By Retta Race on SwimSwam

We recently reported how Hong Kong individual gold medalists at this year’s Olympic Games in Tokyo will be given a payout of HK $5 million (~$644,000 USD), an increase of over 66% from the amount offered at the 2016 Games in Rio.

This led us to take a look as to other nations’ medal bonuses to be given to those Summer Olympic Games athletes who work their way onto the podium in Tokyo, keeping in mind that medal payments aren’t the only way Olympic athletes are funded.

The United Kingdom, for example, does not offer specific medal bonuses but rather devotes approximately $162 million USD of government and lottery funds to Olympic and Paralympic sports each year. (Money Under 30)

Olympic sports such as badminton, basketball and surfing, which do not receive elite funding by UK Sport, are able to apply for up to £500,000 of financial help from a new “aspiration fund” set up by the government. (The Guardian)

Another example is monetary benefits bestowed upon members of the United States’ national swimming team, including tiered monthly stipends depending on pro, NCAA or high school status.

Bottom line, medal payments are just one reward for the physical, mental and financial sacrifices made by athletes around the world whose dream is to hear their anthem played in front of the biggest sporting audience.

Olympic Medal Rewards per Nation as of 2019

Some data courtesy of Money Under 30.

Read the full story on SwimSwam: Olympic Games Medal Payouts Per Nation Compared

By Retta Race on SwimSwam

In February 2019, the Australian sister swimming duo of Cate and Bronte Campbell represented 2 of almost 3500 swimmers who participated in the 36th annual Sydney Morning Herald Cole Classic open water swim in New South Wales. Their 1k adventure marked the Campbells’ first foray into open water swimming.

C1’s interest in open water has officially been piqued, as the 27-year-old Olympian announced via Instagram that she has entered another non-pool aquatic event.

“A year ago I moved to Sydney and did my first ocean swim and judging by this smile, I loved it (@reidy__ isn’t that funny)! So I’m doing another one! I’ve signed up for the @splashseriesevents on Australia Day! Sign up for just about the most Australian activity you can do on Australia Day,” reads C1’s Instagram post.

January 26th marks the 2nd event in the Splash Series, the Sydney Harbour Splash located in Rose Bay. The entire Series is run by Bondi Rescue’s Andrew ‘Reidy’ Reid, offering 1k, 2.5k and 5k swims for participants 16 years of age and older.

Sydney Harbour Splash benefits Dementia Australia, with the event taking place on Australia Day, celebrating the 1788 arrival of the First Fleet of British ships at Port Jackson, New South Wales, and the raising of the Flag of Great Britain at Sydney Cove by Governor Arthur Phillip.

View this post on Instagram

A year ago I moved to Sydney and did my first ocean swim and judging by this smile, I loved it (@reidy__ isn't that funny)! So I'm doing another one! I've signed up for the @splashseriesevents on Australia Day! Sign up for just about the most Australian activity you can do on Australia Day

By Karl Ortegon on SwimSwam

Indeed, Bilquist is no stranger to injury.

She has dealt with more than 12 stress fractures that put her out of the pool for some time in 2015 and plagued her from the end of high school through the fall of her senior year at Cal. The day after she got out of her boot, post-stress fractures, she broke her foot. That was in October of 2018, the beginning of her senior season. She’d finish the season as an American record-holder with a sub-21 split on Cal’s 200 free relay at NCAAs, among other lifetime bests.

Bilquist then broke her hand last year after her college season had wrapped up, but was able to come back in the summer to win her 100 back national title.

“I’ve broken other bones here and there growing up,” Bilquist told SwimSwam. “Those occurred before 2013, though.”

She says she has broken a rib, collar bone, toes, and thumb in her youth, though those all happened before she moved to Indiana for high school and to train with Carmel Swim Club. She also reiterated that she has done many tests, and there is no underlying condition with her legs, and that the repeated injuries are just unluckiness rather than indicative of a condition that makes her especially prone to lower body injuries.

Bilquist plans to be back to full training in a few weeks, with an intended return to competition in March. After graduating from Cal, she headed back to Arizona to re-up with Scottsdale Aquatic Club, where she swam before her move to Indiana. With the ISL season over, Bilquist will put her full attention on recovery and preparation for the 2020 Olympic Trials.

Read the full story on SwimSwam: Amy Bilquist Undergoes Knee Surgery, Hopes to Return to Racing in March

By Retta Race on SwimSwam

Racing in his late Hong Kong teammateKenneth To‘s memory, 17-year-old Cheuk Ming-ho earned a FINA ‘B’ mark en route to clocking a new national record in the men’s 400m freestyle last year.

Taking gold at the 400m freestyle at the 62nd Festival of Sport in April 2019, then-16-year-old Ming-ho registered a winning effort of 3:53.05 to log a new record and add his name to the possible list of consideration entries for this summer’s Olympic Games.

But life since that achievement has been anything but easy, as the teen has been facing heart-related medical issues that almost sidelined his Olympic dreams entirely as of late last year.

