 2-3 in Moscow and Nov. 6-7 in Stockholm, Sweden.

Sharon Robb can be reached at sha11cats@aol.com.

 http://www.swim4soflo.com

Coral Springs’ Rich Nixon Has Top 10 Finish, Career-Best At Ford Ironman World Championships

WRITTEN BY SHARON ROBB

October 10, 2010

The post-race hamburger, french fries and frozen yogurt never tasted so good for Rich Nixon.

At 46, Nixon, who trains at the Coral Springs Aquatic Complex, had his best finish ever at the grueling Ford Ironman World Championships in Kailua-Kona, Hawaii, the granddaddy of all Ironmans.

Nixon, a fitness consultant, finished in a career-best 9 hours, 28 minutes and 33 seconds in his fifth Hawaii appearance. He was sixth in the 45-49 age group and 153^rd overall among a field of more than 1,800 triathletes from throughout the world.

It was his first Top 10 finish. The past two times he has been 11^th.

“I knew I was having a pretty decent race when I started passing the pro women on the bike and a pretty large pack of them at the beginning of the run,” Nixon said. “I started seeing some good Ironman triathletes and where they were at and where I was at. The closer you are to the front, the crowd starts thinning out.”

Nixon also posted all career-best splits: 1:05:01 for the 2.4-mile swim, 5:04:13 for the 112-mile bike and 3:12:39 for the 26.2-mile run. His transitions were equally impressive, 3:23 from swim to bike and 3:17 from bike to run.

His 3:12.39 marathon qualified him for the Boston Marathon.

Nixon braved rough and choppy water in the swim, nasty crosswinds on the bike and searing heat on the run.

“I am getting faster as I am getting older,” said Nixon, greeted at the finish line by his wife Toni and daughter Morgan, a South Florida Aquatic Club swimmer. Morgan Nixon got the chance to swim with her dad over part of the course before and after the race.

Nixon and his family arrived a week early to acclimate to the time change.

After a well-planned training regimen leading up to the race, particularly for the bike and run, Nixon followed his race plan to a tee.

“My goal for the day was to just go as hard as I could all day, to walk that fine line of having a great day and just blowing up,” Nixon said by phone from Kona before breakfast on Sunday. “I was pushing my limits all day long.”

Nixon, who has become an expert when it comes to training regimens since he first started racing years ago as a newbie, slightly altered his training for this race.

“I did a lot of work this year, training a little bit differently on the bike and run and it paid off,” Nixon said. “I was disappointed with my swim, I was hoping for a little bit faster. I got stuck in a crowd on the way back.”

Nixon wrote his own training plan for the first time and bounced ideas off a University of Michigan physiologist.

“I wouldn’t say I cut back on the duration of my workouts,” Nixon said. “I have added more quality into my workouts. I just think over the years I have been doing so much aerobic-based building that my body is able to absorb all the training. I recovered pretty quickly.”

The heat played havoc all day with athletes and spectactors. Along the Queen K temperatures rose to 104 degrees midway through the race. The pavement was 120 degrees.

The bike course for the 5-foot-11, 160-pound Nixon proved to be a formidable challenge especially around Hawi where cyclists were averaging between 35 and 40 miles per hour.

“Hawi was really bad with the wind,” Nixon said. “You were literally riding your bicycle on an angle. You could look ahead and see everyone on an angle, tilted over into the wind.”

Nixon said that well-known local triathlete Linda Neary Robb of Jupiter was coming down the bike course when a group of cyclists were pushed by the wind over into her. She was out of the race with a concussion.

“It was a pretty windy day,” Nixon said. “You are coming down from Hawi going 35 to 40 miles an hour with those winds and you are holding on for dear life and hoping that a real strong gust doesn’t put you across the street.”

Earlier in the week Nixon, who finished Ironman Florida in 9:11, swam half the course with his daughter Morgan and “smiled the whole way, that was fun. “She would eventually like to do this race and to me that would be so awesome to do the race with her on that day. It would be a cool daddy experience.”

As far as future Hawaii Ironmans, Nixon said “I am going to keep on doing them as long as I am enjoying them. I really love coming to Hawaii.”

Nixon has no long distance events scheduled yet, but has been invited to the Strongman event in April, the longest running triathlon in Japan.

In the pro race, it was an Aussie sweep on the Big Island.

Chris McCormack of Sydney won the title of toughest endurance athlete while Miranda Carfrae of Brisbane won the women’s division.

The men’s race was thrilling with McCormack, 37, a 12-time Ironman winner and 2007 Hawaii champion, winning in 8:10:37, just 1:40 minutes ahead of Germany’s Andreas Raelert. “Macca” overtook the lead during the run.

The women’s race was interesting when the whole dynamic changed after three-time world champion and overwhelming favorite Chrissie Wellington withdrew the day before with flu-like symptoms.

Carfrae, 29, finished in 8:58:36, fourth fastest time ever in Kona.

Former Olympian Andy Potts, 34, had about a 75-yard lead in the swim. He was out of the water in 48:48, 2:24 ahead of Dirk Munsbach of Luxemburg. Brit Rachel London was the first woman out of the water in 52:25. The fastest age group swim of the day was by 30-year-old Texan Andy Gardner in 52:05. The fastest women’s age group split was 54:39 posted by Haley Chura of Atlanta.

