NF News

British swimmers to race at open water World Cup's first legs

sarah@fina.org (British Swimming) — Wed, 16 Jan 2013 09:15:09 GMT

A small team of British open water swimmers will be heading to South America for two legs of the FINA Open World Cup Series.

Olympian Dan Fogg, who secured his best result on the world stage with a fifth place in the 10km at London 2012, will lead the team of six which also includes European Junior 5km Open Water silver medallist Tom Allen (British Gas Swansea ITC), Tom Sunter (City of Sheffield) and Jack Burnell who trains with Fogg at British Gas Loughborough ITC.

Sarasota to Host 2013 Pan American Masters Championship

sarah@fina.org (Sarah C.) — Tue, 04 Sep 2012 14:28:57 GMT

U.S. Masters Swimming is pleased to host the 2013 Pan American Masters Championship. The Championship, sanctioned by Union American de Natacion, will be hosted in partnership with the Sarasota Family YMCA, in Sarasota, Fla. Masters synchronised swimming and pool swimming competition will be held at the Selby Aquatic Center adjacent to the Sarasota Y’s Evalyn Sadlier Jones branch in Sarasota. The event dates for synchro and swimming are June 1–12. An open water swim will be hosted June 13 at Siesta Key in Sarasota.

This will be the first time the USA has hosted the biennial event. The Championship is expected to attract up to 2,000 adult swimmers from the South America, Central America, the Caribbean, Mexico, Canada and the USA.

Japan welcomes home Olympic medallists with big celebration

sarah@fina.org (Shinji Higashijima, FINA Press Correspondent in Japan) — Mon, 03 Sep 2012 00:00:00 GMT

Japan's swimming team brought home 11 medals from the 2012 London Olympic Games (three silver and 8 bronze). It is the second largest number of medals in Japanese Swimming history at the Olympics, together with the equally successful tally of 11 medals earned at the 1936 Olympic Games in Berlin, Germany. Japan picked up their biggest medal tally, 12, at the 1932 Los Angeles Olympics, USA.

The Japanese Olympic Committee (JOC) and fans reserved a big reception for the national athletes who collected altogether 38 Olympic medals - 7 gold, 14 silver and 17 bronze - when they returned home after the Games in mid August. This is Japan's biggest overall medal tally in the history of the Games.

Minas TC takes Jose Finkel Trophy in Brazil's short course championships

sarah@fina.org (Guilherme Freitas, FINA Press Correspondent in Brazil) — Fri, 31 Aug 2012 14:28:30 GMT

In the team race, Minas Tenis Club overtook Cl De Regatas, 2333.50 points to 2314.50, for the Trophy. The Corinthians claimed third spot with 1843 points while Esport Clube took fourth with 1812 points. Six new South American records and 24 new championships records were set in the finals and heats.

The competition took place in Sao Paulo at the Sesi Vila Leopoldina Aquatic Center from August 19-25, 2012. The Finkel 2012 is a qualifying competition for the FINA World Swimming Championships (25m) taking place in Istanbul, Turkey from December 12-16, 2012.

Ghana elevates its open water swimming Officials

sarah@fina.org (Sarah C.) — Wed, 22 Aug 2012 14:49:11 GMT

The Ghana Swimming Association hosted its first National Open Water Swimming Championship in June this year with races in the 14-16, 17-18, 19 & over age groups over 5 km, 7.5 km and 10 km courses.

With the swimmers now ready for even more races, the Ghana Swimming Association along with the other open water swimming officials from Namibia and South Africa, is preparing its officials to raise the bar of its national competitions.

Samoan tyro begins his international career

sarah@fina.org (Russell McKinnon, FINA Press Commission Member) — Mon, 11 Jun 2012 10:02:29 GMT

It’s not all about the Olympics in 2012, as 15-year-old Samoan Jamal Tamasese attests. While the superstars are all preening for the London Olympic Games, at the other end of the world, Jamal is beginning to get to grips with the sport and has just returned home from his first major international competition — the Oceania Championships in Auckland, New Zealand.

While there are just a handful of swimmers at the top level in Samoa, Jamal is at the forefront of his sport in a country more known for its rugby prowess. Jamal attended the Fijian Championships in April, landing silver in 15-17 boys’ 100m Fly, 100m Free and 200 IM.