Read the full story on SwimSwam: Hong Kong Record-Breaking Swimmer Cheuk Ming-Ho Has Heart Scare

By Jared Anderson on SwimSwam

Disclaimer: Dolfin Swim of the Week is not meant to be a conclusive selection of the best overall swim of the week, but rather one Featured Swim to be explored in deeper detail. The  Dolfin Swim is an opportunity to take a closer look at the context of one of the many fast swims this week, perhaps a swim that slipped through the cracks as others grabbed the headlines, or a race we didn’t get to examine as closely in the flood of weekly meets.

Heading into the 100 fly, LSU led visiting Missouri by just eight points with four events to go. It was a Cinderella story for LSU, firm underdogs in the meet, but it looked like the Tigers just might run out of gas. Prior to the meet, Mizzou’s women were ranked #13 in our NCAA Power Ranks. LSU wasn’t ranked and didn’t receive a top-20 vote. In the CSCAA dual meet poll, Missouri was 12th (and coming off a top-10 stint the poll prior), while LSU didn’t receive any top-25 votes.

Mizzou had star sprinter Sarah Thompson and were heavy favorites to win the meet-ending 200 free relay, a big point swing late. That meant LSU had to build up a lead to survive Missouri’s late onslaught.

LSU had to grind just to get here in the first place. After Thompson won the 100 free, the meet was down to just one point, with LSU leading 85-84. Through the 200 back and 200 breast, the lead stayed slim, though LSU had increased the margin to three points after the breaststroke. A clutch 500 free win from freshman Summer Stanfield (in a lifetime-best of 4:48.21, bettering her previous best time by almost three seconds) pushed LSU to an eight-point spread. But Mizzou had All-American Haley Hynes up in the 100 fly, her career-best from November ranking in the top 50 nationally.

The Tigers countered with seniors Helen Grossman and Nicole Rozier, who came through with a massive 1-2 finish over Hynes, effectively sealing the meet for LSU. Grossman was 53.94 for the win. That’s close to her career-best 53.2 from last year’s SECs. Rozier went 54.60, the fifth-best swim of her career behind two SEC swims from last year, a 2018 Art Adamson race and a February 2019 dual meet 54.0.

That launched LSU into a 15-point lead. They used their clear-cut diving advantage to increase that lead to 18 after 3-meter, and though Mizzou won the 400 IM and the final relay, the damage was done, and LSU was walking out of the pool with a hard-fought SEC dual meet win by two points. Grossman and Rozier beating Hynes was a 12-point swing.

About Dolfin Swimwear

Dolfin Swimwear represents quality and value. We are committed to supplying our customers with a durable swim suit and an affordable price. We also will continue to be the innovaters for fun and unique practice/training suits which gives swimmers something to smile about…even during grueling workouts.

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LightStrike^TM was developed after years of research in biomechanics, active drag analysis, fabric innovation, and compression analysis. This new FINA approved suit is supported by Dr. Genadijus Sokolovas, PhD in Biomechanics and former Performance Director with USA Swimming and Styku® 3D Biomapping Engineering.

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Dolfin is a SwimSwam partner.

Read the full story on SwimSwam: Dolfin Swim of the Week: Grossman/Rozier 1-2 Wins Meet For LSU

By Jared Anderson on SwimSwam

2020 FINA CHAMPIONS SERIES – SHENZHEN

• Jan 14-15, 2020
• Shenzhen, CHN
• Meet Info
• Full Entry List
• Live Stream (FINA.tv)
• US Live Stream: NBC Sports
• Live Results

Katinka Hosszu won $43,000 in Shenzhen while swimming neither of the two big-money relay events. Hosszu led all earners by $10,000, though much of that came on three fourth-place finishes.

With just four entrants per event and all four earning prize money, the money lists from the Champions Series are much more volume-skewed than other similar events, like the Pro Swim Series or International Swimming League. Hosszu also had the most event entries with six.

Here’s a refresher on the prize money format, followed by the full money list from Shenzhen. We’ve split each relay prize into four equal pieces and tallied those with each individual member of the relay.

2020 FINA Champions Series Prize Money – Individual Events (x28):

• 1st place – $10,000
• 2nd place – $8,000
• 3rd place – $6,000
• 4th place – $5,000
• World Record Bonus – $20,000

2020 FINA Champions Series Prize Money – Relays (x2):

• 1st place – $16,000
• 2nd place – $12,000
• 3rd place – $8,000
• 4th place – $6,000

Shenzhen Money List

By Ben Dornan on SwimSwam

2020 CATALONIA OPEN CHAMPIONSHIPS

• January 16-19, 2020
• Club Natació Terrassa, Barcelona, Spain
• 50m (LCM) course
• Meet Info
• Heat Sheets
• Psych Sheets
• Live Results

Night one of the 2020 Catalonia Open Championships featured prelim swimming for both the men’s and women’s 400 free, 100 fly, 100 breast, 200 back, 50 free, 200 IM and 4×100 free.