Chris Lieto turned in the fastest bike split of 4:23:18 followed by Maik Twelsiek in 4:26:01. McCormack was fifth fastest in 4:31:51. Julie Dibens was the fastest woman cyclist in 4:55:28.

McCormack turned in a 2:43:31 marathon. There were four sub-2:45 marathon runs and six sub-2:50s. Carfrae had a 2:53:32 marathon split.

MORE TRIATHLON NEWS

Beginning in 2011, the World Championship 70.3 Ironman is moving from Clearwater to Lake Las Vegas in Henderson, Nev., just minutes away from the Las Vegas Strip. The race 1.2-mile swim, 56-mile bike and 13-1-mile run event is set for Sept. 11, 2011.

The Ironman brand will return to Clearwater with the inaugural 5150 Series event on Nov. 12, the last event in the series. The 5150 Series will launch in Miami in March. The 27-year-old St. Anthony’s Triathlon on May 1 will also be included in the 5150 Series. It is the second of a 16-race series for pro and elite athletes.

The series name reflects the total 51.5 kilometer distance of the race (1.5K swim, 40K bike and 10K run). For information, go to www.5150.com.

Sharon Robb can be reached at sha11cats@aol.com

http://www.swim4soflo.com

AQUATIC NOTEBOOK: Issue 17 SOFLO’s HATIC NAMED ACC ACADEMIC HONOR ROLL

WRITTEN BY SHARON ROBB

October 10, 2010

University of Miami junior Dana Hatic was named to the 54^th annual Atlantic Coast Conference Academic Honor Roll for the 2009-2010 academic year.

The honor roll, comprised of student-athletes with a grade point average of 3.00 or better, recognizes academic excellence by student-athletes.

The South Florida Aquatic Club swimmer was one of three UM swimmers honored (Susan Smiddy and Hannah Kling were the other two). Twelve swimmers overall were on the honor roll.

The former High School Swimmer of the Year was the National Honor Society Project Coordinator at Coral Springs, her high school alma mater and Broward County Athletic Association Scholar Athlete.

LOCHTE LEADS U.S. WORLD SHORT COURSE TEAM

Floridian Ryan Lochte is among 37 of the nation’s top swimmers, including Natalie Coughlin, Aaron Piersol and Rebecca Soni will travel to Dubai to represent Team USA at the 2010 FINA Short Course World Championships, December 15-19.

The U.S. roster in Dubai will feature a total of 20 Olympians, including reigning Short Course World Champions Lochte.

Lochte, who lives in Gainesville and trains with Gregg Troy at his alma mater, University of Florida, earned four gold and two silver medals at the last Short Course World Championships in Manchester, England.

“I’m looking forward to swimming in Dubai, especially since it will be my first time in the United Arab Emirates,” Lochte said. “We have a really strong U.S. team that will compete at Short Course World Championships and it should be a great meet for the swimmers as well as the fans.”

World record holder and Olympic gold medalist Michael Phelps will remain in the U.S. to train for the world championships in Shanghai, China and will not compete in Dubai.

This will be the first trip to the United Arab Emirates for a USA Swimming international team. The head coach for the men’s team in Dubai will be the University of Texas coach Eddie Reese while the women will be led by Cal Berkeley’s Teri McKeever.

The meet will also mark the first time the U.S. has sent a full roster to a Short Course World Championships since 2004 when the event was held in Indianapolis.

The U.S. swimmers selected to compete at the Short Course World Championships were chosen based on their performance at the 2010 ConocoPhillips National Championships and the Mutual of Omaha Pan Pacific Championships, which were both held in Irvine, Calif., this past August.

The event in Dubai will be the 10th FINA Short Course World Championships, and event which has been held every two years since the inaugural Championships in Palma de Mallorca, Spain in 1993. This is the first time that the event will be held in the Middle East. The meet will take place at the Dubai Sports Complex, which is a new state-of-the-art aquatics venue.

Sharon Robb can be reached at sha11cats@aol.com

http://www.swim4soflo.com

Aussies Dominate Commonwealth Games, Look Ahead To 2012 London Olympics

WRITTEN BY SHARON ROBB

October 9, 2010

With a mix of veteran and up-and-coming swimmers, Australia walked away from the 19^th Commonwealth Games as the most dominant country in swimming in Delhi, India.

During the six-day meet that ended on Saturday, Australia won 53 medals in swimming–21 gold, 16 silver and 16 bronze and have 116 overall.

Aussies Alicia Coutts won the most gold medals with five and teammate Emily Seebohm won the most medals with eight.

Aussie Leisel Jones rewrote the history books by becoming the first triple double winner in Games history, successfully defending her titles in the 100- and 200-meter breaststroke events for the third consecutive Games.

On Saturday, she won her tenth Commonwealth Games gold medal to equal Susie O’Neill and Ian Thorpe of Australia for the most career titles by an individual swimmer in Games history.

Fifteen-year-old Yolane Kujla of Australia showed she will be a force to be reckoned with at the 2012 Olympics after winning the gold medal in the 50-meter freestyle in her debut.

