Swimming Year in Review, Part 2
2010-12-30
Fabio Terrone
News and facts that characterized swimming in 2010. Part 2, JULY - DECEMBER

The following overview covers the news and facts that characterized the swimming world in 2010.

Part 2, JULY - DECEMBER

JULY

15
Emily Seebohm broke the national record in the 100 metres backstroke at the short-course Australian championships. Seebohm, 18, finished in a time of 56.58 seconds, taking 0.39 seconds off Marieke Guehrer’s mark set at the 2009 FINA World Cup in Singapore.

17
The 6th edition of the FINA World Open Water Swimming Championships in Lac St-Jean, Canada, opened with double medal for Italy as Martina Grimaldi won the women's 10 kilometres in 2h05:45.2 and teammate Giorgia Consiglio took the silver medal in 2h05:57.4. Third was Yanqiao Fang of China in 2h05:59.1.

18
Valerio Cleri of Italy won the 10km world title at world open water champs in Roberval, Canada. Cleri, winner of the 25km title in Rome last year, completed the race in 2h00.59.3 ahead of Russian Evgeny Drattsev (2h01.00.6) and fellow-countryman Vladimir Dyatchin (2h01.03.0). Conditions were no favourable for swimmers, with a water temperature variable among 17.5°C and 16°C.

20
American teenager Eva Fabian has won the women's 5km Open Water competition at the World Championships in Canada. Fabian, 16, won the 5K at the 2009 Open Water National Championships. Today, she dominated the competition from start to finish and won gold in a time of 1h02:00.9, ahead of Italy’s Giorgia Consiglio (1h02:01.8) who also won a silver in the 10km race Saturday. Third was Marcela Ana Cunha of Brazil (1h02:02.6).

Germany’s Thomas Lurz won the men's 5km open water race at the world championships in Canada Tuesday. The 30-year-old Lurz, who won both 5 and 10km title at last year’s Worlds in Rome, covered the Lac St-Jean course in 57 minutes, 42.63. Evgeny Drattsev of Russia, also silver medallist in Sunday’s 10km contest, finished second in a time of 57:44.15 and American Francis Crippen touched third with 57:46.48.

Australian former world champion Melissa Gorman won an appeal against a decision to disqualify her from the women's 10km race. The FINA Jury of Appeal decided to reinstate Melissa Gorman and suspend France’s Aurelie Muller. Following this decision, Gorman has been reistated to 3rd place while China’s Fang Yanqiao went down to 4th.

22
Dutch Linsy Heister and Alexander Meyer of the United States won 25km titles at the Open Water World Championships in Roberval, Canada. Second was Spanish Margarita Dominguez Cabezas (5:20:25.59) and third Celia Barrot of France (5:20:54.74). Italian World 10km champion Martina Grimaldi was given a red card after 1.5 hours from the start, because she touched the feeding dock. In the men's event, Meyer registered a time of 5h32:39.38 for victory, just a 1.02 second ahead of World 10km champion Valerio Cleri of Italy (5h32:40.40). Petar Stoychev of Bulgaria (5h33:50.29) was third.

26
Dutch world champion Ranomi Kromowidjojo will miss the incoming European championships in Hungary after being taken to hospital, suffering from a viral meningitis.

AUGUST

01
Great Britain claimed the European Junior title in open water, after Thomas Allen and Emma Graham won the 5km events in Hoorn, The Netherlands.

04
Germany’s Thomas Lurz won the men's 10km open water competition at the European Championships in Budapest.

Ekaterina Seliverstova of Russia won the women's 5km open water race at the European championships.

05
Italian swimmers made history at the 2010 European championships by winning all three medals in the men’s 5km open water race in Balaton lake. Luca Ferretti won golD, Simone Ercoli was second and Simone Ruffinin tied third place with Spyridon Gianniotis of Greece.

Linsy Heister of the Netherlands won the 10km open water race at the European Swimming Championships.

06
Greece has won the 5km team event at the European championships in Budapest. The team composed of Kalliopi Araouzou, Antonios Fokaidis and Spyridon Gianniotis finished first ahead of Italy and Russia.

