The Inquisitr » swimming

Michael Phelps breaks world 100m butterfly record…again

Duncan Riley — Sun, 02 Aug 2009 04:41:30 +0000

Michael Phelps became the first man to swim the 100m butterfly in under 50 seconds in Rome Saturday night with a new world record of 49.82 seconds, bettering his mark of 50.22 set in early July.

The race, which pitted Phelps against Serb Milorad Cavic was billed as the matchup of the 13th FINA World Swimming Championships, and it didn’t disappoint.

Following some drama pre-race, including Phelps colliding in a warm up pool with an Australian swimmer, Cavic pulled ahead early and was first at the turn, with Phelps looking like he was spent in 4th place. But anyone who has ever seen Phelps swim knows that he could be last and still win at that point because he was probably just warming up.

Shifting up a gear Phelps powered home in the last 50m in a stunning finish. Notably Cavic clocked 49.95, a time that would have been a world record if it hadn’t been for Phelps going that 0.13 seconds quicker.

The win is Phelps’ fourth of the meet.

Updated list of swimming world records that are a complete joke

Paul Montgomery — Fri, 31 Jul 2009 15:45:55 +0000

The record books in swimming have turned into a farce at the Rome world championships with the decision to delay the outlawing of wetsuits until next January. From 22 events, there have been 18 world records broken, mostly by swimmers wearing the double-layered suits, with second-raters leaving the likes of eight-time Olympic gold medal winner Michael Phelps in their technology-assisted wake.

There are a further 18 swimming finals to be swum, with further records expected to be broken at the same clip. At this rate, 80 per cent of the records in world swimming are going to have asterisks next to them. Shame must be attributed to FINA, the world swimming body.

Men

100 m freestyle	Cesar Cielo Filho	BRA	46.91
200 m freestyle	Paul Biedermann	GER	1:42.00
400 m freestyle	Paul Biedermann	GER	3:40.07
800 m freestyle	Zhang Lin	CHN	7:32.12
100 m backstroke	No WR in Rome
50 m breaststroke	Cameron van der Burgh	SAF	26.67
100 m breaststroke	Brenton Rickard	AUS	58.58
50 m butterfly	No WR in Rome
200 m butterfly	Michael Phelps	USA	1:51.51
200 m individual medley	Ryan Lochte	USA	1:54.10
4×100 m freestyle relay	No WR in Rome

Women

200 m freestyle	Federica Pellegrini	ITA	1:52.98
400 m freestyle	Federica Pellegrini	ITA	3:59.15
1500 m freestyle	No WR in Rome
50 m backstroke	Zhao Jing	CHN	27.06
100 m backstroke	Gemma Spofforth	GBR	58.12
100 m breaststroke	Rebecca Soni	USA	1:04.84
100 m butterfly	Sarah Sjöström	SWE	56.06
200 m butterfly	Jessica Schipper	AUS	2:03.41
200 m individual medley	Ariana Kukors	USA	2:06.15
4×100 m freestyle relay	Netherlands *	NED	3:31.72
4×200 m freestyle relay	China **	CHN	7:42.08

* Inge Dekker, Ranomi Kromowidjojo, Frederike Heemskerk, Magdalena Veldhuis
** Yang Yu, Zhu Qianwei, Liu Jing, Pang Jiaying

Michael Phelps breaks 100m butterfly world record

Duncan Riley — Fri, 10 Jul 2009 00:15:04 +0000

If there was ever any concern over Michael Phelps’ return to the pool, the champion swimmer put those to rest today by breaking the 100m butterfly world record with a 50.22 seconds, taking 0.18 seconds off the record set by Ian Crocker six years ago.

In the race at the American Swim Championship, Phelps led at 50 meters mark clocking 23.83, just off the world record pace, but it would appear he wasn’t yet in top gear, picking up the speed in the final 50 meters to take the record.

The new record takes Phelps’ record count to five. Along with the new record Phelps holds the world records for the 200m butterfly, 200m and 400m individual medleys, and the 200m freestyle.

Aaron Peirsol reclaims world record

Duncan Riley — Thu, 09 Jul 2009 12:00:52 +0000

American back stroker and Athens Olympic champion Aaron Peirsol reclaimed his world record in the 100-meter backstroke Wednesday at the U.S. swimming championships in Indianapolis.

Peirsol trailed Matt Grevers at the 50 meter mark, then put himself up a gear on the final stretch to win in 51.94 seconds. Peirsol’s previous mark of 52.54 at the Beijing Olympics was broken by Spain’s Aschwin Wildeboer Faber on at the begging of this month with a 52.38.

In related new, Michael Phelps won the 200 butterfly in 1:52.76 and the 200 freestyle in 1:44.23 at the same event. The event serves as a qualifier for the forthcoming Swimming World Championship in Rome.

Summer scare: lake bacteria nearly kills teen

Kim LaCapria — Thu, 25 Jun 2009 19:01:43 +0000

Common bacteria that lurks in the mud in and around lakes has nearly killed an apparently healthy teenager in North Carolina.

While the CDC reports that the bacteria is common and sickness caused by it is rare (fewer than 150 infections have been reported worldwide between 1927 and 2005), officials caution swimmers not to drink lake water or dig around lakes, just in case.

Not long after a day of swimming and digging around the Hope Wells Lake, Matthew McKinney complained to his mother of a fever and a runny nose. Believed to have been sickened by naturally occurring Chromobacterium Violaceum, within a few days Matthew’s teeth began falling out due to decay caused by the bacteria.

It soon became apparent that the fast-spreading bacteria was eating the boy alive, visibly manifesting as swelling in the nose, cheek and gum areas. Doctors have since removed part of his nose, five of the boy’s teeth and half of the palette in his mouth.

Officials have not closed the lake, as the bacteria is “abundant” in most warm-water lakes in the Southeastern US. However, Matthew’s father Brian told a local paper he’d like to see signs posted cautioning swimmers not to “disturb the mud.” Rare as it may be, I think I’m just gonna stick to pools from now on.

I am not letting go of this sucka

Steven Hodson — Thu, 08 Jan 2009 23:16:33 +0000

Tenacity is an admirable quality – even in an eagle.

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