The Aussie men’s team was led by comeback swimmer of the year, Geoff Huegill, who came out of retirement, overcame depression and weight problems, to return to the medal podium at age 31. He took gold in the 100 butterfly with a meet record and silver in the 50 butterfly.

England, expected to rise to the occasion but stricken with Delhi Belly, walked away with seven gold, 16 silver and 11 bronze medals. Veteran Rebecca Adlington led England by winning the 400 and 800-meter freestyle events.

South Africa was the surprise country with its third place medal haul of seven gold, four silver and five bronze. South African Chad Le Clos was the most successful male swimmer with two gold, one silver and one bronze medals.

Twenty-four meet records were broken, mostly by Aussies.

In Saturday championship events at the Dr. S.P. Mukherjee Aquatics Complex in Talkatore Gardens:

Scotland’s Hannah Miley won the women’s 400-meter individual medley in a meet record 4:38.83 to give Scotland its second gold medal of the Games.

Miley, 21, was the favorite after Aussie three-time Olympic gold medalist Stephanie Rice was forced to skip the Games because of shoulder surgery.

Aussie Samantha Hamill took silver in 4:39.45 and England’s Keri-Anne Payne took bronze in 4:41.07.

Jessicah Schipper continued the Aussie streak with a victory in the 200-meter butterfly in 2:07.04. Canadian Audrey Lacroix was second in 2:07.31 and England’s Ellen Gandy was third in 2:07.75 just out-touching Aussie Samantha Hamill (2:07.84).

The Aussies finished the women’s competition with a victory in the 400-meter medley relay with Seebohm, Jones, Schipper and Coutts in 3:56.99.  Seebohm broke the 100 backstroke meet record leading off in 59.53. England was second in 4:00.09 and Canada was third in 4:03.96.

Canadian Brent Hayden was the fastest man in the pool winning the 50-meter freestyle in a meet record 22.01 edging South African Roland Schoeman in 22.14. Hayden is only the second man in Games history to sweep the spring events. South African Gideon Louw took bronze in 22.22.

In the men’s 200-meter breaststroke final, Aussie Brenton Rickard out-touched Michael Jamieson of Scotland 2:10.89-2:10.97, both meet records. Aussie Christian Sprenger took bronze in 2:11.44.

Canadian Ryan Cochrane won his second gold medal in the 1500-meter freestyle in 15:01.49. He led wire-to-wire. South African Heerden Herman took silver in 15:03.70 and England’s Daniel Fogg took bronze in 15:13.50.

Cochrane and Hayden were part of Canada’s five-medal flourish on the final day to salvage a disappointing Games. Canada won just ten overall medals (five golds, one silver and four bronze).

The Aussie men ended the meet the same way the women did with a win in the 400-yard medley relay with Ashley Delaney, Rickard, Huegill and Eamon Sullivan in a meet record 3:33.15. South Africa was second in 3:36.12 and England’s Liam Tancock was third in 3:36.31.

The 2014 Commonwealth Games will be hosted by Glasgow, Scotland, July 23-Aug. 3. The XIX Delhi Games end Oct. 14. The four-day diving competition led by Brit Tom Daley begins on Sunday, Oct. 10.

Sharon Robb can be reached at sha11cats@aol.com

 http://www.swim4comets.com

SOFLO’s Oliver Comes Home To Shine, Florida State Sweeps Nova Southeastern

WRITTEN BY SHARON ROBB

October 9, 2010

DAVIE—College swimming seems to agree with Tiffany Oliver.

The South Florida Aquatic Club swimmer returned home to compete in the first dual meets of her college career as a Florida State freshman.

The 18-year-old has wasted no time in making a good impression.

During a two-day road trip in South Florida, the Seminoles women’s team is off to a 3-0 start after defeating Florida Atlantic, Florida International and first-year team Nova Southeastern.

For the second day in a row, Oliver won the 50-yard freestyle in 24.03 ahead of teammates Ashley Butler (25.30) against Nova Southeastern Saturday at the Sharks aquatic complex.

Oliver was also a member of the Seminoles’ winning 200-yard freestyle relay along with CJ Hendry, Brittany Selts and Hannah Wilson that finished in 1:36.11.

With her mother and brother sitting in the stands cheering her on, Oliver looked relaxed and confident.

“It’s nice to be home, it’s pretty nice to have my mom and brother here,” Oliver said. “Tallahassee is pretty nice, too.

“It feels good to be part of a team that is inspired to get up and go,” Oliver said. “The motivation is right up there.

“When it comes to training and technique it’s more sprint. The coaches are helping me in my specific area so that’s why I am improving with that special attention. I expected the coaches to help me but I am a little surprised at doing good this early.”

Oliver is enjoying training with top-caliber swimmers.

“I race all the girls and guys at practice every day,” Oliver said. “It’s a fun atmosphere. College is different. In high school and club we could skip practice once in a while. But here, if you skip practice you’re dead. You don’t skip practice.

“I am learning more specific things in practice now. College has been a good transition for me. I am very happy with my choice.”

Oliver has some lofty goals for her freshman season. She is part of an impressive recruiting class that also includes SOFLO swimmers Tyler Sell and Ashley Hicks.

