The Vortex is SOS’ digest and soak of swimming news, views and links to noteworthy mainstream media coverage of the sport as the Paris 2024 Olympic Games approach; additions to the file made most days and collated in one monthly file.
Sunday Vortex, May 19 – Mary-Sophie Harvey snuck under the target time for the Paris Olympics in 200m medley heats win the last of seven days of racing at the Canadian Trials in Toronto.
After Harvey clocked 2:11.32 (QT: 2:11.47) in heat 6 of 8 and Sydney Pickrem swam 2:13.70 in heat 7, the star of the trials and Paris podium contender in five solo events, Summer McIntosh, stopped the clock in 2:11.61, energy conservation part of every move she makes, every stroke she takes. Closest to her in heat 8 was Ashley McMillan on 2:13.40.
Each of McIntosh’s four triumphs in her home town of Toronto this week has delivered prospects for a Paris podium, if not a golden shot: 1:53 200 free; a steady as she goes 3:59 400 free on day 1; a scorching 4:24.38 World record and overall performance of the year so far in the 400m medley preceding a 2024 world-ranks topping 2:04.33 in the 200 ‘fly yesterday evening.
Josh Liendo Shaves 0.01sec Off His Own Canadian 100 ‘Fly Mark
In other heats, Ilya Kharun, Paris 2024 200m ‘fly ticket holder, led the way to the 100m butterfly final in 51.66, 0.01sec inside the target time needed in the final this evening, until the last heat, when Josh Liendo stepped up.
Out in 23.68, he was home in 50.33, a Canadian record 0.01sec inside the standard he set at Fukuoka 2023 World titles.
Finlay Knox was third through in 52.62, the morning after a 1:56.07 Canadian record and Games pass in the 200m medley.
Taylor Ruck led the 50m free heats in 25.14, Penny Oleksiak second through in 25.54. Both are on the team for Games in the 4x100m free but will be chasing a solo spot this evening. Their cut: 24.70.
Saturday Vortex, May 18
Liendo Puts His Canadian 50 Free Mark On Notice With 21.7 In Heats At Olympic Trials
Josh Liendo rattled his Canadian record with a 21.72 blast in heats of the 50m freestyle on day 6 at Canadian Olympic Trials in Toronto, the time 0.11sec shy of his best and well inside the 21.96 Paris 2024 Olympic qualification target.
Liendo’s best of 21.61 dates back to Budapest 2022 World titles, at which he swam 21.72 in heats. His job this evening is to secure the Paris berth but he’ll doubtless have an eye on taking out the national record after matching his third-swiftest career dash, his No2 swim a 21.63 from 2022 Trials.
His effort this morning means there are now only two names in the all-time top 10 Canadian ranking, Liendo with seven entries, including the best five, Brent Haydn the other three, including joint fifth with his semis swim at the Rome 2009 shiny suits circus, the other two on his comeback, with a pair of matching 21.82 dashes in textile, heats and semis, at the Tokyo2020ne Games, fine speed but tremendous for a man of 37.
Closest to Liendo this morning was the man closest to him in the 100m at trials and on the plane with him to Paris, Yuri Kisil, on 22.11.
In other events, 2022 and 2023 World champion Summer McIntosh clocked 2:11.16 for centre stage in the 200m butterfly showdown, Mabel Zavaros closest in heats win 2:12.76, their target time 2:08.43. So far, McIntosh has secured Paris tickets to solo events in the 200 and 400m freestyle and the 400m medley, in which she shattered her own World record with a phenomenal 4:24.38 on Thursday evening to deliver the swim of 2024 so far.
In the men’s 200m medley, Tristan Jankovics led the way to the final in 2:00.56, the Paris cut set at 1:57.94.
Results in full
Kasia Wasick Tops Bill With 24.28 In Freestyle Dash As Multi-Event ‘Challenge’ Concludes
The American experiment with remote competition, a collective of meets under the common banner “Club Excellence Challenge Series” concluded this evening a month out from USA Olympic Trials. The highlight was a 24.28 win in the 50m free from Poland’s Kasia Wasick.
Key results:
Women’s 100m Backstroke: Isabelle Stadden (Blaine, Minn./ California Aquatics), 59.22; Phoebe Bacon (Chevy Chase, Md./ Wisconsin Aquatics), 59.72
Men’s 100m Backstroke : Ryan Murphy (Ponte Vedra Beach, Fla./ California Aquatics), 53.16; Shaine Casas (McAllen, Texas/Longhorn Aquatics), 53.89
Women’s 200m Breaststroke: Mona McSharry (IRL), 2:27.70
Men’s 200m Breaststroke: Daniel Roy (Spokane, Wash./The Dolphins Portland Swimming), 2:11.24; Nic Fink (Morristown, N.J./Metro Atlantic Aquatic Club), 2:11.51; Will Licon (El Paso, Texas/Longhorn Aquatics), 2:11.77
Women’s 50m Freestyle: Kasia Wasick (POL), 24.28; Torri Huske (Arlington, Va./Arlington Aquatic Club), 24.41; Abbey Weitzeil (Santa Clarita, Calif./California Aquatics), 24.50
Men’s 50m Freestyle : Michael Andrew (Encinitas, Calif./MA Swim Academy), 22.09; Santiago Grassi (ARG), 22.33
Friday Vortex, May 17
Richards Coach Livingstone Off To Lead Manchester Performance Centre After Paris Games
Ryan Livingstone will leave Millfield and head north to become the Aquatics GB Manchester Performance Centre Lead Coach from September, after the Paris Olympics.
Livingstone, coach of the year in Britain in 2023 after he guided Matt Richards to the 200m freestyle and 4x200m World titles last year n Fukuoka – will take up the inaugural role at the centre as the Manchester unit develops into “a fully-integrated Paralympic and Olympic Performance Centre”, GB Aquatics noted.
Based at the Manchester Aquatics Centre, the centres is already a national Paralympic hub. Working under the overall direction of Aquatics GB Associate Performance Director Tim Jones, Livingstone’s will work closely with Bill Furniss and Rob Aubry, respective head coaches for Great Britain Paralympic and Olympic swimming.
The unit will also work with the Swim England program. Speaking on his appointment, Livingstone said:
“I’m really looking forward to working at the Manchester Performance Centre leading our Olympic and Paralympic athletes into the LA cycle. The integrated approach offers a unique and exciting prospect for all those involved.”
“Manchester is fantastic city with a rich sporting heritage and is an optimal environment for those athletes looking towards Olympic and Paralympic success. For me personally it has been a long term ambition to coach in the performance centre set up and I am grateful for the opportunity.”
Ryan Livingstone – photo: Matt Richards, who was coached to two 2023 world titles by Ryan Livingstone
Jones noted: “This is a really exciting time for the Manchester Performance Centre as we look to further align our Paralympic and Olympic swimming programmes and ensure our athletes can get the maximum benefit from this collaboration – and we know that Ryan can play a pivotal role in that process.”