Lidon Munoz‘s 1:01.52 100 fly was fast enough to overtake 100 fly top seed, Judit Ignacio in prelims. At last year’s 2019 Spanish Short Course Swimming Championships, the most recent Spanish Championship meet, Munoz took gold in the 100 fly as a part of a successful butterfly sweep. Going into the final, Alba Guillamon sits at second with a 1:01.90, closely followed by Lidia Huete’s 1:01.91 for third. Ignacio, meanwhile, fell to 7th place in the race, swimming a 1:03.01.

Munoz also hit the top time of the night in the 50 free, with a 25.52, which was also fast enough to set a new meet record. Munoz has a crowded schedule this weekend, when she’s entered to race both the 100 fly and 50 free finals, along with the individual 50 fly, 50 back and 100 back and 200 free.

Olympic medalist Mireia Belmonte started on her busy event schedule, racing both the 400 free and 200 IM. Belmonte raced to a second place finish in the 400 free prelims with a 4:18.39, just off fellow Olympian Melani Costa’s 4:17.15. Belmonte and Costa will go head-to-head for gold in the finals.

In her second prelim of the day, Belmonte swam a 2:18.92 200 IM, securing the top spot heading into the final. Jessica Vall was right behind Belmonte, with a 2:19.21 and Paula Sanchez was third, swimming a 2:21.03.

2016 Olympian Jessica Vall also swam the 100 breast, finishing far ahead of the field in the, with a 1:10.29. Despite being a few seconds slower than her recent 1:07.46 at 2019 Worlds, Vall will have another opportunity to race tomorrow morning with a clear shot for gold. Vall with face stiffer competition in the 200 breast on Saturday, where Martina Garcia joins the race. Garcia and Vall are two of Spain’s top breaststrokers, having both swam the 200 breast in Gwangju this summer.

Distance men Miguel Duran and Albert Escrits Manosa raced the 400 free prelim, each swimming a couple seconds over their entry times. Manosa finished as top seed with a 3:55.40, Duran trailing slightly with a 3:56.93. Tomorrow’s final will serve as a rematch, following the 2019 Spanish Short Course Championships, where Duran and Manosa went 1-2 in the 400 and swam a 3:44.16 and 3:44.80, respectively.

Despite not scoring any top seeds going into the finals, Olympic finalist Joan Lluis Pons had a busy session, racing 4 out of 6 individual events. He started his meet with a 10th place finish in the 400 free, which just made it into the A final in the 10-lane pool. Pons’ second event, which directly followed the 400, was the 100 fly and he hit a 58.42 for a 13th place finish. Pons’ last two events were 200 back and 200 IM, in which he claimed second and third seed, respectively, advancing to both A finals.

Top seed in the 200 back was Jan Giralt, with Carles Coll advancing first in the 200 IM.

Racing continues tomorrow with Friday morning finals starting at 9:30 in Catalonia (3:30 am ET).

Additional Top Seeds After Day 1 Prelims

• Men’s 100 fly: Alberto Lozano (55.33)
• Men’s 100 breast: Joan Ballester (1:04.11)
• Men’s 50 free: Carles Coll (23.55)
• Women’s 200 back: Cristina Garcia (2:16.76)

Read the full story on SwimSwam: Munoz Opens 2020 Catalonia Open With New 50 Fr Meet Record

By Retta Race on SwimSwam

We recently reported how Hong Kong individual gold medalists at this year’s Olympic Games in Tokyo will be given a payout of HK $5 million (~$644,000 USD), an increase of over 66% from the amount offered at the 2016 Games in Rio.

This led us to take a look as to other nations’ medal bonuses to be given to those Summer Olympic Games athletes who work their way onto the podium in Tokyo, keeping in mind that medal payments aren’t the only way Olympic athletes are funded.

The United Kingdom, for example, does not offer specific medal bonuses but rather devotes approximately $162 million USD of government and lottery funds to Olympic and Paralympic sports each year. (Money Under 30)

Olympic sports such as badminton, basketball and surfing, which do not receive elite funding by UK Sport, are able to apply for up to £500,000 of financial help from a new “aspiration fund” set up by the government. (The Guardian)

Another example is monetary benefits bestowed upon members of the United States’ national swimming team, including tiered monthly stipends depending on pro, NCAA or high school status.

Bottom line, medal payments are just one reward for the physical, mental and financial sacrifices made by athletes around the world whose dream is to hear their anthem played in front of the biggest sporting audience.

Olympic Medal Rewards per Nation as of 2019

Some data courtesy of Money Under 30.