“I hope to try and make ACCs and NCAAs,” Oliver said. “As a team I would like to win ACCs.”

FSU coach Neil Harper seemed pleased with his team’s season-opening road trip.

“We are pretty serious about these meets because the kids have to travel down here on a bus and we are in heavy training so it’s uncomfortable for them,” Harper said.

“They are in a position where they are fatigued and stressed so when we race an up-and-coming program like Nova Southeastern they have nothing to lose. It’s good for our kids to have some fresh attitudes like ‘hey we don’t care if you’re Florida State, we are going to come at you.’ It keeps our kids honest and we find out what kind of team we are on the road. Anyone can swim good at home.”

Harper is impressed with SOFLO’s freshman trio.

“They have been well-coached in high school and club to the point where the transition they make to college is a very comfortable and smooth one,” Harper said. “They can apply everything they learned and smoothly transition into what we are doing.

“They all seem happy and fit in nicely. We have a close-knit team. They are good kids first. That definitely helps, ethically and morally they are very strong. They come from great families.”

Harper isn’t surprised at their successful start.

“They want to compete and they want to race and make the most of their opportunity as a student-athlete at Florida State,” Harper said. “When they come in like that, it’s a coach’s dream. They have soaked stuff up like sponges. They are freshmen so what have they got to lose? They are going to knock some of these sophomores, juniors and seniors off.

“We feel blessed and very lucky we got those three from down here. They are some slightly polished diamonds and there’s a lot more shine to come.”

Other SOFLO swimmers results:

Ashley Hicks, 18, led off the Seminoles’ winning 200-yard medley relay that won in 1:49.30. She was also third in the 50-yard freestyle in 25.50 and swam the lead-off leg on the Seminoles’ third place 200-yard freestyle relay that finished in 1:39.08.

After winning the 1,000-yard freestyle (9:36.47) and sixth in the 200-yard butterfly (2:02.44) on Friday at FAU, Tyler Sell, 18, was third in the 100-yard butterfly in 1:57.86. Sell led off FSU’s third place 200-yard freestyle relay that finished in 1:30.36.

Paul Murray, 18,  was a member of the Seminoles’ third place 200-yard medley relay that finished in 1:38.68. He was third in the 100-yard freestyle in 47.83 and fourth in the 50-yard freestyle in 21.66. He led off FSU’s second place 200-yard freestyle relay that finished in 1:27.39.

WOMEN’S RESULTS

200-yard medley relay: 1. FSU B (Ashley Hicks, Kendall, Sieron, Jamie Barrett, Ashley Butler) 1:49.30, 2. FSU C 1:49.69, 3. FSU A 1:52.03.

1,000-yard freestyle: 1. Marissa Harrington, FSU 10:23.96, 2. McKayla Lightbourn, FSU 10:25.41,  3. Corey Allison, FSU 10:34.82.

200-yard freestyle: 1. CJ Hendry, FSU 1:53.80, 2. Emily Harris, FSU 1:55.85, 3. Char Broadbent, FSU 1:57.41.

50-yard freestyle: 1. Tiffany Oliver, FSU 24.03, 2. Ashley Butler, FSU 25.30, 3. Ashley Hicks, FSU 25.50.

200-yard individual medley: 1. Stephanie Sarandos, FSU 2:07.23, 2. Holly Mills, FSU 2:09.20, 3. Jessica Sabotin, FSU 2:09.32.

200-yard butterfly: 1. Katie Coleman, FSU 2:06.60, 2. Caroline Smith, FSU 2:06.74, 3. McKayla Lightbourn, FSU 2:10.95.

100-yard freestyle: 1. Brittany Selts, FSU 52.30, 2. Hannah Wilson, FSU 52.83, 3. Sara McMahon, FSU 54.71.

200-yard backstroke: 1. Ashley Aranda, NSU 2:17.07, 2. Devan Martin, NSU 2:21.88, 3. None.

500-yard freestyle: 1. Kelley Yakymiw, NSU 5:42.92, 2. Courtney Wilson, NSU 6:03.06, 3. None.

200-yard breaststroke: 1. Kendall Sieron, FSU 2:26.49, 2. Ewa Jamborska, NSU 2:27.28, 3. McKayla Lightbourn, FSU 2:27.51.

200-yard freestyle relay: 1. FSU A (CJ Hendry, Tiffany Oliver, Brittany Selts, Hannah Wilson) 1:36.11, 2. FSU B 1:38.91, 3. FSU C (Ashley Hicks, Julia Henkel, Jessica Sabotin, Ashley Butler) 1:39.08.

MEN’S RESULTS

200-yard medley relay: 1. FSU A (Danny Nguyen, Matt Shead, Mark Cox, Trice Bailey) 1:36.02, 2. NSU A 1:36.36, 3. FSU C (Michael Aitken, Robby Hayes, Michael Thomas, Paul Murray) 1:38.68.

1,000-yard freestyle: 1. Jack Deedrick, FSU 9:37.51, 2. Tyler Ball, FSU 9:46.51, 3. Jonas Grundstrom, NSU 9:57.57.