He added: “Manchester is a unique proposition for us in Britain, providing a complete pathway within the city with our Aquatics GB Performance Centre, Swim England’s investment into the City of Manchester Swim Team as a Talent Centre, a vibrant club swimming fraternity and excellent Learn to Swim provision. We will be working hard in the coming months to forge even stronger links with the key academic institutions within the city as part of our athlete support package.”
Pace Test Continues Ahead Of U.S. Trials
A month out from USA Olympic Trials, the third night of the 2024 Club Excellence Challenge saw Katie Ledecky, Bobby Finke, Caeleb Dressel, Ryan Murphy and Emma Weyant produce the highlights at multiple events held in multiple venues.
Women’s 200m Freestyle: 1 – Katie Ledecky (Bethesda, Md./Gator Swim Club), 1:55.71; 2 – Erin Gemmell (Potomac, Md./Nation’s Capital Swim Club), 1:57.51; 3 – Aurora Roghair (Iowa City, Iowa/Unattached), 1:58.11 (PB)
Men’s 200m Freestyle: 1 – Kieran Smith (Ridgefield, Conn./Ridgefield Aquatic Club), 1:47.10; 2 – Jorge Iga (MEX), 1:47.15; 3 – Tomas Koski (DEN), 1:47.30
Women’s 200m Backstroke: 1 – Isabelle Stadden (Blaine, Minn./California Aquatics), 2:08.79; 2 – Phoebe Bacon (Chevy Chase, Md./Wisconsin Aquatics), 2:09.10; 3 – Josephine Fuller (Richmond, Va./Unattached), 2:11.08
Men’s 200m Backstroke: 1 – Ryan Murphy (Ponte Vedra Beach, Fla./California Aquatics), 1:56.64; 2 – Hugo Gonzalez de Oliviera (ESP), 1:57.05; 3 – Jack Aikins (Atlanta, Ga./Swim Atlanta), 1:57.52
Women’s 400m IM: 1 – Emma Weyant (Sarasota, Fla./Gator Swim Club), 4:39.00; 2 – Lucy Bell (Fort Collins, Colo./Unattached), 4:41.64; 3 – Isabelle Odgers (Aliso Viejo, Calif./Trojan Swim Club), 4:46.90
Men’s 400m IM: 1 – Bobby Finke (Clearwater, Fla./Gator Swim Club), 4:14.44; 2 – Tommy Hagar (Braintree, Mass./University of Alabama), 4:22.84; 3 – Mason Laur (Naples, Fla./University of Florida), 4:23.81.
Women’s 100m Butterfly: 1 – Kelly Pash (Carmel, Ind./Longhorn Aquatics), 58.37; 2 – Lillie Nordmann (The Woodlands, Texas/Unattached), 58.57; 3 – Caroline Larsen (Eden Prairie, Minn./Foxjets Swim Team), 58.78
Men’s 100m Butterfly: 1 – Caeleb Dressel (Green Cove Springs, Fla./Gator Swim Club), 51.38; 2 – Santiago Grassi (ARG), 51.78; 3 – Michael Andrew (Encinitas, Calif./MA Swim Academy), 51.83.
Kelsey Wog Inside Paris 200Br Cut With 2:23.7 In Heats At Canadian Trials
Kelsey Wog raced inside the qualifying time for the Paris Olympic Games with a 2:23.71 (cut: 2:23.91) in heats of the 200m breaststroke on day 5 at Canadian Trials in Toronto.
She must repeat the feat this evening in a final she enters with a lead of more than 4secs on her closest rival, Sydney Pickrem, on 2:28.06 this morning.
Ilya Kharun dominated the men’s 200m butterfly heats with a 1:55.79 ticket to centre stage. His best and the Canadian record is the 1:53.82 he clocked for fourth place at 2023 World titles in Fukuoka.
In other heats, 2016 joint Olympic 100m freestyle champion Penny Oleksiak topped the 100m free in 54.12, while Aiden Norman, 18 this year, and Ethan Ekk, 17 this year, led the way to the 200m backstroke final in 1:58.30 and 1:59.68 respectively, Blake Tierney the third man through inside 2mins, on 1:59.71.
Thursday Vortex, May 16
Liendo Lays Down 47.80 Gauntlet in 100 Free Heats At Olympic Trials In Toronto
Josh Liendo chucked a 47.80 gauntlet and Olympic qualifier in the heats of the 100m freestyle on day 4 at Canadian Olympic Trials in Toronto.
Out in 23.22 in heat 8, Liendo was 0.05sec faster that Yuri Kisil’s speed at the turn in heat 6. The ticket to centre stage in the showdown was nailed in 24.58, Kisil next through in 48.55, no others inside 49 this morning on the way to a final that will decide the solo and the 4x100m free relay.
Liendo’s best is a 47.55 from Budapest 2022 World titles. That was good for the podium and is 24th all-time all suits and 16th all-time in textile. Recent reflections from Josh, from his pioneering 2022 Commonwealth gold through to this year:
World champion and record holder Summer McIntosh edged inside the Paris qualification cut with a 4:38.27 (4:38.53) in the 400m medley heats.
McIntosh, 17, has already confirmed her place at the Games in the 200m and 400m freestyle and the 4x200m relay. In form and with a global standard of 4:25.87, the World 400IM and 200 ‘fly champion will not be challenged beyond her own goals this evening but the battle for the second berth looks set to be keen.
Between Mabel Zavaros’ 4:42.41 and respective efforts of 4:46.07 from Julie Brousseau and 4:46.28 from Sienna Angove, both age peers of McIntosh, Bailey Andison (4:43), Tessa Cieplucha (4:44) and Ella Jansen ( 4:45).
The night after a 57.94 victory in the 100m backstroke, Kylie Masse, double Olympic silver medallist on backstroke in Tokyo three years ago, clocked 2:11.08 as fastest qualifier for the 200m final ahead of four swimmers on 2:12, Regan Rathwell, Bridget Burton, 15-year-old Madison Kryger and Shannon Meadway in that order.
Olympic Champs Ledecky & Finke Go 15:38 & 14:58 In 1500 Challenge Swims
A month out from Olympic trials, Olympic 1500m champions Katie Ledecky and Bobby Finke, both based at the Gators, clocked respective efforts of 15:38.25 and 14:58.08 in the 30-lap races that got the 2024 Club Excellence Challenge Series, a multi-site national meet, off to a solid start today.
Ledecky raced in Atlanta, her effort the 20th sub-15:39 of her career. The only other swimmer to go inside that time is Late Friis, the Danish ace who battled stroke-for-stroke with the then 16-year-old Ledecky at the Barcelona 2013 World Championships.
Racing elsewhere, Aurora Roghair clocked 16:19.79, a 19-second personal best, and Jillian Cox 16:20.83.
Wednesday Vortex, May 15
Kylie Masse Makes Her Presence Felt With Swift 58.2 In 100 Back Heats At Canadian Olympic Trials
Kylie Masse screeched inside the 59.99 Paris qualifying target with a 58.27 in the 100m backstroke heats on day 3 at Canadian Olympic Trials in Toronto.
