bscta : Swimming News Jan

30th Mar 2005	Edmond to pursue medical career 2003 World Championship 200m breaststroke silver medallist Ian Edmond has announced his retirement from competitive swimming in order to pursue his medical career. Edmond, 26, won a silver medal in the 200 metres breaststroke at the 2003 Worlds in Barcelona and also took silver at the European Short Course Championships in Dublin. In 2004 Edmond was a semi-finalist at the Athens Olympics. "After the Games I made an effort to return but I was hindered by a knee injury," said Edmond. "I was forced to have an operation on a torn meniscus in January and am still recuperating now. It helped me to make the final decision; the time is right now for me is to choose medicine," he added.
30th Mar 2005	Netherlands set new relay world best time A Dutch national team set a world best long course time for the women's 4x50m freestyle relay at the Swim Cup in Eindhoven Sunday. The quartet of Inge Dekker (25.37), Hinkelien Schreuder (24.41), Chantal Groot (25.19) and Marleen Veldhuis (24.18) clocked 1:39.15 to smash the mark of 1:44.09 set by Germany in 1991 for this rarely contested event.
30th Mar 2005	Draganja, Bousquet and Burnett on fire at NCAA Championships Duje Draganja of Croatia won the men's NCAA 100 yard freestyle title in a new US Open record time of 41.49 in Minneapolis Saturday. Draganja, the short course 100m freestyle European record holder, bettered the mark of 41.62 set by US Anthony Ervin in 2002. Later, the 23 year old Olympic silver medalist, led California's relay team of Milorad Cavic, Jonas Tilly and Rolandas Gimbutis to another US Open mark in the 4x100 freestyle relay of 2:47.70 seconds, breaking the previous mark of 2:48.99 also set by California in 2003. In the 50 yard sprint, it was Frenchman Frédérick Bousquet's turn to set the fastest ever performance by becoming the first man to break 19 seconds. Swimming for Auburn, Bousquet clocked a stunning 18.74 (split 9.26) breaking the record of 19.05 that US Anthony Ervin set in 2002. Draganja also went under the old record with 19.01. In the longer 200 yard freestyle race it was Britain's turn to show the Americans how to swim after Arizona's Simon Burnett stormed home with a 23.60 final 50 split to reclaim the title he previously won in 2003 in 1:33.23. Auburn won the team title for the third year in succession.
30th Mar 2005	Germany wins junior international meet Germany won the 36th Five Nations Junior Meet in Malmo Sunday. The German team scored 115 points to place ahead of Italy (113), Sweden (88) and France (74). This year's meet was contested by just four nationals after Spain withdrew. Italy led the medal tally with 12 golds, 9 silver and 3 bronze medals. Germany 2nd (10, 10, 7), Sweden 3rd (7, 4, 9), and France 4th (2, 8, 12).
21st Mar 2005	Ten Brits secure World Championship berths Many had said the qualification standards (a world top ten ranked time) were too tough but nonetheless, an impressive 10 swimmers achieved the required standard to book their place on the British team to Montreal for the World Championships following the selection trials in Manchester last week. It is anticipated that a number of others will be added later, along with some relays, following the last chance opportunity at the designated preparation meet in June. The ten to make the grade so far are: WOMEN: Caitlin McClatchey (400 free), Kate Haywood (50 breast), Kirsty Balfour (100 breast) and Rebecca Cooke (800 free). MEN: James Goddard (100 back), Gregor Tait (200 back), David Davies (1500 free), Darren Mew (100 breast), James Gibson (50 breast), Liam Tancock (50 back). All ten will go into the event with a realistic medal winning chance. BSCTA wishes them, and their coaches, the very best for the World Championships.
21st Mar 2005	Australia names 38 strong team for World Championships Following the conclusion of the World Championships selection trials in Sydney last week, Australian Swimming has announced a team of 38 to compete in Montreal later this year. The 17 men and 21 women will be headed by official team captain Grant Hackett after Swimming Australia reinstated this role for the first time since 1980. WOMEN: Bronte Barratt, Lara Carroll, Lara Davenport, Sophie Edington, Jade Edmistone, Felicity Galvez, Brooke Hanson, Jodie Henry, Leisel Jones, Libby Lenton, Linda MacKenzie, Danni Miatke, Alice Mills, Melissa Mitchell, Sarah Paton, Haylee Reddaway, Shayne Reese, Giaan Rooney, Jess Schipper, Louise Tomlinson, Tay Zimmer. MEN: Grant Hackett, Leith Brodie, Brett Hawke, Brendon Hughes, Michael Klim, Andrew Lauterstein, Adam Lucas, Kurtis MacGillivary, Andrew Mewing, Patrick Murphy, Travis Nederpelt, Jim Piper, Andrew Richards, Brenton Rickard, Mark Riley, Nic Sprenger, Matt Welsh.