Read the full story on SwimSwam: Olympic Games Medal Payouts Per Nation Compared

By Braden Keith on SwimSwam

2020 PRO SWIM SERIES – KNOXVILLE

• Thursday, January 16 – Sunday, January 19, 2020
• Knoxville, TN – Allan Jones Intercollegiate Aquatic Center – University of Tennessee
• Long course meters (50m/LCM) format
• Thursday distance session: 4 PM (U.S. Eastern Time)
• Fri-Sun.: 9:30 AM Prelims / 6:30 PM Finals
• Meet site
• Live Stream
  • All Prelims, B finals, Thursday & Sunday finals
  • Friday & Saturday A Finals
• Psych Sheets
• Live results

There are a handful of top 10 scratches for the first day of the 2020 Pro Swim Series that kicks off Thursday in Knoxville, Tennessee. The meet marks the opener of the new Pro Swim Series season and a return to Knoxville as part of the new-feel Pro Swim Series. Racing for the first day of competition begins at 4PM Eastern and will feature the women’s and men’s 800 freestyles (which are both now Olympic events). For the final 3 days of the meet, the evening sessions will begin at 6:30 Eastern.

In the women’s race, the biggest scratch is that of the 4th seed Hali Flickinger. Flickinger  hasn’t swum this race more than a couple of times each season since the end of her high school career in 2012, but did post a lifetime best last season in March at the Pro Swim Series stop in Des Moines. Her time of 8:29.96 from that meet ranked her in the top 30 in the world last season, even without a taper swim. Flickinger, who is now training at Arizona State as part of Bob Bowman’s post-grad group, has 8 other entries at the meet. She’s also scheduled for the 200 free, 100 fly, 400 IM, her specialty event the 200 fly, 100 back, 400 free, 200 IM, and 200 backstroke.

Erica Sullivan, Mariah Denigan, and Emma Weyant, all teenagers, are the top 3 seeds in the women’s race.

Also scratching the women’s 800 free is the 8th seed Bella Sims from Sandpipers of Nevada and 10th seed Claire Tuggle from DART. Both Sims, 14, and Tuggle, 15, are Olympic Trials qualifiers – among the youngest competitors eligible for that meet.

The only high-seed scratch in the men’s 800 free is Egyptian swimmer Akaram Mahmoud, who was the 2nd seed behind Zane Grothe. Mahmoud represented his native country at the 2019 World Championships where he finished 19th in his only event, the 1500 free. He currently trains at NC State in the Wolfpack Elite post-grad group.

Read the full story on SwimSwam: Hali Flickinger Scratches 800 Free at Pro Swim Series – Knoxville

By Ben Dornan on SwimSwam

Speedo is a SwimSwam partner.

Canadian Olympian Sydney Pickrem has announced via Instagram that she has joined Team Speedo. This is Pickrem’s first major suit deal; she went pro in 2019, having competed in the NCAA for Texas A&M from 2015-2019.

View this post on Instagram

Starting off the new year with some big news! So excited to officially be part of #TeamSpeedo

By Lauren Neidigh on SwimSwam

2020 PRO SWIM SERIES – KNOXVILLE

• Thursday, January 16 – Sunday, January 19, 2020
• Knoxville, TN – Allan Jones Intercollegiate Aquatic Center – University of Tennessee
• Long course meters (LCM) format
• Thursday distance session: 4 PM (U.S. Eastern Time)
• Fri-Sun.: 9:30 AM Prelims / 6:30 PM Finals
• Meet site
• Live Stream
  • All Prelims, B finals, Thursday & Sunday finals
  • Friday & Saturday A Finals
• Psych Sheets
• Live results

The 2020 Pro Swim Series in Knoxville opened Thursday night with the men’s and women’s 800 meter freestyle. Danish distance starAlexander Norgaard and American Record holder Zane Grothe highlighted the men’s race, while Erica Sullivan headlined the women’s race.

WOMEN’S 800 FREE:

1. Erica Sullivan (SAND)- 8:29.75
2. Kaersten Meitz (BA)- 8:31.85
3. Mariah Denigan (LAK)- 8:35.07

Last month, Sullivan became the 2nd fastest performer ever in the 1650 yard free. She’s a major threat to make the Olympic team this summer in the distance races. In tonight’s race, she led the field in 8:29.75, just under 4 seconds shy of her lifetime best from the FINA World Cup in August. That was also nearly 10 seconds faster than Sullivan swam in this event at the 2019 Pro Swim in Knoxville a year ago.

Kaersten Meitz, a 2019 WUGs champion, pulled ahead of junior standoutMariah Denigan on the back half in the battle for 2nd. Meitz touched the wall in 8:31.85, just a few tenths shy of her lifetime best from last summer. Denigan wound up 3rd in 8:35.07.

MEN’S 800 FREE:

1. Alexander Norgaard (DEN)- 7:59.63
2. Zane Grothe (BCH)- 8:03.21
3. Taylor Abbott (TENN)- 8:05.51

Norgaard, an NC State commit, set the pace early on for the men. He was a 3:59.45 at the 400 before going on to post the only sub-8:00 of the field. Norgaard won the race in 7:59.63, distancing himself further from Grothe (8:03.21) and Tennessee’s Taylor Abbott (8:05.51) on the back half.

Marcelo Acosta, a postgrad All-American at Louisville, and Jeremy Bagshaw, a postgrad All-American at Cal, were within hundredths of each other at the finish. Bagshaw was out slightly quicker, with Acosta half a second behind. Acosta took over a slight lead going into the final 100, but Bagshaw made one final push to get his hand on the wall first in 8:06.17 to Bagshaw’s 8:06.25.