The 2017 and 2019 World 100m champion claimed silver in both the 100 and 200m behind Australian Kylie McKeown in Tokyo three years ago. Out in 28.17 this morning, she’d booked lane 4 for the final before reaching the turn in 28.17sec for a lead of more than 1.5sec on next swiftest of all 67 entries this morning.
Not through were Ingrid Wilm, Regan Rathwell and Delia Lloyd, all on 1:00-plus, with Madison Krytger and Taylor Ruck on 1:01s.
In the men’s 200m freestyle heats, the Paris target time for the solo event went untested, though the 1:46.26 will surely come under pressure in evening finals as the top 6 qualifiers within a second of each other this morning seek tickets to Paris in the Canadian 4x200m freestyle relay.
The range in heats spread from 1:47.81 for Patrick Hussey to Jeremy Bagshaw, 32, on 1:48.75, with Josh Liendo, Finlay Knox, Alex Axon and Lorne Wigginton in between.
In the men’s 200m breaststroke, Oliver Dawson set a Canadian age record of 2:14.20 for a ticket to lane 4 this evening, with Justice Migneault close, on 2:14.85. The Paris cut is a big stretch ahead of them, at 2:09.68.
This evening’s heats will also feature the fastest line-up in the women’s 1500m freestyle.
Results in full
China 23-Go-Free Crisis
Doping Board ‘Bypassed’ In FINA Review Of China 23-Go-Free Cases; Lessons Learned, Says Regulator
Tuesday Vortex, May 14
McIntosh & Harvey Lead Charge For Canadian Olympic 4×200 Free Berths
Summer McIntosh raced inside the Paris Olympics qualifying target time with a 1:56.78 cruise to lane 4 of the 200m freestyle showdown on day 2 at Games trials in Toronto. The Paris cut for the solo event is 1:57.26.
The morning after a 3:59 win in the 400m free, McIntosh set the pace in the last of seven heats of the 200m, as did Mary-Sophie Harvey in heat 6, her 1:57.26 making her the closest contender to the favourite, with all eyes on places in a 4x200m freestyle team in Paris that is looking to go at least one place better than Canada’s fourth place at Tokyo2020 in a final won by China with a quartet that included two swimmers currently at the heart of an investigation into 23 positive tests returned by Chinese swimmers in 2021.
Sticking with the relay theme, the fight is win for the breaststroke leg of Canada’s medley relay, five women 0.3sec apart on low 1:07s in heats of the 100m this morning, from Sophie Angus on 1:07.02, through Kelsey Wog, Shona Branton, Sydney Pickrem and Alexanne Lepage, on 1:07.32. Their Paris target time for the solo 100m berth is 1:06.79.
In the men’s heats, Tristan Jankovics led the way into the 400m medley final in 4:15.68, his Paris target time for tonight a 4:12.50.
The men’s 100m backstroke qualifiers were led by Blake Tierney in 53.93, a touch away from the Paris qualifying target time of 53.74.
Results in full
Monday Vortex, May 13
Summer McIntosh Sets Sail On A Big Olympic Voyage With Steady-As-She-Goes 4:09 in 400 Free Heats
Summer McIntosh cruised a 4:09.83 warm-up over 400m freestyle in the opening session of heats at the Canadian Olympic Trials in Toronto this morning.
The 17-year-old multi-talent has a big program ahead of her and is in no need of speed in. heats this day: McIntosh is racing seven events over the coming seven days: the 400m freestyle (today), then … 200m freestyle (Tuesday), 100m backstroke (Wednesday), 400m medley (Thursday), 100m freestyle (Friday), 200m butterfly (Saturday) and 200m medley (Sunday).
The women’s qualifying time for the Paris 2024 Games is 4:07.90, McIntosh’s best the 3:56.08 World record she set in March last year on the way to fourth place at World titles in a bumpy start to a stellar World Championships at which she retained the 200m butterfly and 400m medley global titles. The 400m free world record fell ahead o her in that final in Fukuoka when Australian Ariarne Titmus reclaimed the standard in a scorching 3:55.38.
Lorne Wigginton led the men’s qualifiers in the 400m free his 3:50.97 less than a couple of seconds shy of his best, his target for a ticket to Paris later today 3:46.78.
Olympic champion Maggie Macneil raced inside the qualifying time for Paris with a 56.54 in the heats of the 100m butterfly, four others on 58s, while medley ace Finlay Knox led the qualifiers in the 100m breaststroke in 1:00.97.
WADA calls for immediate release of Tunisian National Anti-Doping Organization’s Director General
Tunisia took a big step towards exclusion from the Paris Olympics as a recognised nation this past week (see below in the Vortex and here) in events that have sparked a reaction from the World Anti-Doping Agency today. In a tatement, WADA noted:
The World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) has expressed its deep concern following the arrest of the Director General of the National Anti-Doping Organization of Tunisia (ANAD) and dismissal from his role for simply trying to abide by the consequences of ANAD’s non-compliance with the World Anti-Doping Code (Code).
On 30 April, the non-compliance of ANAD was confirmed as the result of its failure to fully implement the 2021 version of the Code within its legal system. Under the terms of the non-compliance, as is always the case, a series of consequences and reinstatement conditions were imposed, including that the nation’s flag could not be flown at certain covered events while ANAD remained non-compliant.
WADA supports the efforts of ANAD and International Federations to uphold the decision by the WADA Executive Committee to assert non-compliance in this case. Reports that the ANAD Director General has been arrested for doing so is a matter of grave concern. WADA calls for his immediate and unconditional release from custody, as well as the dropping of any charges made against him pertaining to this.
Since the non-conformity in Tunisia was established, WADA has been working closely with the authorities to ensure the matter could be dealt with as quickly as possible. Indeed, excellent progress has been made in that regard, making this latest development all the more unfortunate and untimely. WADA remains confident that the matter will be resolved in the very near future.
WADA Also Announces Extraordinary Meeting Of Foundation Board This Friday
WADA will host a virtual extraordinary meeting of its Foundation Board (Board) on Friday “to provide members with the opportunity to be further informed on this important matter by WADA experts and to be able to ask any questions that they may have.”
Saturday Vortex, May 11
Clareburt Rattles Commonwealth Mark With 4:08.71 Win 0.01sec Shy In Sydney Open 400IM
Lewis Clareburt, of New Zealand, rattled his own Commonwealth record over 400m medley with a 4:08.71 victory at the Sydney Open today.
Shy of the taper he will have behind him as he takes to his blocks at the Paris 2024 Olympics in late July, Clareburt set about taking down his career best of 4:08.70, the time he clocked for the 2022 Commonwealth crown in Birmingham.
This evening at the Sydney Olympic Park Pool, he came as close as its possible to get, falling 0.01sec shy of the effort that delivered gold in England at a time he was coached by Gary Hollywood.
Circumstances have seen him move on since and today Clareburt, taper ahead of him, signalled that he has his eye on the Olympic podium in Paris, which is likely to require him to wipe couple of seconds off his best, the world record now in the hands of Léon Marchand at a crushing 4:02.50 since he broke Michael Phelps‘ last-remaining global solo standard for the 2023 World title in Fukuoka.