200-yard freestyle: 1. Jorge Ospina, NSU 1:42.78, 2. Stephen Pendleton, FSU 1:44.17, 3. Taylor Harris, FSU 1:46.64.

50-yard freestyle: 1. Matt Shead, FSU 21.26, 2. Mark Weber, FSU 21.37, 3. Trice Bailey, FSU 21.41.

200-yard individual medley: 1. Robby Hayes, FSU 1:56.56, 2. Danny Nguyen, FSU 1:56.79, 3. Armin Hornikel, NSU 1:58.46.

200-yard butterfly: 1. Jorge Ospina, NSU 1:51.86, 2. Mark Cox, FSU 1:52.55, 3. Tyler Sell, FSU 1:57.86.

100-yard freestyle: 1. Robby Hayes, FSU 46.58, 2. Trice Bailey, FSU 46.92, 3. Paul Murray, FSU 47.83.

200-yard backstroke: 1. Josh Davis, NSU 1:59.45, 2. Darren Rubenchik, NSU 2:00.98, 3. Ilya Prikhodko, NSU 2:03.54.

500-yard freestyle: 1. Danny Nguyen, FSU 4:45.62, 2. Stephen Pendleton, FSU 4:47.66, 3. Jonas Grundstrom, NSU 4:52.81.

200-yard breaststroke: 1. Matt Shead, FSU 2:07.24, 2. Armin Hornikel, NSU 2:10.89, 3. Cameron Pfahler, NSU 2:15.73.

200-yard freestyle relay: 1. FSU A (Robby Hayes, Mark Weber, Trice Bailey, Matt Shead) 1:24.15, 2. FSU B (Paul Murray, Stephen Pendleton, Matthew Taylor, Mateo De Angulo) 1:27.39, 3. FSU C (Tyler Sell, Brad Morrison, Mark Cox, Michael Aitken) 1:30.36.

Sharon Robb can be reached at sha11cats@aol.com

http://www.swim4soflo.com

Adlington Breaks 14-Year-Old Record At Commonwealth Games, Aussies Continue To Rule

WRITTEN BY SHARON ROBB

October 8, 2010

Reigning Olympic champion Rebecca Adlington of England broke the 14-year-old meet record in the 400-meter freestyle Friday at the 19^th Commonwealth Games in Delhi, India.

Adlington won her second event of the Games in 4:05.68, breaking the previous mark of 4:07.68 set in 1986 by England’s Sarah Hardcastle.

Adlington,  ranked second in the world in a career-best 4:04.55, was one of the few bright spots for England as Australia continued its domination in the pool.

Australia’s Kylie Palmer took silver in 4:07.85 and Wales’ Jazmin Carlin grabbed bronze in 4:08.22.

In other Friday championship events at the Dr. S.P. Mukherjee Aquatics Complex in Talkatore Gardens:

Aussie Olympic gold medalist Leisel Jones became the first woman to win the 100 and 200 breaststroke events in three consecutive Commonwealth Games when she won the 100-meter breaststroke in 1:05.84.

Jones is ranked second in the world in the event in 1:05.66.

Aussie teammate Samantha Marshall took silver in 1:07.97 and England’s Kate Haywood took bronze in 1:08.29.

In the women’s 50-meter freestyle, Aussie Yolane Kukla became only the second 15-year-old to win a gold medal at the Games. Ian Thorpe was the first.

Kukla won the event in 24.86, just off her career-best of 24.74. England’s Fran Halsall, coming back from Delhi Belly, took silver in 24.98 and New Zealand’s Hayley Palmer took bronze in 25.01.

The Aussies continued their domination in the women’s 200-meter backstroke final with Meagan Nay winning gold in a meet record 2:07.56 and moving into third place in the world rankings.

It was an emotional victory for Nay whose brother Amos was killed in a car accident last year. Her father, Robert, a 1972 Olympian, had also died in a car accident when she was 4.

“I knew that my dad and my brother were definitely pushing me through that,” Nay said. “This is a dream come true. It’s kind of proof that you can come out the other side.”

England’s Elizabeth Simmonds took silver in 2:07.90 and Aussie Emily Seebohm took bronze in 2:08.38.

Aussie world record holder Sophie Edington won the 50-meter backstroke in a meet record 28.00, breaking Seebohm’s record of 28.03 she set in Thursday’s semifinals. England’s Gemma Spofforth took silver in 28.03. Seebohm and Wales’ Georgia Davies tied for the bronze medal in 28.33.

Australia won the 400-yard freestyle relay in a meet record 3:36.36 with Alicia Coutts, Marieke Guehrer, Felicity Galvez and Seebohm. Canada lost the silver when it was disqualified for early takeoff. England moved into second and New Zealand was third.

Coutts now has four gold medals and Seebohm two golds, two silvers and two bronzes.

The Australian men won their share of gold as well.

Aussie Geoff Huegill won his third 100-meter butterfly Commonwealth Games gold medal, breaking his own meet record and completing an amazing comeback that began more than a year ago when he battled depression and weight problems.

Huegill, 31, won in a career-best 51.69, lowering his meet record of 52.36. It is the second fastest time this year behind Michael Phelps and was his sixth gold medal of his career.