Read the full story on SwimSwam: 2020 Pro Swim Series – Knoxville: Sullivan, Norgaard Win 800 Free

By Torrey Hart on SwimSwam

University of Southern California head swimming coach Dave Salo will step down from his role with the school to focus on his swimmers with Olympic aspirations, the program announced Thursday.

Current Trojans and national and international swimmers will continue train under Salo at the Uytengsu Aquatics Center as they prepare for the Tokyo Games, the school said.

Salo, in his 14th season with the Trojans, will make this March’s NCAA championship meets his last with the program. Salo took over for Mark Schubert as head coach in 2006 after serving at the helm of Irvine Novaquatics since 1990 (he remains the head coach emeritus executive consultant for the club). He had previously worked as a sprint assistant at USC from 1986-90 under Peter Daland.

“After thoughtful consideration and discussion with several key people in my life, this 2019-2020 season as USC’s head coach will be my last,” Salo said. “Following the NCAA Championships I will remain at USC, turning my undivided attention to the preparation of my athletes for the Tokyo Olympic Games. Beyond the Games I will continue my work with the Novaquatics Swim Club and with opportunities that have been presented. I also plan to put in a lot more work on improving my fade-away jumper.

“I have spent one third of my life at USC, as a grad student, assistant men’s coach and now as head coach. I will always be proud of the time spent here with the many people that make USC special. I will always reserve a most special place in my heart for the student-athletes and my staff who I hope I have served well. Going forward, I am excited about the future for the USC swimming and diving program with some great talent joining the team in the next few years.”

Under Salo, Trojan swimmers have combined to earn 89 women’s swimming and diving All-American honors and 76 men’s side, winning a combined 22 NCAA individual and six relay titles. The women have posted 10 NCAA top-10 finishes (four in the top six), while his men’s teams have had eight top-eight finishes (four in the top six).

In 2015, Salo led the men’s team to its first Pac-12 title since 1979, and in 2016, the women won their first in program history.

Numerous swimmers who have swum for Salo — whether they were on the college team or his club team —  have reached the Olympics. Those include Katinka Hosszu, Jessica Hardy, Rebecca Soni, Ricky Berens, Eric Shanteau, Haley Anderson, Yuliya Efimova, Vladimir Morozov, Amanda Beard, Aaron Peirsol, Jason Lezak, Gabrielle Rose and Staciana Stitts.

Salo was an assistant to Team USA at 2012 Olympics (women), 2010 Short Course World Championships (women), 2004 Olympics (men), 2003 World Championships (men and women), 2002 Pan Pacific Championships (men), 2000 Olympics (women) and the 1999 Pan American Games (women). He served as head coach at the 2015 and 2013 FINA World Championships for the United States’ women’s team and head coach for the men in 2005; he was also the men’s head coach for the 2001 Goodwill Games.

Though USC did not announce Salo’s successor Thursday, they have a strong in-house candidate in associate head coach Catherine Kase, currently in her 12th season with the program. Kase served as the United States’ head open water coach at the 2016 Olympics and will do so again in 2020. She was also head open water coach for the 2019, 2015, 2013, and 2009 FINA World Championships, as well as the 2014 and 2016 Pan Pacific Championships and 2007 Pan American Games.

Read the full story on SwimSwam: Dave Salo to Step Down as USC Head Coach to Focus on Olympic Hopefuls

By Braden Keith on SwimSwam

2020 PRO SWIM SERIES – KNOXVILLE

• Thursday, January 16 – Sunday, January 19, 2020
• Knoxville, TN – Allan Jones Intercollegiate Aquatic Center – University of Tennessee
• Long course meters (LCM) format
• Thursday distance session: 4 PM (U.S. Eastern Time)
• Fri-Sun.: 9:30 AM Prelims / 6:30 PM Finals
• Meet site
• Live Stream
  • All Prelims, B finals, Thursday & Sunday finals
  • Friday & Saturday A Finals
• Psych Sheets
• Live results
• Day 2 Prelims Heat Sheets

There were a number of high-profile scratches from Thursday’s first prelims session, but no event was hit as hard as the women’s 400 IM. There, 4 of the top 6 seeds have pulled out. #1 seed Ella Eastin, #3 seed Emily Overholt, #4 seed Makayla Sargent and #6 Tess Cieplucha have all pulled out of the 400 IM. None of those 4 swimmers have other entries on Friday – Overholt also scratched as the 8th seed in the 200 free.

Also pulling out of that women’s 200 free is Katie McLaughlin, who scratched both the 200 free (5th seed) and 100 fly (3rd seed), which also leaves her with no swims on Friday.

The biggest scratch on the men’s side is Vini Lanza, who dropped his only entry, the 100 fly, where he was scheduled to be the 3rd seed. Notably, Luca Urlando has been removed from Friday’s heat sheets – he announced earlier this week that he dislocated his shoulder and will spend the next few months rehabbing it.