Clareburt is 11th fastest all-time, while among those still in the swim he is fourth swiftest, Olympic champion Chase Kalisz, 4:05.90 from 2017, and Worlds silver medallist behind Marchand in 2022, Carson Foster, 4:06.56, closest to the Frenchman on the all-time clock.
The last two full-entry World Championships:
2022: 4:04.28 ER Marchand; 4:06.56 Foster; 4:07.47 Kalisz
2023: 4:02.50 WR Marchand; 4:06.56 Foster; 4:09.41 Daiya Seto (JPN)
Third in 2023, Seto, three times a World champion and still in the game, was third today at the Sydney Open, too, on 4:17.36 adrift Australian William Petric’s 4:12.21 and Clareburt’s roof-raiser.
In the last of Seto’s three World long-course 400m medley titles in 2019, the title his in
4:08.95, Clareburt was third in 4:12.07, then a national record.
Seto claimed gold in 2013 and 2015, bronze in 2017, 2023 and at the intercalated Worlds in Doha back isn February this year, when Clareburt took gold ahead of Britain’s Max Litchfield, the podium times 4:09.72, 4:10.40 and 4:12.51. That was the slowest 400IM podium at a World Championships since 2005.
In the 200m breaststroke, Olympic champion Zac Stubblety-Cook (Griffith University, QLD) clocked a sharp 2:07.89 a month out from Olympic trials. He Wass followed home by Bailey Lello (Chandler, QLD), 2:11.27, and Joshua Collett (Bond, QLD) 2:12.34.
Other winners:
Women:
100m freestyle: Olivia Wunsch (Carlile, NSW) 53.93
800m freestyle: Jacinta Essam (Macquarie University, NSW) 8:48.88
200m backstroke: Emily Seebohm (St Margaret’s, QLD) 2:11.42 (Minna Atherton (Bond, QLD) 2:11.74)
100m butterfly: Rikako Ikee (JPN) 57.63 (Lizzie Dekkers (Chandler, QLD) 58.26; Bella Grant (Australian Catholic University, NSW) 58.46)
Men:
200m freestyle: Flynn Southam (Bond, QLD) 1:48.57
1500m freestyle: Matthew Galea (SOPAC, NSW) 15:32.80
100m backstroke: Kane Follows (NZL) 54.52 (Mark Nikolaev (Somerset, QLD/Visitor) 54.59; Mitch Larkin (Chandler, QLD) 55.01)
Friday Vortex, May 10
Tunisian President Puts At Risk Country’s Ability To Fly Flag At Paris 2024
Tunisia’s president has escalated a dispute between the National Anti-Doping Agency and its global regulator the World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) to the political point at which it looks increasingly unlikely that any Tunisian swimmers, let alone Ahmed Hafnaoui, will get to race at the Paris 2024 Olympic Games.
On April 30, as we reported when it was revealed that Hafnaoui is unlikely to defend the Olympic 400m freestyle title in Paris, WADA announced that Tunisia’s NADO was “non-compliant”. Sanctions included a ban on the Tunisian flag being flown at international and qualification events until the global regulator was satisfied that Tunisian had put its house in order.
The penalty saw the Tunisian flag covered with a giant red drape at the Tunisian Open Masters Championship at the Rades Olympic Pool in Tunis – until Tunisian President Kais Saied turned up today, stated that the masking of the flag was “an act of aggression”, raised the flag and led the singing of the National Anthem.
“Tunisia comes before the Olympic Committee and before any other committees,” said Saied, according to local media.
One penalty begat another: Saied, through the Tunisian youth and sports ministry, dismissed the board of the Tunisian Swimming Federation and the head of the NADO to express his displeasure at the flag ‘insult’.
In doing so, Saied runs the risk of breaking the Olympic Charter, which forbids political interference of Olympic sports by states, has put Tunisia’s recognised participation in Paris under threat.
The Charter states: “Members of the IOC will not accept from governments, organisations, or other parties, any mandate or instructions liable to interfere with the freedom of their action and vote.”
While the Tunisian premier says the flag must be flown, the International Olympic Committee sides with its Charter, which in turn takes WADA’s side in the matter and may now add another country to the list of “neutrals”, along with athletes from Russia and Belarus over their illegal war of aggression against Ukraine.
Meanwhile, Hafnaoui’s story is stacked with speculation: the swimmer says he has an injury, according to Tunisian media but no specifics have been given. Other sources suggest the 400m champion of Tokyo2020ne is suffering from mental health issues and burnout, his form on his last appearance in competition, at the Doha ‘intercalated’ World titles in February, way off his best, with 17th and 18th place finishes in the 400, 800 and 1500m freestyle despite a pre-meet pledge to take a crack at the 1500m free world record he missed by a slither for the 2023 world title in Fukuoka last year.
Hafnaoui has stated that he is unlikely to be in Paris but his decision to race or not to race at the Games is less certain than first reports on his crisis suggested.
Medley Missions Produce Highlights At Sydney Open
Daiya Seto and Lewis Clareburt delivered the race of the day at the Sydney Open, the medley men on 1:55.46 for the Japanese ace and 1:55.64 for the New Zealand challenger in the 200m butterfly a day after they went head-to-head in the 200m medley on 1:56 for Seto and 1:57 for Clareburt (see lower down in the Vortex).
Third in the ‘fly final was Bowen Gough (Griffith University Swim Club, QLD) on 1:58.39.
The women’s highlight of the day was a 1:06.87 in the 100m breaststroke from Ella Ramsay (Chandler, QLD).
The daughter of former Dolphin and Sydney 2000 teamster Heath Ramsay, Ella delivered her career best on breaststroke a day after a 4:11.69 win the 400m free, all part of her preparation for a shot at making the Australian Olympic team on medley at trials next month in Brisbane. At 1:06.7, she might even have her eye on a medley relay berth.
Success would see history repeat once more for the Ramsay family: Ella made the 2022 Commonwealth team 20 years after her dad, who coached his daughter in her youth, raced for Australia at the 2002 Games in Manchester when Ian Thorpe stopped almost all the gold, one of them in the 400m freestyle in what remains the swiftest time ever in a textile suit, 3:40.08.
Ramsay took second place behind triple Olympic gold medallist Kaylee McKeown in the 200m medley and 400m medley at the Australian Open Championships last month when the backstroke ace took down Stephanie Rice‘s 2008-2009 Australian and Oceania records. Ramsay was next home in both races with efforts of 2:10.71 and 4:36.94, both career bests.