07
Valerio Cleri of Italy has won the 25km gold medal at the European championships.

08
Ukraine’s Olga Beresnyeva has won the gold medal at the European championships in the women's 25 kilometres.

10
France's Camille Lacourt broke the European record in the men's 100m backstroke at the European championships with a time of 52.11.

26
Sergio Garcia and Ryan Napoleon received a doping ban by FINA because guilty of doping. Spanish Garcia was suspended for one year for failing to report his whereabouts for drug testing and received, Napoleon received a three-month doping ban after he tested positive for Formoterol.

FINA and Myrtha Pool, worldwide reference in the production of made-to-measure competition pools for the FINA World Championship and events hosting swimming, water polo, synchro-swimming and diving, have extended their partnership for the first FINA Aquatics Convention, to be held in Punta del Este, Uruguay, from September 27 to 29.

SEPTEMBER

05
Three Indian swimmers were provisionally suspended for failing dope tests, Swimming Federation of India (SFI) announced in a statement. National record holder Richa Mishra, Jyotsna Pansare and Amar Muralitharan tested positive for Methylhexaneamine, used as a nasal decongestant.

07
Olympic champion Libby Trickett has announced her return to the pool. Trickett, 25, retired from competitive swimming following the world champs in Rome in July.

Triple Olympic gold medallist Stephanie Rice has undergone successful surgery on her right shoulder. Rice, 22-year-old and winner at Beijing Olympic Games in 200m and 400m medley, and 800m free relay confirmed that the surgery was successful and will be ready for the 2012 Games.

Alper Sunaçoğlu, a former Turkish national swim team member, cressed the Mediterranean Sea from Turkey to the Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus (TRNC) in 26 hours 15 minutes, lowering by almost 8h the record for the 75km course.

13
Several athletes, including Olympic champion Federica Pellegrini, attended a protest against the closure sanctioned by the Prosecutor of the Acqua Aniene swimming club which is among those involved in the investigation for alleged illegal building practices, at the end of 2009 Worlds.

14
Swimming New Zealand has been forced to move the age group short-course national championships schduled in Christchurch from September 26-30, following the powerful 7.1 magnitude earthquake that struck the country's South Island last September 3.

15
Ryan Napoleon earned a major off-court victory Tuesday when officials declared his ban for violating anti-doping rules was expired. The 20-year-old distance swimmer was banned for a wrongly labelled asthma inhaler.

23
Italy’s top swimmer Alessia Filippi married her boyfriend Domenico Paliotta in a private ceremony in Caracalla (Rome). They exchanged vows in front of family and friends including Elena Gemo and Flavia Zoccari.

28
Spanish city Barcelona was announced in Punta del Este, Uruguay on Monday to win the bid of hosting the 15th world long-course swimming championships in 2013, according to FINA officials from the Aquatic Convention.

OCTOBER

01
Olympic champion Laure Manaudou has shot down reports that she will make a comeback to the sport in time for the 2011 Worlds championships.

19
Italian Prosecutor Donatella Pavone has ruled for the reopening of the Acqua Aniene swimming club in Rome. The club, managed by Giovanni Malago, was closed because of investigation for alleged illegal building practices, at the end of 2009 Worlds.

Lancashire claimed the Division 1 title of the British Gas ASA National County Team Championships for a ninth year on the run. The development meet took place on one day at Ponds Forge on Sheffield, England.

21
A couple of new Japan’s record have been set at the Arena World Cup in Tokyo. Takeshi Matsuda swam the 200 metres butterfly in 1:50.64, the fastest ever in textile. In other highlights, Naoya Tomita set a national record for the men’s 200m breaststroke of 2:03.18.

23
Fran Crippen, the 26-year-old American open water swimmer, lost his life today during a FINA World Cup event. Crippen died after losing consciousness during a World Cup 10K race in Fujairah, United Arab Emirates.

NOVEMBER

01
Rari Nantes Torino swim club won the 37th Nico Sapio Trophy in Genoa. 08 Alshammar and Pereira win the big prize at the 2010 FINA/ARENA World Cup. Theresa Alshammar of Sweden won the US$100,000 top prize for the third time.