Other High Day 1 Scratches:

• 15-year old Claire Tuggle scratched out of her only entry Friday, the 200 free. She also dropped the 800 free on Thursday.
• Melanie Margalis has scratched out of the 100 breast (5th seed) and will focus on the 200 free on Friday morning. She dropped the 100 breast at this meet last year as well, but in 2019 she swam the 400 IM on this day of the meet, but this year she won’t race the 400 IM. She broke the American Record in short course meters in the 400 IM during the 2019 International Swimming League season and also swam a 4:37 in long course at the U.S. Open in December.
• There were 2 men who scratched out of the top 10 in the 100 breaststroke. One is Russian swimmer Evgenii Somov, a junior at Louisville, which doesn’t have a meet this weekend. The other is Olympic gold medalist and American Record holder in the event Kevin Cordes, who was due to be the 5th seed. Cordes is listed in the psych sheets as a member of the University of Georgia-based Athens Bulldog Swim Club.

Read the full story on SwimSwam: 4 of Top 6 Seeds in Women’s 400 IM Scratch on Friday in Knoxville

By Wendy Mayer on SwimSwam

With the 2020 collegiate women’s water polo season beginning in earnest this weekend, SwimSwam breaks down the top headlines from the offseason.

A New Conference Home

UC San Diego is in its first season in the Big West after winning seven-straight titles in the Western Water Polo Association. UCSD wrapped up its time in the WWPA on a 45-match league win streak.

The addition of the Tritons makes the Big West a seven-team league. It also changes the format of the conference tournament to give just the regular season champion a bye to the semifinals.

New Faces in the Coaching Ranks

• Carthage – Ryan Castle. Castle, who was head coach at Indiana from 2017 to 2019, was named the head coach of the Lady Reds on July 16, replacing Laura Coffman.
•  Grove City – Jocelyn Bernhardt. Bernhardt, an Honorable Mention All-American and a four-year starter for the Wolverines, was tabbed as head coach after spending the 2018 season as an assistant coach. Bernhardt replaces CWPA Division III Coach of the Year Alyssa Hunt, who stepped down in August to become the program director for the Alberta Water Polo Association.
• Indiana – Taylor Dodson. Dodson, who was an assistant coach with the Hoosiers for the past two seasons, was named head coach in June, following the departure of Castle, whose contract was not renewed.
• LIU Brooklyn – Gabby Juarez. In Oct. 2018, LIU announced the addition of women’s water polo as a varsity sport and also named Juarez as the program’s inaugural head coach. Juarez came to LIU after a year as the coach with the Brooklyn Hustle Water Polo Club and Mako Water Polo Club in New York City.
• San Jose State – Beth Harberts. Harberts was tabbed as head coach of the Spartans in August after spending the 2018-19 season as an assistant coach with the men’s and women’s water polo teams. Harberts, who was a two-time All-American at SJSU, joined the Spartan coaching staff in 2015, first as a volunteer assistant for the men’s team.
• Siena – Alex Williams. Williams, who was an assistant coach with the Iona men’s and women’s water polo teams in 2018-19, was named as the seventh head coach in the Saints’ water polo history in October. Williams takes over for Tamara Perea, who resigned in August to take a position as assistant coach on the Fresno State coaching staff.
• St. Francis Brooklyn – Alana Burgess. Burgess, who was an assistant coach for the Terriers in 2019, was promoted to head coach in September. Burgess takes over for Megan Husak, who spent seven seasons as head coach.
• USC – Marko Pintaric. Pintaric is in his first full season as head coach of the Trojans after taking over as interim head coach in March when Jovan Vavic was fired amidst the college admissions scandal. USC removed the interim tag on Pintaric in August and he went on to lead the Trojan men to an NCAA runnerup finish in December.
• Wagner – Ciaran Wolohan. In August, Wolohan was named interim head coach for the 2019-20 men’s and women’s seasons. A former Seahawk men’s player, Wolohan was an assistant with the Wagner men’s team in 2018 and women’s team in 2019. He follows Chris Radmonovich as head coach after his departure for a career in private business.

Poll Position

In addition to the national poll, which was released on Wednesday, four of the seven women’s water polo conferences have announced their preseason polls.

Golden Coast Conference

The Pacific Tigers, which have won the last two regular season conference crowns and the last three tournament titles, were picked first in the league’s preseason coaches’ poll. Pacific went 18-9 and 7-0 in conference play in 2019, while extending their league win streak to 21 games.

Loyola Marymount earned the final first place vote in the poll and checked in at second in the rankings. The Lions lost 13-9 to Pacific in the GCC Championship match, capping a 21-10 season.

Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference

Wagner, which won its sixth-straight MAAC Championship title in 2019, again topped the league’s preseason poll, but secured just five of the nine first place votes. The Seahawks won a school record 30 matches, including 14 conference wins and the league’s regular season title.

Marist, which fell 8-4 to Wagner in the conference championship match last year, was just one point behind the Seahawks in the preseason poll, while also grabbing four of the nine first place votes. The Red Foxes went 22-16 in 2019, including a 12-2 mark in conference action.