Japan's swimming stars riding wave to London

sarah@fina.org (Shinji Higashijima, FINA Press Correspondent in Japan) — Mon, 04 Jun 2012 00:00:00 GMT

After the Japan Olympic swimming trials in April, 27 swimmers were announced for the 2012 London Olympic Games. Many fine-tuned their Olympic preparation at the Japan Open 2012, held at the Tokyo-Tatsumi International Swimming Center (T-TISC ) from May 25 -27. Home hero Kosuke Kitajima did not attend the event but many of his teammates were on-hand: Ryo Tateishi, Ryosuke Irie, Takeshi Matsuda, Aya Terakawa, Natsumi Hoshi, Satomi Suzuki.

Ryo Tateishi clocked 2:09.07 in the 200m breaststroke, Ryo Irie 53.30 in the 100m backstroke and 1:54.80 in the 200m backstroke, Takeshi Matsuda touched home in 1:54.69 in the 200m butterfuly, Aya Terakawa established a new national record in the 100m backstroke (59.08) and swam the 200m backstroke in 2:07.84, Natsumi Hoshi's time in the 200m butterfly was 2:07.78 and that of Satomi Suzuki in the 200m breaststroke, 2:24.67. At the conclusion of the Japan Open, team captain Takeshi Matsuda spoke addressed his fans and the media: “We will do our very best to get as many medals as possible at the London Olympic Games."

Promising performances at Japan's Junior Olympic Cup

sarah@fina.org (Shinji Higashijima, FINA Press Correspondent in Japan) — Sat, 31 Mar 2012 00:00:00 GMT

The 34th Junior Olympic Cup, a famous aquatics event organised by the Japanese Olympic Committee (JOC), concluded on a successful note at the Tokyo-Tatsumi International Swimming Center (T-TISC) on March 30, 2012 in Tokyo (JPN). The four-day competition gathered 3'638 junior swimmers (1'907 boys and 1'731 girls) from 887 clubs from all over Japan to compete in 25m events.

A new national record, five high school records, one junior high school record, two elementary school records and 19 meet records were set at the event. Among girls, Miki Uchida established a new national record in the 50m freestyle (24.58). She is a member of Itoman Swimming School Tatebayashi. Among boys, Yusuke Kudo broke the high school record in both the 50m and 100m backstroke, posting 23.97 and 51.70, respectively. The young talent swims at WaterMates Swim Club. Both Uchida and Kudo were designated Swimmer of the Cup. The Itoman Swimming School won the combined title of the Cup.

Brazil in top shape at South American Swimming Championships

sarah@fina.org (Guilherme Freitas, FINA Press Correspondent in Brazil) — Fri, 30 Mar 2012 14:59:23 GMT

Brazil won 72 medals at the South American Swimming Championships taking place in Belem (BRA) from March 11-25, 2012. The biennial aquatics championships bring together all nations from the CONSANAT, the South American Swimming Confederation tom compete in Swimming, Diving, Synchronised Swimming, Water Polo and Open Water Swimming.

Brazilians swimmers captured 51 medals (26 gold, 19 silver and six bronze medals). Home hero Cesar Cielo brought more gold to his name, winning five events and posting this season's best time in the 50m butterfly: 23s26.

Last lap for Japan's swimming stars before Olympic Trials

sarah@fina.org (Shinji Higashijima, FINA Press Correspondent in Japan) — Fri, 02 Mar 2012 12:53:54 GMT

The stars of Japan Swimming such as Kosuke Kitajima, Takeshi Matsuda and Aya Terakawa were missing at the Nationals (25m) Championships held at the Tokyo-Tatsumi International Swimming Center ( T-TISC ) in Tokyo, Japan from February 11-12, 2012 due to a heavy training they are undergoing for the upcoming Japan Olympic Trials taking place at T-TISC from April 2-8, 2012. Each of them trains in different places.

Kosuke Kitajima, Olympic gold medallist in 2004 and 2008, has been training very hard with teammates, such as Americans Rebecca Soni and Jessica Hardy under Coach Dave Salo at his U.S. training base, the Trojan Swim Club in Southern California, since the beginning of February. Takeshi Matsuda, silver medallist in the men's 200m butterfly at the FINA World Championships in Shanghai last year, has been enjoying his strong stress training under Coach Yumiko Kuze at 1900m above sea level at the La Loma Altitude Training Center in Mexico since February 15, and will be back home around the first weekend of March. Aya Terakawa, silver medallist in the womens 50m backstroke also in Shanghai, has been training with her team under Coach Norimasa Hirai at the University of Northern Arizona, USA since February 15.