Other winners:
Women:
200m freestyle: Brittany Castelluzzo (Tree Tea Gully, SA) 1:58.89
1500m freestyle: Tayla Martin (Carlile, NSW) 16:50.80
100m backstroke: Emily Seebohm (St Margaret’s QLD) 1:00.73
50m butterfly: Rikako Ikee (JPN) 25.58
400m medley: Arabella Bahr (Norwood, SA) 4:59.60
Men:
50m freestyle Time Trial: Cameron McEvoy (Somerville House, QLD) 21.94 (Josh Conias, 22.37)
100m freestyle: Will Yang (SOPAC, NSW) 48.47 (Flynn Southam (Bond, QLD) 48.97)
800m freestyle: Harvey Larke (Monash University, VIC) 8:24.22
Thursday Vortex, May 9
Wellbrock Leads Pardoe, Klemet & Robinson In Spanish Open 10k On Way To Paris Defence
Florian Wellbrock, Germany’s Olympic marathon champion, clocked 1 hour 50:13.5secs to win the Spanish Open 10km as he prepares for the defence of the ultimate crown in the River Seine in Paris this August.
Britain’s Hector Pardoe was six seconds away for silver in 1:50.19.9, with Wellbrock’s teammate Oliver Klemet on 1:50:22.8 for third and Pardoe’s teammate Toby Robinson fourth in 1:50.26.1.
Speaking through the DSV, head coach to the German team, Bernd Berkhahn said Wellbrock “did a good job”, adding: “All in all, it was a good test in conditions that we won’t have again in the World Cup series before Paris. The cold drew a lot of energy, but everyone felt it in the end.”
In the women’s marathon, Germany based Australian Moesha Johnson took the win in 1:56:07.6 ahead of Spain’s Angela Martinez Guillen, 1:58:33.8, and Paula Otero Fernandez, 1:58.39:4, 2016 Olympic champion and 2020ne silver medallist Sharon van Rouwendaal, of The Netherlands, home in fifth ion 1:58:47.9.
Results in full
McEvoy 21.9 Tests Pace & Sets Pace For Next Wave, Conias, 16, On 22.3, At Sydney Open
Cameron McEvoy stopped the clock at 21.91 in the 50m freestyle at the Sydney Open, his last speed test before Australian Olympic Trials in Brisbane next month.
Coached by Tim Lane at Brisbane’s Somerville House School, McEvoy turns 30 next Monday and is among favourites for the Paris 2024 Olympic dash crown in August.
Nearest to him in Sydney were Somerville House training partner Joshua Conias, a 16-year-old lining up as the next big wave of Aussie sprinters on 22.35, and William Yang, SOPAC, on 22.45 (see further down in the Vortex for more on Yang’s challenge en route to trials for Paris 2024).
All three will take on a second 50m free challenge at the meet on Friday in an effort to give them the Olympic-schedule flow of heats, semis and final over two days even though day 1 dashes were billboarded as heats and final on the same day.
Conias will thus get a second shot at the 22.22sec world best for 16 and unders held by Romanian super-sprinter and former 100m freestyle world record holder David Popovici at 46.86 until a 46.80 relay lead-off by Pan Zhanle at World titles in Doha in February.
The best of the rest of the action saw Japan’s Daiya Seto take the 200IM in 1:56.99 an arm swing ahead of New Zealand’s Lewis Clareburt, on 1:57.55, William Petric (Nunawading) third in a career best of 1:58.05.
The highlight of the day in the women’s events came from Elizabeth Dekkers (University of Queensland), her 2:06.47 victory in the 200m butterfly the latest in a series of swims that suggest she’ll take a serious shot at the podium come Paris 2024, all being well at trials next month. Closest to her was Bella Grant (Australian Catholic University), on 2:08.92, third place to Brittany Castelluzzo (Tea Tree Gully) in 2:11.29.
Other winners in Olympic events:
Men
400m freestyle: Flynn Southam (Bond) 3:52.21
200m backstroke: Kane Follows (NZL) 1:58.56
100m breaststroke: Zac Stubblety-Cook (Griffith University) 1:00.21
100m butterfly: Matt Temple (Marion) 51.27
Women
50m freestyle: Olivia Wunsch (Carlile) 24.78
400m freestyle: Ella Ramsay (Chandler) 4:11.49
200m breaststroke: Hayley MacKinder (Griffith University SC) 2:29.17
200m medley: Sophie Martin (Somerville House, QLD) 2:16.88
La Divina Pellegrini Seeks Babysitter For Matilde During Paris Games If Dad Matteo Gets Call (No Trunchbulls Please)
At 35, Federica Pellegrini, Italy’s Queen of the 200m freestyle and known to the Italian media as “La Divina”, is looking forward to being a spectator at the Olympic Games for the first time in her life, now she’s a mum and retired from the other sort of fast lane in life. She says:
“I think it can be the Olympics that I will enjoy most, because I will have the opportunity to see many other sports. It will be a very beautiful, exciting edition of the games, because in Tokyo there was no audience and the one in an Olympiad is something powerful”.
Federica Pellegrini – Photo by Patrick B. Kraemer
There’s just one thing to sort out: who’s doing the babysitting for Matilde, who was born was born at 6:51am on January 3 this year: mum, the “Lioness of Verona” as the 2008 Olympic and multiple World champion was dubbed in her youth on the way to Olympic silver at the 2004 Games in Athens, or dad, husband and the last swim coach of her career, Matteo Giunta?
In an interview that can be read far and wide in the Italian media today, including this at the Quotidiano Nazionale, Pellegrini rules herself out: she’ll be in Paris as a member of the Olympic Athletes’ Commission.
The only question remaining is whether Giunta will get the call to be a coach at the Games. If yes, then the search will turn to family and professional help when it comes Matilde duty. The likes of Roald Dahl‘s Miss Trunchbull, Olympic shot putter, hammer, and javelin thrower of the 1972 Games turned despotic headmistress of Crunchem Hall, needn’t apply. All Miss Honey types welcome.
Will Pellegrini watch the 200m free, the event in which she graced a record eight long-course World-Championship podiums 2005-2019, her four golds claimed in 2009, 2011, 2017 and 2019? “Of course,” says La Divina. “… but I’m also on the list to hand out the medals … so, no regrets about my race; I’ll have done everything I could have done [including handing out the medals…].”
Looking back, did she have any advice for 2006-born Sara Curtis (24.56 50m free), who will make her Olympic debut for Italy in Paris? “It’s the start of her journey; I would tell her to go very calmly, not in the water, but in the management of everything else – and to do only what amuses her.”
Pellegrini believes that the current generation, in some regards, is more confident than her’s because “they grew up with social media and they’re used to being in the spotlight”.
For Curtis, there’s a test in the tale. Raised by an Italian father and Nigerian mother in the Piedmont region of northwest Italy, she will be the first black swimmer to race for the Italian swim team at the Olympics.
Curtis On Racism? “Not My Problem, It’s Theirs…”
Since making a name for herself in the pool, Curtis has been asked a lot of questions about racist abuse of athletes. She recently described as “laughable” the views of Roberto Vannacci, an Italian Army general, in his book ‘The World Upside Down’, that volleyball star Paola Egonu, whose parents are Nigerian, has ‘features’ that ‘do not represent Italian-ness’. His book coincides with measures in the European Union to push back on the rise of the far right in Europe, some dissenting parties already in power.