Olympian Ryan Pini of Papua New Guinea and Antony James of England tied for the silver medal in 52.50. Aussie Christopher Wright and Jason Dunford tied for fourth in 52.66.

World record holder Cameron Van der Burgh of South Africa swam a world best time of 27.18 to win the 50-meter breaststroke. Aussie’s Brenton Rickard and New Zealand’s Glenn Snyders tied for the silver medal in 27.67.

In the men’s 100-meter backstroke, England’s Liam Tancock defended his title in a meet record 53.59 to win his second gold medal of the Games. He also won the 50 backstroke.

New Zealand’s Daniel Bell took silver in 54.43 and Aussie Ashley Delaney took bronze in 54.51. Delany won bronze medals in all three backstroke events.

James Goddard of England became the first swimmer to dip under 2 minutes in the 200-meter individual medley in a meet record 1:58.10. Teammate Joseph Roebuck was second in 1:59.86 and Aussie Leith Brodie was third in 2:00.00.

In other Commonwealth Games news, federation chief Mike Fennell said after extensive testing on all three swimming pools being used during the Games show no problems with water quality. Tests were conducted at the village, practice and competition pools. Doctors said the illness may have been caused by “a number of things.”

Sharon Robb can be reached at sha11cats@aol.com

http://www.swim4soflo.com

Florida State Sweeps, SOFLO’s Oliver, Sell Win

WRITTEN BY SHARON ROBB

October 8, 2010

BOCA RATON–South Florida Aquatic Club’s Tiffany Oliver and Tyler Sell continued their strong starts to the collegiate season on Friday.

The Florida State freshmen won individual events in the Seminoles’ successful dual meet season opener against Florida Atlantic and Florida International University at FAU’s on-campus pool.

Buoyed by depth, FSU women defeated Florida Atlantic, 226-72 and Florida International, 245-55. FIU defeated FAU, 165-129.

The Seminoles men’s team, led by the divers taking the top five positions in the 1- and 3-meter springboard events, topped FAU, 163-137.

Despite a long bus ride from Tallahassee, the women improved to 2-0 and men 1-0.

Oliver, 18, won the 50-yard freestyle in 23.75 seconds ahead of teammate Brittany Selts, 21, in 23.95. Oliver also led off the Seminoles’ winning 200-yard freestyle relay that won in 1:36.24.

Oliver was also second in the 200-yard freestyle in 1:54.11 behind teammate Julia Henkel (1:53.25).

Sell, 18, won the 1,000-yard freestyle in 9:36.47 ahead of teammate Jack Deedrick, also a freshman, who finished in 9:42.31. Sell was also sixth in the 200-yard butterfly in 2:02.44 and swam third leg on FSU’s third place 200-yard freestyle relay that finished in 1:29.18.

Other SOFLO swimmers results:

Freshman Ashley Hicks, 18, of FSU was second in the 100-yard backstroke in 58.90. She was also fifth in the 500-yard freestyle in 5:13.26. Hicks led off the Seminoles second-place 200-yard freestyle relay that finished in 1:40.17 .

Danielle (DJ) Sneir, 21, of FIU was third in the 100-yard backstroke in 59.68.

Paul Murray, 18, swam a strong anchor leg on FSU’s winning 200-yard medley relay that out-touched FAU, finishing in 1:35.59 and swam third leg on FSU’s runner-up 200 yard freestyle relay. He was fifth in the 50-yard freestyle in 22.11 and eighth in the 100-yard freestyle in 50.25.

Anthony Fermin, 20, swam anchor leg on FAU’s runner-up 200-yard medley relay that finished in 1:35.78 and led off the Owls’ winning 200-yard freestyle relay that won in 1:26.06. He was third in the 100-yard freestyle in 47.94 and fourth in the 50-yard freestyle in 21.90.

Rafael Pena, 21, of FAU was fourth in the 200-yard breaststroke in 2:37.34, fifth in the 1,000-yard freestyle in 9:52.44 and seventh in the 400-yard individual medley in 4:19.35.

“I think we had an okay meet,” said FSU coach Neil Harper. “The women competed very well in their second and third best events today and I was happy with their performance. That’s what it’s going to take for the girls to have success. We have a lot of talent and a lot of depth. We had a lot of people get firsts and seconds. We are a very well-rounded team right now.

“On the men’s side we are not necessarily strong enough to take teams lightly. We will take the win but there’s a lot to learn.”

On Saturday, FSU travels to Nova Southeastern University for an 11 a.m. dual meet before Saturday night’s UM-FSU football game at Sun Life Stadium.

WOMEN’S RESULTS

Florida State 226, Florida Atlantic 72

Florida State 245, Florida International 55

Florida International 165, Florida Atlantic 129

200-yard medley relay: 1. FSU (McKayla Lightbourn, Kendall Sieron, Brittany Selts, Hannah Wilson) 1:47.76, 2. FAU 1:50.58, 3. FIU (DJ Sneir, Kristine Metka, Yesica Rojas, Mariange Macchiavello) 1:50.96.

1,000-yard freestyle: 1. Marissa Harrington, FSU 10:24.86, 2. Corey Allison, FSU 10:29.76, 3. Caroline Smith, FSU 10:30.16.