21st Mar 2005	Rosolino sets new Italian 800 freestyle record Italy's Massimiliano Rosolino set a new Italian record in the 800m freestyle at a regional long course event in Rome Friday. Rosolino, 27, touched home in 7:51.82 to move up to 9th on the all time list for this event. The world record is held by Ian Thorpe at 7:39.16.
21st Mar 2005	Stockbauer will not defend World titles German swimming star Hannah Stockbauer will skip this summer's World Championship in Montreal. The five-time swimming world champion Stockbauer has chosen not to defend the world titles she won in Barcelona in 2003 and will concentrate her attention on the 2008 Olympics instead. "Some people claimed I was going to retire but I simply need a time out after Athens," Stockbauer said on German television.
14th Mar 2005	Kammerling lowers 50 fly World Record! Anna-Karin Kammerling of Sweden broke her own women's 50m butterfly world record mark by 3-hundredths of a second, by recording a time of 25.33 at the short-course Swedish Nationals in Gothenburg Saturday.
11th Mar 2005	Phelps and Manaudou up for World Awards US swim star Michael Phelps and France's world record holder Laure Manaudou have been nominated for the 2005 Laureus World Sports Awards. Phelps, who won six gold and two bronze medals at the Athens Games, is one of six nominees in the sportsman of the year category, while Manaudou, who became the the first F French woman to win an Olympic swimming title, is nominated as world newcomer of the year.
13th Feb 2005	Denniston to begin rehab after spine injury Courtesy of Swimnews American swimmer Dave Denniston will remain in Poudre Valley Hospital to begin rehab treatment following surgery to repair his spine. Denniston, age 26, was injured on February 6th in a sledding accident near Laramie, Wyoming, that has left him without the use of his legs. Dave's parents report that his famous sense of humor and his unfailing strength of character are still "very much intact." Dave, a graduate of Auburn University and 1999 NCAA Champion in the 200 breaststroke, was also a member of the 2003 US World Championship team. As an Irvine Novaquatics star, he placed 4th in the 100 breast and 6th in the 200 breast at last summer's US Olympic Trials. Dave has been accepted to the Craig Rehabilitation Hospital in Denver, and should be transferred next week. They are on top of spinal-cord-injury research there, but if you have information on any spinal-injury research programs or rehab programs, please contact Dave and his family immediately. You can correspond through a new website: www.davedenniston.com
13th Feb 2005	Olympian Vidal killed in car accident Former Olympian Rafael Vidal, 40, of Venezuela was killed Saturday following a car accident in Caracas. In 1984, at 19, he won the bronze medal in the 200 Butterfly at the Los Angeles Games, becoming the first Venezuelan swimmer to win an Olympic medal.
12th Feb 2005	Neethling smashes own World Record! South Africa's Ryk Neethling smashed his own world record in the 100 IM when he won the event at the New York leg of the FINA World Cup in 51.52 Friday. Neethling knowcked almost half a second off his previous record of 52.01 that he , set at the Moscow World Cup leg.
10th Feb 2005	Montreal regains World Champs Montreal will host this year's swimming World Championships after all, FINA announced today. Following an extraordinary meeting held yesterday in Frankfurt, where the Canadian representatives confirmed that 2001 contractual agreements would bu fulfilled, FINA reversed its decision last month to strip Montreal of the event.
9th Feb 2005	Hackett to captain Aussies World and Olympic champion Grant Hackett will be the new Australian National team captain, Swimming Australia announced Monday. The position od captain was last assigned in 1980 when Lisa Forrest and Max Metzker led the swim team at the Moscow Olympics. Hackett is to be appointed once the World Championship team is formally announced, at the end of the selection trials in March.
9th Feb 2005	France drops 2009 World Championship bid The French Swimming Federation (FFN) has given up its application to host the 2009 World Championships, the FFN announced Thursday. The decision to cancel its bid was because the proposed new swimming complex would not be ready in time for the event. FFN will now concentrate its efforts on securing the 2012 Games. FINA plans to confirm the 2009 host by July 16 and has so far heard from Athens, Budapest, Copenhagen, Dubai, Moscow, Rome, Stockholm and Tokyo.