Curtis, a four-time gold medal winner at the European junior championships, told AFP this past week, that she has no personal experience of racism in French swimming:
“I consider myself lucky, as I’ve never had anything like that (racist abuse) happen to me. But, if I were to ever meet someone who saw what I am as a problem, I wouldn’t make a big deal out of it. It wouldn’t make a big difference to me, because it’s not my problem, it’s theirs. If you look at my sport, there is this element regarding black athletes. There just aren’t that many of them. But, honestly, it’s not something I’m too bothered by. They can say what they want, that I’m a black girl, that it’s strange. But it’s strange for you, not for me.”
Sara Curtis, in an interview with AFP. Image courtesy of Federnuoto, the Italian Swimming Federation
Meanwhile, Pellegrini runs a swimming academy in Livigno these days and says resilience of various kinds starts early: “I try to transmit the passion I have for this sport; 99% of the time I manage and this gives me enormous satisfaction. I’m super severe, swimming is a difficult sport, and the sooner you understand that, the better.”
William Yang Approaches Trials For Paris With Perspective Of A Lucky Man
William Yang will take to his blocks at Australian Olympic trials next month with the perspective of a man in great shape just at the right time, against the odds.
Having won his first senior national title in 100m freestyle in 2022, Yang had a fine northern summer season: alongside Kyle Chalmers and mates, he won gold and silver medals in relays at World titles in Budapest and then two golds at the Commonwealth Games in Birmingham.
Then in 2023, his goals turning towards Paris he felt a sharp pain in his back. The test results delivered the startling news: “There was a tumour in my spinal canal and then that grows on the nerve,” he tells Julian Linden at The Australian. “In the end, I couldn’t really walk so I knew I had to get surgery done and I’m very glad that I got it done.”
The 25-year-old Sydney University student is now approaching everything with “a fresh sense of purpose and calmness”.
He says: “I got really lucky. After the scan, immediately I was calling every surgeon in NSW and then I quickly found one, at Westmead Private Hospital. His name is doctor Jun Kim and he’s a fabulous surgeon. He was like ‘your case seems very urgent so, let’s move you to next week.’ “The time between me finding this out to getting the surgery was less than 10 days so there wasn’t much time to process it in my head. But then everything went really well. It was a long recovery but things went very well.”
In March, I watched Yang pip Chalmers in the 100m free in 48.6 at NSW Championships. A month later, Chalmers took the national crown in his first sub-48 of the season, Yang second in a career best of 48.20.
Read the full story at The Australian
Wednesday Vortex, April 8
Florent Manaudou Brings Olympic Flame Ashore To Macron In Marseille
Florent Manaudou, Olympic 50m freestyle champion at London 2012, brought the Olympic Flame to shore near the Old Port of Marseille in the past hour in the presence of French President Emmanuel Macron 79 days before the Opening Ceremony at the Paris Games.
More than 150,000 people attended the official welcoming of the flame, ringed by tight security that included 6,000 law-enforcement officers, after a six-hour parade of the three-masted Belem ship that left Greece on April 27 after the flame was lit in Ancient Olympia 11 days earlier.
Police canine units and elite forces snipers were deployed on the way to a Games that will unfold against a troubled global backdrop. That includes Russia’s illegal war on Ukraine and the conflict in Gaza sparked by a terrorist attack on Israeli citizens that led to a response from Israeli authorities that is the subject of challenge at the International Criminal Court, including a possible test of the “weaponisation and criminalisation of starvation”, a topic that tows heavy irony and sorrow given the horrid history of the Holocaust.
“It’s an unprecedented level of security,” French Interior minister Gerald Darmanin told media in Marseille. “Life goes on in Marseille but in great security conditions.”
Marseille “was the obvious choice,” said Tony Estanguet, the president of the Paris 2024 organising committee, with a nod to a Mediterranean city founded around 600BC by Greek settlers from Phocaea.
Manaudou, whose victory in 2012 made him and sister Laure, the 2004 Olympic 400m freestyle champion, the first siblings in games history to claim gold in solo swimming events, is the first of many high-achievers and community members who will have the honour of participating in the torch relay to Paris in the coming 10 weeks.
Laure and Florent are among the star athletes who will run with the torch in the last stretch of the relay in Paris after more than 10,000 people carry the flame before it reaches Paris and is installed near the Louvre, in the Jardin des Tuileries.
A free rap concert is now underway on a floating stage in front of 45,000 spectators at the port and “hundreds of millions around the world,” retiree and boat owner Henri Gerente, told Reuters. “I am very proud and I hope that everyone will participate in this momentum. It can only be a good thing for the economy and for everything else, for the image of the city. So I’m proud of it.”
From Manaudou and Macron, the torch relay will get underway in the morning with former Olympique de Marseille soccer players Jean-Pierre Papin, Didier Drogba and Basile Boli, as well as three-star chef Alexandre Mazzia among the torch bearers.
The Olympic Opening Ceremony will take place on the River Seine on July 26, not in the traditional confines of a stadium, its open nature making the security brief all the trickier.
Talking of Manaudou…
World Aquatics Appoints Committee To Audit Anti-Doping Processes In Wake Of China 23-G0-Free Crisis Now Under Wada Investigation
World Aquatics has appointed a five-person committee to audit their anti-doping procedure after it sent a letter to member federations informing them of the move at the start of the month.
The World Aquatics Bureau recommended the review after the China story broke.
“Please be advised that by decision of the World Aquatics Bureau, an anti-doping audit review committee has been appointed to review the process and procedure of World Aquatics (and the prior FINA) in examining doping-related procedures,” the letter reads.
“The goal is to enhance our understanding of the anti-doping review and decision-making process within our federation as it concerned this particular case and take away any learnings from this experience to make World Aquatics more equipped for the future. Your confidence, and the confidence of all athletes, in our system is vital to our future together.”
The five-person panel includes London 2012 Olympic 50m freestyle champion Florent Manaudou, Aquatics Integrity Unit Supervisory Council members Miguel Cardenal and Ken Lalo, Paralympic swimmer Annabelle Williams and Brazilian coach Fernando Possenti.
The audit committee report from the five-person panel is due by the end of June.
“We hope that the results of this investigation will help erase any circulating doubt about the anti-doping movement and place the minds of our athletes at ease heading into the Paris Olympic Games,” the letter adds.
McIntosh Bypasses 800 At Canadian Trials, Boosting Ledecky Hopes Of Historic Olympic Four-Peat
Canadian multi-talented World champion Summer McIntosh has opted out of the 800 metres freestyle at Olympic trials, potentially boosting American Katie Ledecky‘s chances of an unprecedented fourth gold medal in the event at the Paris Games.
McIntosh’s withdrawal from the 800 at trials next week in Toronto does not mean she is definitely out of the Olympic race in an event Ledecky has lost just once – to the Canadian in February this year, since claiming the first of her gold medals at 15 years of age in London back in 2012.
Summer McIntosh Inflicts First Career 800 Free Defeat On Katie Ledecky With 8:11 Commonwealth Record
Trials rules are that the top two home inside the Olympic qualifying target in any event take the two-per-nation berths for the Games but if the slots are not filled, as is likely at the Canadian selection event, then McIntosh can still be added to the 800m in Paris at the discretion of selectors.