Mountain Pacific Sports Federation

USC, which was named the #1 team nationally heading into the 2020 season, also was picked to win the MPSF crown. The Trojans, which went 28-2 and 5-1 in the league in 2019 on the way to an NCAA runnerup finish, earned four of the seven first place votes.

UCLA, which finished third in the conference a year ago, was picked second and garnered two first place votes. The Bruins went 24-7, including a 4-2 mark in the MPSF, en route to an NCAA semifinal berth.

Defending NCAA champion Stanford, which posted a 23-2 mark and a perfect 6-0 mark in the MPSF, ranked third and earned the final first place vote. The Cardinal topped USC 9-8 in the national championship match.

Cal, which rounded out an all-MPSF NCAA semifinal field, was picked fourth in the league. The Bears went 17-9 in 2019, including a 3-3 MPSF record.

Western Water Polo Association

The WWPA will have a new champion in 2020 after the departure of UC San Diego, which won seven straight league crowns.

Hopping in the driver’s seat is Cal State East Bay, which brings back the league’s Co-Player of the Year in Auriel Bill. The Pioneers earned four of the conference’s eight first place votes. Easy Bay went 15-15 last year and finished third at the league championships.

Fresno Pacific, which was the conference’s tournament runnerup in 2019 falling to UCSD 15-4, was picked second and garnered three first place votes. The Sunbirds went 10-20, including a 4-2 conference mark.

Salem, which is heading into its second season in the WWPA, earned the final first place vote. The Tigers went 14-14 in 2019.

Read the full story on SwimSwam: News & Notes from the Collegiate Women’s Water Polo Offseason

By Giusy Cisale on SwimSwam

 FINA CHAMPIONS SWIM SERIES 2020 – SHENZEN

• 14-15 gennaio, Shenzen, Cina
• 18-19 gennaio, Pechino, Cina
• Swimswam Italia preview
• Entry List
• Risultati Live
• Recap Day1
• Recap_Day2

Katinka Hosszu è l’atleta che ha guadagnato di più durante la prima tappa della FINA Champions Swim Series 2020.

Nella due giorni di Shenzen, in Cina, la Iron Lady ungherese ha guadagnato premi in denaro per un totale di 43 mila dollari statunitensi.

La maggior parte di questi è arrivata dalla semplice partecipazione alle gare. Sei gare, due primi posti, un secondo posto e tre quarti posti.

Con soli quattro partecipanti per ogni finale e premi per ogni piazzamento, la Champions Swim Series della FINA è attualmente quella che concede i premi maggiori.

Di seguito un aggiornamento sul format dei premi in denaro, seguito dall’elenco dei primi dieci atleti di Shenzhen.

La classifica è a cura del collega Jared Anderson

2020 FINA Champions Series – Gare Individuali (28):

• 1 posto – $10,000
• 2 – $8,000
• 3 – $6,000
• 4 – $5,000
• World Record Bonus – $20,000

2020 FINA Champions Series Premi Staffette:

• 1 posto – $16,000
• 2 – $12,000
• 3 – $8,000
• 4 – $6,000

CLASSIFICA SHENZEN

Read the full story on SwimSwam: Katinka Hosszu Guida La Classifica FINA Swim Series Con 43 Mila $

By Giusy Cisale on SwimSwam

OLIMPIADI DI TOKYO 2020

• 24 Luglio – 09 Agosto 2020
• Programma gare
• Approfondimento finali di mattina
• Tempi limite
• Programma Gare Nuoto
• Criteri di Selezione Nazionale Italiana

Qualche giorno fa vi avevamo riportato l’aumento dei premi in denaro deliberato da Hong Kong per le medaglie che i suoi atleti conquisteranno alle Olimpiadi di Tokyo del prossimo Luglio.

• leggi qui l’approfondimento su Hong Kong

Vediamo oggi quale tipologia di bonus viene offerto dalle altre nazioni.

Precisiamo che i bonus di cui parliamo non sono riferiti soltanto alle discipline acquatiche, ma a tutti gli sport presenti nel programma olimpico.

Il Regno Unito, ad esempio, non offre bonus specifici per le medaglie. Ogni anno però devolve circa 162 milioni di dollari di fondi governativi e della lotteria agli sport olimpici e paralimpici (Money Under 30).

Gli sport olimpici come il badminton, il basket e il surf, che non ricevono finanziamenti diretti, nel Regno Unito possono richiedere fino a 500.000 sterline di aiuto finanziario da un nuovo fondo istituito dal governo (The Guardian).

I premi riservati agli atleti sono visti un po’ in tutto il mondo come una piccola ricompensa per il duro lavoro, fisico e mentale che porta migliaia di persone ad inseguire il sogno olimpico.

PREMI IN DENARO PER LE MEDAGLIE OLIMPICHE

I dati sono estratti da Money Under 30.