200-yard freestyle: 1. Julia Henkel, FSU 1:53.25, 2. Tiffany Oliver, FSU 1:54.11, 3. Holly Mills, FSU 1:54.46.

100-yard backstroke: 1. Stephanie Sarandos, FSU 57.16, 2. Ashley Hicks, FSU 58.90, 3. DJ Sneir, FIU 59.68.

100-yard breaststroke: 1. Eszter Bucz, FAU 1:04.54, 2. Kristine Polley, FSU 1:07.07, 3. Kendall Sieron, FSU 1:07.86.

200-yard butterfly: 1. C.J.  Hendry, FSU 2:05.73, 2. Julia Henkel, FSU 2:08.08, 3. Katie Coleman, FSU 2:08.46.

50-yard freestyle: 1. Tiffany Oliver, FSU 23.75, 2. Brittany Selts, FSU 23.95, 3. Jonna Nyback, FAU 25.10.

3-meter springboard diving: 1. Katherine Adham, FSU 311.25, 2. Kelsey Goodman, FSU 309.70, 3. Sabrina Beaupre, FIU 254.90.

100-yard freestyle: 1. Holly Mills, FSU 52.97, 2. Hannah Wilson, FSU 53.52, 3. Kayla Derr, FIU 53.78.

200-yard backstroke: 1. Jessica Sabotin, FSU 2:04.83, 2. Caroline Smith, FSU 2:06.45, 3. Brittany Selts, FSU 2:07.58.

200-yard breaststroke: 1. Kristine Polley, FSU 2:21.48, 2. Julia Henkel, FSU 2:28.23, 3. Kendall Sieron, FSU 2:28.37.

500-yard freestyle: 1. Eszter Bucz, FAU 4:59.31, 2. Stephanie Sarandos, FSU 5:03.06, 3. McKayla Lightbourn, FSU 5:05.60.

100-yard butterfly: 1. C.J. Hendry, FSU 57.65, 2. Katie Coleman, FSU 59.45, 3. Anastasia Ivanova, FAU 59.86.

1-meter springboard diving: 1. Kelsey Goodman, FSU 285.55, 2. Katherine Adham, FSU 281.45, 3. Sabrina Beaupre, FIU 263.40.

400-yard individual medley: 1. Eszter Bucz, FAU 4:27.66, 2. Caroline Smith, FSU 4:34.39, 3. Charlotte Broadbent, FSU 4:37.42.

200-yard freestyle relay: 1. FSU (Tiffany Oliver, Brittany Selts, C.J. Hendry, Holly Mills) 1:36.24, 2. FSU (Ashley Hicks, Sara McMahon, McKayla Lightbourn, Jessica Sabotin) 1:40.17, 3. FSU 1:40.72.

MEN’S RESULTS   

Florida State 163, Florida Atlantic 137

200-yard medley relay: 1. FSU (Brad Morrison, Matt Shead, Danny Nguyen, Paul Murray) 1:35.59, 2. FAU (Tyler Griffith, Alan Forbes, Eric Williams, Anthony Fermin) 1:35.78, 3. FAU B 1:37.78.

1,000-yard freestyle: 1. Tyler Sell, FSU 9:36.47, 2. Jack Deedrick, FSU 9:42.31, 3. Michael Shimansky, FAU 9:47.45.

200-yard freestyle: 1. Adam Corbin, FAU 1:41.89, 2. Mateo De Angulo, FSU 1:41.92, 3. Trice Bailey, FSU 1:45.88.

100-yard backstroke: 1. Brad Morrison, FSU 52.21, 2. Tyler Griffith, FAU 53.32, 3. Mike Thomas, FSU 53.83.

100-yard breaststroke: 1. Alan Forbes, FAU 1:04.54, 2. Csaba Pek, FAU 1:07.07, 3. Matt Shead, FSU 1:07.86.

200-yard butterfly: 1. Danny Nguyen, FSU 1:52.59, 2. Mikolaj Czarnecki, FAU 1:52.77, 3. Mark Cox, FSU 1:55.58.

50-yard freestyle: 1. Mark Weber, FSU 21.39, 2. Eric Williams, FAU 21.43, 3. Trice Bailey, FSU 21.84.

1-meter springboard diving: 1. Landon Marzullo, FSU 366.60, 2. Mike Neubacher, FSU 340.60, 3. Tom Neubacker, FSU 315.55.

100-yard freestyle: 1. Trice Bailey, FSU 47.02, 2. Matt Shead, FSU 47.28, 3. Anthony Fermin, FAU 47.94.

200-yard backstroke: 1. Csaba Pek, FSU 1:54.13, 2. Adam Corbin, FAU 1:54.53, 3. David Rudolf, FAU 1:55.41.

200-yard breaststroke: 1. Alan Forbes, FAU 2:28.23, 2. Jesse Gambrell, FAU 2:29.53, 3. Taylor Harris, FSU 2:33.07.

500-yard freestyle: 1. Jack Deedrick, FSU 4:43.39, 2. Trevor Lowe, FAU 4:47.17, 3. Jay Van Zee, FAU 4:48.29.

100-yard butterfly: 1. Matt Shead, FSU 51.12, 2. Mikolaj Czarnecki, FAU 51.81, 3. Eric Williams, FAU 52.48.