Is it likely? Probably not. The 800m freestyle in Paris, heats and finals, falls in precisely the same session as the heats and finals of the 200m medley, in which McIntosh, holder of the world junior record at 2:06 has a strong shot at gold.
McIntosh, a four-times world champion in the 200m butterfly (2) and 400m medley (2), the latter an event in which the 17-year-old also holds the World record, is a gold-medal/podium shot in several events, including the 200m and 400m freestyle, the 200m butterfly and both medleys.
She will also race in the Canadian 4×100 and 4x200m freestyle relays and, depending on her stroke form on freestyle and backstroke relative to others, the medley relays might also be on the schedule of an athlete whose rare multiple skills place her on a pathway to one of the busiest olympic campaigns across all sports in Paris.
Ledecky, meanwhile, will bid for a fourth consecutive 800m gold medal in Paris, provided all goes well at USA Trials in mid-June. If successful, she would become only the second swimmer ever to claim the same title at four Games, the first having been Michael Phelps when he retained the 200m medley title at Rio 2016, after wins in 2004, 2008 and 2012.
Should McIntosh bypass the Paris 800 and Ledecky lines up, the American is likely to face her stiffest opposition from Australians Ariarne Titmus and Lani Pallister, the first podium of more than one swimmer inside 8:10 in prospect.
Keanna MacInnes – Trading Watercolours For Team GB Colours In Olympic Waters
When Keanna MacInnes makes her Olympic debut for Britain in Paris this summer, it’ll be a case of trading watercolours for national colours in Olympic waters.
The 22-year-old is one of seven Stirling University swimmers selected for Team GB swim squad, alongside head coach at Stirling Steve Tigg. MacInnes booked her Olympic ticket with victory in the 200m butterfly at British trials last month and may also see relay action in Paris.
Speaking to the Stirling Observer’s Stuart McFarlane, she said: “I want to be swimming my best times when I get to Paris and based on how I swam at the trials, I think that can allow me to place pretty well. I’m hoping to get as close to a medal as I can, that would be amazing [and] getting into a few finals.”
After Paris, a fresh canvas awaits. Having completed a BSc in Psychology at Stirling University, MacInnes wanted to nurture her artistic talents and is now in her second year of a BA Art and Design course at Forth Valley College.
She told McFarlane: “The course allows me to be creative and have fun and helps me to relax and take my mind off swimming and competition. I quite like the distortion that water makes when someone is swimming and I also like the way the light comes off the water on top and below the surface, that inspires me in my artwork. Forth Valley College have been so flexible with me around my training schedule which has been going really well recently.
Monday Vortex, May 6
Net Gaines Of Telling The Truth: Riley On Fair Play & Safe Sport
Riley Gaines, the former U.S. college swimmer turned campaigner to save women’s sport for female athletes, has told graduates at Adrian College near Detroit that she raised her voice and two big red flags because a gaping void of silence needed to be filled with truth on the impact of males in female races and safe spaces.
Gaines, who tied with Lia Thomas (who grew into adulthood as Will Thomas) for fifth place in the 200 yards freestyle at NCAA finals in 2022 a day after Thomas became the first transgender swimmer to win an NCAA title (500 yards, ahead of three Team USA Olympic silver medallists), told graduates and their families at Adrian College that she had never imagined she would face “such resistance, censorship, vitriol and violence, in many instances, in desperation to silence me” because she had simply told the truth about the nature of sex-based sport, safety and fair play.
The debate over Thomas was fuelled by highly criticised decisions taken by NCAA to allow male advantage into female sport without hearing the voices of women noting the poison that was bound to be poured into the pool and spill well beyond it:
The 200 Free Time Trial That Became A Yardstick Of How Much Poison Is Being Poured In The Women’s Swimming Pool
A University of Kentucky charge in her college rafting days, Gaines told her audience:
“The unfair competition, the exploitation in our private spaces, the silencing and the threats that we faced if we dared to oppose or even question this injustice compiled, and I felt like I could no longer be silent. I waited for so long for someone else to say something, someone else to defend us and our sex-based protections, but no one did, so I decided I would unapologetically stand for truth, both in a Biblical and objective sense.”
Riley Gaines – Integrity has been a negotiable entity in Olympic sport for decades
The Detroit News Online reports that Gaines was invited in March by Adrian College president Jeffery Docking to give the commencement address at the college southwest of Detroit .
Reporter Anne Snabes notes: “When introducing Gaines as the speaker, Docking said Gaines ‘made it her mission to advocate for upholding competitive fairness for women in sports …’ and was interrupted by applause and cheers from the audience. She served, he resumed, “as a role model for courageously speaking out against an issue that could forever change women’s sports in America’.”
“I didn’t want to be seen as disrespectful,” Gaines tells her audience. “I wanted to be liked. I thought twice before I spoke to an issue that was deemed controversial, like I imagine many of you do or have done, but I chose to be courageous.”
She also notes:
“When we stifle speech and censor viewpoints, we are doing everyone a disservice, both the person trying to convey a message or perspective and those being denied hearing said insight. We risk silencing voices that may help us progress, and we risk not being able to respond rationally to what may be false or dangerous ideas … I ask you who oppose my presence, what are you so afraid of? Having your perspectives challenged, being encouraged to engage in independent thought?”
Riley Gaines – image: Riley Gaines and biological maled Lia Thomas when they shared 5th place at NCAA finals in 2022 – YouTube screenshot
Watch a part of the the address by Riley Gaines in which she urges the graduates and their families to “inherit the mantle of freedom” with a commitment to truth
Sunday Vortex, May 5
Unfair Play Shortlisted For UK Sports Writing Award 2024
Unfair Play, by Sharron Davies with this author, has been shortlisted for the Sports Book Awards 2024 “Sports Writing Award”. The Shortlist on the way to the awards ceremony at The Oval in London next month:
Unfair Play was shortlisted for the William Hill Sports Book of The Year in 2023 and won the public vote “Judge a Book by Its Cover” after the hardback launch of the book in June.
The paperback is out this July, with an insightful update chapter on the fight to save women’s sport and the campaign for justice on behalf of generations of women impacted by the GDR doping era.
Comment: It was great to work on the book with Sharron. We put in some serious hours, and that on the back of decades of never accepting injustice of the kind she and generations of women have endured. Lovely to be shortlisted and have the work recognised. The day Unfair Play can be shifted to the shelf marked “History” will be one worth celebrating. As things stand, the fight to save women’s sport for female athletes and uphold rules on safe and fair play, is alive and kicking. Indeed, not a day goes by without another absurd example of male advantage being allowed to colonise female sport.
Related:
Jim Thorpe Leaves No More Room For Excuses: Let The Justice Afforded To One Man Be Extended To Generations Of Olympic Women
The Vortex – November 2023: Unfair Play Wins Public Vote Among William Hill Sports Book Of Year Shortlisted
Unfair Play Out Today – Why Males Don’t Belong in Female Sport
Existential Threats To Olympic Sport?