18
A contract of partnership providing for advertising and marketing for a three-year period was signed Thursday in Guangzhou (China) by swimming world governing body and the Midea company. Midea is a Chinese company and one of the world’s major manufacturers of domestic appliances and air conditioning.

22
Hungary’s Olympian Daniel Gyurta, signed a four-year endorsement contract with Arena, through the 2012 London Games.

Ryan Lochte and Rebecca Soni won a leading two Golden Goggles awards, including Male Athlete of the Year, when USA Swimming honoured the 2010 top American performers.

Alicia Coutts, 22-year-old and five-time Commonwealth champion, was named Australia's Swimmer of the Year at an awards ceremony in Melbourne.

26
Almost a year after testing positive for performance enhancement substances, Germany's breaststroke champion Sonja Schöber has officially been given a two-year ban by the Court of Arbitration for Sport. Schöber, 25, said the positive test was caused by contaminated food supplements.

28
Former Commonwealth champions Moss Burmester of New Zealand has retired from swimming, citing a dispute with National Governing Body. He attended two Olympics and was the 200m butterfly gold medal winner at the 2006 Commonwealth Games in Melbourne.

30
Ryan Cochcrane and Audrey Lacroix were yesterday named male and female Canadian swimmers of the year for 2010.

DECEMBER

02
Russian Evgeny Aleshin and Lukasz Giminski of Poland have been banned for two years and relevant national governing bodies sanctioned to pay investigation expenses. Both athletes were unavailable at three consecutive out of competition tests within the space of 18-months.

13
Mark Foster, one-time king of world short-course sprint, has appealed for the return of medals stoled from his car in North London. Now 40, Foster Tweeted: "Urgent plea. Got Olympic rucksack stolen. It contained my first '86 and last '08 international medals!" He later added: "Stolen from car in North London. Medals have name on. Also a world gold and silver in there from 2004!" Of little value to anyone such things - but of immense value to the man who won them wearing his national colours. Let's hope the thieves see sense and the medals make their way back to Foster.

FINA today announced the following - Ben Hockin, who swam for Great Britain in the 2008 Beijing Olympics as part of the 400 free relay, has been banned for a year from the sport by FINA due to an improper change of nationality. Hockin, whose father is British and mother is Paraguayan, swam for Paraguay a the 2010 South American Games and won three silvers and a bronze, did not follow the proper steps to switch his sport nationality according to FINA. His suspension is retroactive to May 23, 2010. Both federations involved also were fined for taking part in the technical transgression. The Federacion Paraguaya de Natacion drew a $1,500 fine, while British Swimming Ltd. wound up with a $500 fine.

15
China has set a world record in the women's 800 freestyle relay at the short-course swimming world championships. This is the first world mark for 2010. The team composed of Chen Qian, Tang Yi, Liu Jing and Zhu Qianwei finished in 7:35.94 Wednesday. Australia fnished second in a new Commonwealth record time of 7:37.57 and France was third in 7:38.33, a new European mark.

16
Ryan Lochte of the United States won the gold medal in the men's 400 metres individual medley at the SC Worlds with a new world record time of 3:55.50. He became the first swimmer in 2010 to set a world record in a solo event.

The Russian quartet of Nikita Lobintsev, Danila Izotov, Evgeny Lagunov and Alexander Sukhorukkov broke the world record to win the men's 4x200m freestyle relay at the short-course world swimming championships on Friday. The Russian clocked 6:49.04 seconds, 0.54 seconds faster than second-placed United States. France picked bronze in 6:53.05, a new national record.

17
American swimmer Ryan Lochte broke the men's 200 metres individual medley world record at the short-course World championships on Friday timing 1:50.08.

19
Russian Stanislav Donets broke the men's 100 metres backstroke European record at the World short-course championships in Dubai, timing 48.95 seconds on the first leg of the 4x100m medley relay, just 0.01 off the world record set by American Nick Thoman last year in Manchester.

22
Catania, Italy, will host the 12th world short-course championships in 2014. The Italian city hosted the 1997 World University Games. Casablanca, Morocco, will host the 4th World Junior Swimming Championships in 2013. These venues were chosen last Tuesday at the FINA Bureau meeting in Dubai.