3-meter springboard diving: 1. Mike Neubacher, FSU 363.30, 2. Tom Neubacher, FSU 354.60, 3. Landon Marzullo, FSU 333.45.

400-yard individual medley: 1. Adam Corbin, FAU 4:02.74, 2. Csaba Pek, FAU 4:03.25, 3. Mike Thomas, FSU 4:08.02.

200-yard freestyle relay: 1. FAU (Anthony Fermin, John Walsh, Eric Williams, Mikolaj Czarnecki) 1:26.06, 2. FSU A (Mark Weber, Trice Bailey, Paul Murray, Matt Taylor) 1:26.31, 3. FSU B (Mateo DeAngulo, Robert Swanbeck, Tyler Sell, Stephen Pendleton) 1:29.18.

Sharon Robb can be reached at sha11cats@aol.com.

http://www.swim4soflo.com

SOFLO’s Atkinson Finishes 11th In Final Event, Aussies Dominate Commonwealth Games On Day 4

WRITTEN BY SHARON ROBB

October 7, 2010

Alia Atkinson of the South Florida Aquatic Club ended her second career appearance at the Commonwealth Games on Thursday in Delhi, India.

The two-time Olympian representing Jamaica finished 11^th in the 100-meter breaststroke in 1:11.28 at the Dr. S.P. Mukherjee Aquatics Complex in Talkatora Gardens. Her prelim time was  1:11.47. The top qualifying time was 1:07.73 by Aussie Leisel Jones.

Atkinson, 21, competed in four events. Her best finish was eighth in the 50-meter breaststroke where she broke her national record twice (32.24 and 32.13). It was her first championship final in a major international swim meet.

She was also tenth in the 200-meter breaststroke in 2:34.32 and 12^th in the 200-meter individual medley (2:24.39).

In Thursday’s championship finals:

Aussie Alicia Coutts won her third gold medal of the Games. Despite an ailing shoulder, the 23-year-old won the 100-meter butterfly in 57.53. She also won gold in the 200-meter individual medley and 100-meter freestyle. England’s Ellen Gandy took silver in 58.06 and Olympian Jemma Lowe of Wales and University of Florida took bronze in 58.42.

“It’s an amazing feeling,” Coutts said. “I didn’t think I would get one gold let alone three. I’m stoked.”

Rebecca Adlington of England, shook off a case of Delhi Belly to win the 800-meter freestyle in 8:24.69. Adlington came close to breaking the oldest meet record that was set in 1978.

Adlington, 21, the world record holder and double Olympic champion, had stomach problems before the race. She looked strong early in the race but seemed to tire in the late stages.

“I just wanted to get out there and swim my own race,” Adlington said. “It’s not about the times here at all with all the stuff that is going on and everybody is a bit slow. I am so pleased with this win. I wasn’t feeling that good. It’s been a long season so it’s nice to finish off with a gold.”

South Africa’s Wendy Trott was second in the 800 in 8:26.96 and Aussie Melissa Gorman was third in 8:32.37.

Teenager Chad Le Clos, 18, of South Africa won his second gold in the men’s 400-meter individual medley in a meet record 4:13.25. He is the first South African to win the event in Games history. He also won the 200-meter butterfly earlier in the week.

“What an amazing experience,” Le Clos said. “I have been wanting to produce a personal best for a year now and to do it here at the Commonwealth Games makes me really happy.”

England’s Joseph Roebuck took silver in 4:15.84 and South African Riaan Schoeman took bronze in 4:16.86.

Canadian Brent Hayden broke his own meet record in the 100-meter freestyle he set in the heats by 0.20 seconds to 47.98. The 2007 world champion is the first swimmer in the world this year in a textile suit to break 48 seconds. It was also his first gold medal at the Commonwealth Games. Canada has only five medals at the Games.

England’s Simon Burnett took silver in 48.54 and Aussie Eamon Sullivan took bronze in 48.69

Tonga’s lone swimmer, Amini Fonua, qualified in the seventh spot for the finals of the men’s 50-meter breaststroke. The Texas A&M junior is Tonga’s first Commonwealth Games swimmer since 1946.

In other Games news, concerns over the water quality in the warm-up pool was raised since more than 50 swimmers have been stricken ill since the opening of the Games.

Adlington was one of the swimmers from England and Australia who complained of illness. Aussie Andrew Lauterstein, a medal favorite in the 100-meter butterfly, was forced to withdraw from the heats after missing the 50-meter butterfly final with stomach problems. Teammate Hayden Stoeckel also dropped out of the 100-meter backstroke for the same reason.

Commonwealth Games chief Mike Fennell asked for an immediate inquiry over the water quality concerns. The problem seems to be isolated to swimming since no other athletes at the Games have been affected. Also the toilets at the aquatic center have not been functioning properly because of the lack of water supply which may be adding to the problem.

“If the water is unsafe then clearly you can’t swim in it,” Fennell told reporters. “We have ensured the water and food quality is tested. We are concerned if athletes can’t perform to their best.”

 Sharon Robb can be reached at sha11cats@aol.com.

 http://www.swim4soflo.com