The Guardian and Observer have two fine lines on potentially existential threats to Olympic sports: climate change and corporate packages that raise a lot of questions and invite us to look at the deal of moaning within the Olympic Movement when Sebastian Coe and World Athletics recently announced $50k prizes for gold medallists at the Paris 2024 Olympic Games, the sums a pittance compared to what some are prepared to pay for access to “the right kind of athlete”:
The Observer:
‘We’re looking at losing 20% of Olympic nations’: how the climate crisis is changing sport
The Guardian:
https://www.theguardian.com/sport/article/2024/may/04/super-rich-exclusive-paris-olympics-packagesSuper-rich spending up to $500,000 on exclusive Paris Olympics packages
Saturday Vortex, May 4
Ellen Walshe Confines Smith* 1996 Standard To Irish History In 4:37 Over 400IM At Leinster Championships
Ellen Walshe took down one of Michelle Smith‘s 400m medley standard from 1996, one of Ireland’s longest standing national swimming record, during at the Leinster Swimming Championships at the Sport Ireland National Aquatic Centre today.
Walshe, of Templeogue Swimming Club, clocked 4:37.94, inside the 4:39.18 in which Smith* claimed Olympic gold at Atlanta 1996 before she fell from grace and was banned from swimming for manipulation of an anti-doping test sample in 1998.
The story of Smith’s anti-doping challenge was broken by this author in The Times in 1998 and led to the first public hearing of a Court of Arbitration for Sport case. The next case to be heard in public was that of Sun Yang* in late 2019 after the same author and title broke the news of an incident in 2018 that would lead to the Chinese controversy being served a suspension of four years and three months, a penalty that was spent at the start of this month.
Back to the here and now and Walshe improved on a previous best of 4:41.30, clocked at the Mare Nostrum Swim Tour in Barcelona last year. Swim Ireland noted: “Already qualified for the Paris Games in the 200m Individual Medley, the 22-year-old’s time today was under the Olympic Qualification Time of 4:38.53, but she’ll need to have a similar performance at the Irish Open Championships and Olympic Trials (22nd – 26th May) in less than three weeks to be able to swim it in Paris.”
Friday Vortex , May 3
Katie Ledecky Receives Presidential Medal of Freedom & Says She’s Gunning For LA2028 Home Games
Katie Ledecky has towed her her 10 Olympic medals, 7 of them golden, and 26 World championship podiums back to home waters in Washington to receive the USA’s Presidential Medal of Freedom in honour of her stellar achievements in the pool.
At 27, she’s almost 12 years beyond her first gold medal at London 2012, has more golden and podium chances at Paris 2024, assuming all goes well at USA trials next month, and has let it be known that she’s set her sights on a fifth Olympics in 2028, Los Angeles a possible home-Games swansong.
On taking time out to fly north from her base at the Florida Gators to receive a different kind of medal in the 61st year of the ward being handed out, Katie told the Washington Post:
“Obviously, growing up in this area I know what a huge honour this is. feel very connected to this area. I know this is a national kind of award, but to me it feels almost local. I get to come home for this for a couple of days. This is my community.”
In an interview with NBC, she also said: “The [2028] Olympics being in LA is very appealing. Not very many athletes get an opportunity to compete in a home Games. I definitely at this point am planning on going through 2028… whether I compete in one event, multiple events, a relay, whatever.”
Paris 2024: The Ongoing Clean-Up Of The River Seine
French officials inaugurated on Thursday a huge water storage basin meant to help clean up the River Seine, set to be the venue for marathon swimming at the Paris Games and the swimming leg of the Olympic and Paralympic triathlons, AP reports.
Sports minister Amélie Oudéa-Castéra praised Paris’ ability “to provide athletes from all over the world with an exceptional setting on the Seine for their events.”
Paris inaugurates giant water storage basin to clean up the River Seine for Olympic swimming
In full: Paris inaugurates giant water storage basin to clean up the River Seine for Olympic swimming
An earlier reports outlining the long-term clean-up and the cancellation of the Paris 2024 open-water marathon test event:
Seine Or In-Seine? Paris Boss Prays For Rain, Rain, Go Away … Or Olympic Marathon May Be Flushed Away In Tide Of Pollution
Seine Water Quality Forces Cancellation Of Paris Open Water Showcase As World Aquatics Puts Safety First
Wednesday Vortex, May 1
Qatar Makes Its Olympic Ambitions Official
Qatar has formally launched a bid to host the 2036 Olympic Games, as widely expected after long years of campaigning on the long and often troubling trail of Olympic politics.
Part of the warm-up for its bid produced a popularity record: Qatar hosted the FIFA World Cup football tournament for men, the most viewed sports event in history. Estimates of engagement with football’s 3.5 billion fans worldwide suggest that popularity converted to 1.5 billion viewers watching the World Cup final on television and streaming services, while more than 5 billion viewers tuned in across the tournament as a whole.
Heat, corruption, discrimination against the gay community and death of a great many migrants on building sites during the construction of stadia were all among controversies along the way and will doubtless be raised once more as Qatar’s bid to become the smallest nation (pop. estimated to be just under 3 million come 2036) 2.6 million) ever to host the Olympics should it win the right to do so. Helsinki and Finland hold the record: the national population was around 4 million when the capital hosted the 1952 Games.
April Vortex: The New China Crisis, & WADA’s Decision To Launch An Investigation As Paris Games Loom
Our coverage after the news of 23 Chinese positives broke on April 20
ARD’s “Doping Top Secret – The China Files” – Parts 1-4 – Watch Why WADA U-Turn Is Urgent
SOS Analysis
The ARD China Files: Part 1 – SOS Analysis: Spies, Spice & Mass Contamination
The ARD China Files: Part 2 – SOS Analysis: On The Trail Of An Existential Precedent?
The ARD China Files: Part 3 – SOS Analysis: Lab Trials For TMZ & Testing Timeframes
SOS Related Coverage
WADA Tested On State Of Independence In Go-Free-23 Chinese Doping Positives Inquiry
WADA Denies Donations From Vaud Where Investigator Was Lead Prosecutor Add Up To Lack Of Independence
USADA Fires Back: By Calling Chinese Inquiry ‘Independent’ WADA Is Trying To Pull The Wool Over Our Eyes
Chinada Says It Has Worked With “Zero-Tolerance” Attitude Towards Doping
Sport Integrity Australia Backs USADA Call For WADA Review Of China’s Go-Free 23 Positives
Chinada Says It Has Worked With “Zero-Tolerance” Attitude Towards Doping
Zhang Yufei Books Ticket To Defence Of 200 ‘Fly Crown Under A Cloud Of Controversy (see below in this Vortex- Chinese Championships coverage)
USADA Calls For Independent Prosecutor & Overhaul of WADA In New China Crisis
WADA In Staunch Defence Of Decision Not To Challenge 28 Positives In 23 Chinese Swimmers
Sunday Essay: Caution: Olympic Hotel Contamination May Contain Trimetazidine? We’d Be Nuts To Think So
New China Crisis As ARD Reveals That 23 Swimmers, Zhang, Wang & Qin On The List, Tested Positive For Sun’s 1st-Offence Drug
