Splash Awards to Adlington and Goddard
Nottingham's Rebecca Adlington, world 800m freestyle champion, won the best female swimmer award and James Goddard, 4th just 0.1sec away from the podium in the 200m medley at world championships in Shanghai - the best result by a British man in an Olympic event, was voted best male swimmer for 2011, at the Hurlingham Club in London on Friday.

Keri-Anne Payne, world marathon champion, took the open water award while her coach Sean Kelly, head of the the Stockport Intensive Training Centre where Goddard also trains, became the first coach to receive the Lifetime Achievement Award.

USA Swimming Awards
Double Olympian Ryan Lochte was named USA Swimming Athlete of the Year on Friday.
Lochte, who became the first swimmer to break a world record since the banning of polyurethane suits, also received a Performance Award for his record-breaking swim in the 200m IM (1:54.00) at World Championships.

The award winners:

• USA Swimming Award: Richard Shoulberg
• Performance of the Year Award: Ryan Lochte, 200m IM at World Championships
• USA Swimming Athlete of the Year: Ryan Lochte
• Athletes’ Appreciation Award: The Crippen Family
• Fran Crippen Memorial Male Swimmer of the Year: Alex Meyer
• Female Open Water Swimmer of the Year: Ashley Twichell
• Glen S. Hummer Award: Maddy Crippen
• Ken Pettigrew Award: Bill Rose
• ASCA Coach of the Year (Presented at the ASCA Convention): Gregg Troy
• Developmental Coach of the Year: Brian Brown

Gemma Mengual announces comeback
Gemma Mengual, Spain's most successful athlete in synchronized swimming, revealed Saturaday that she will return to competition after a two-year absence.
The Mermaid, 34, won gold in the team event at the 2009 Rome Worlds. She would return to swim this year with her sights on a place in the Spanish team at the London Olympics.