Read the full story on SwimSwam: Olimpiadi Di Tokyo:I Premi In Denaro Che Le Nazioni Pagano Per Le Medaglie

By Jared Anderson on SwimSwam

2020 FINA CHAMPIONS SERIES #2

• Jan 18-19, 2020
• Beijing, CHN
• Meet Info
• Full Entry List
• Live Stream (FINA.tv)
• Live Results

FINA’s Champions Series ends in Beijing, China this week. We’ve got all the links you need to follow the meet, including our own meet preview series.

Event Schedule

Day 1:

1. 200m Backstroke, Women
2. 200m Butterfly, Men
3. 100m Butterfly, Women
4. 50m Freestyle, Men
5. 200m Breaststroke, Women
6. 100m Backstroke, Men
7. 400m Freestyle, Women
8. 50m Butterfly, Men
9. 100m Freestyle, Women
10. 200m IM, Men
11. 50m Breaststroke, Women
12. 100m Breaststroke, Men
13. 50m Backstroke, Women
14. 200m Freestyle, Men
15. 4x100m Freestyle, Mixed*

Day 2:

1. 200m Backstroke, Men
2. 200m Butterfly, Women
3. 100m Butterfly, Men
4. 50m Freestyle, Women
5. 200m Breaststroke, Men
6. 100m Backstroke, Women
7. 400m Freestyle, Men
8. 50m Butterfly, Women
9. 100m Freestyle, Men
10. 200m IM, Women
11. 50m Breaststroke, Men
12. 100m Breaststroke, Women
13. 50m Backstroke, Men
14. 200m Freestyle, Women
15. 4x100m Medley, Mixed*

Prize Money Breakdown

2020 FINA Champions Series Prize Money – Individual Events (x28):

• 1st place – $10,000
• 2nd place – $8,000
• 3rd place – $6,000
• 4th place – $5,000
• World Record Bonus – $20,000

2020 FINA Champions Series Prize Money – Relays (x2):

• 1st place – $16,000
• 2nd place – $12,000
• 3rd place – $8,000
• 4th place – $6,000

The prize money above is in addition to engagement fees that FINA is paying to athletes in exchange for their participation in supporting events like press conferences.

Each race will have 4 swimmers, and all 4 swimmers will score points. There are no “series” bonuses, and no minimum time standards that have to be met in order to earn money.

Beijing Relay Lineups

Coming soon

Read the full story on SwimSwam: All The Links You Need For the 2020 FINA Champions Series – Beijing

By Retta Race on SwimSwam

2020 WESTERN AUSTRALIA SWIMMING CHAMPIONSHIPS

• Friday, January 17th – Sunday, January 19th
• HBF Stadium, Mount Claremount
• LCM
• SwimSwam Preview
• Results – Meet Mobile: Hancock Prospecting WA Swimming Championships

The 2020 Western Australia Swimming Championships kicked off today at HBF Stadium, with the likes of heavy hitters Holly Barratt, Brianna Throssell and Kiah Melverton taking to the water in what represents their first pool competition of this Olympic calendar year.

Throssell got off to a quick start, with the 23-year-old West Coast Swimming Club star producing a winning 100m free time of 54.90. Splitting 26.43/28.47, Throssell sliced well over a second off of her morning effort of 56.33 to represent the only finalist to register a time under 55 seconds.

Behind her tonight was Kiah Melverton, the open water swimmer who has been getting things done in the pool as of late. The visiting Queenslander took 400m, 800m and 1500m free silver at the 2019 U.S. Open last December, touching the wall behind icon Katie Ledecky of the United States in each race.

This evening at these Western Aussie Championships, Melverton posted a time fo 56.99 for 100m free silver behind Throssell, a mark which ties her 3rd fastest outing ever. Her quickest to date has been the 56.39 logged just last month at the Queensland Championships.

Of note, 32-year-old stalwart Holly Barratt was also in the race but finished 5th in a time of 58.50. That added almost a second to her 3rd seeded morning swim of 57.63.

Barratt earlier nabbed gold, however, in the 50m fly, her specialty event. The Rockingham dynamo owns the Aussie national record in this sprint fly event with the 25.31 she put up at the 2019 FINA World Cup Series top in Singapore.

This evening, it took Barratt just 26.72 to get her hands on the wall first, with the runner-up, Kate Harrison, 17 years Barratt’s junior, taking silver in 27.79.

On the men’s side of the competition, 19-year-old Ashton Brinkworth got it done for gold in the men’s 100m free, taking the top prize in a time of 50.39, while Ben Roberts of Breakers WA Swim Club found success in the 400m free, topping the podium in a mark of 3:53.71 as the clear winner.

16-year-old Joshua Edwards-Smith had a standout night for himself, taking 2 gold medals after finishing 3rd in the aforementioned 100m free event (51.98).

First, in the 50m back, Edwards-Smith logged a winning effort of 26.72. He owns the Aussie age record in 25.60 from last year.

Edwards-Smith also helped his UWA West Coast squad take gold in the men’s medley relay, leading off in a split of 57.74. He holds the fastest time ever by an Aussie 16-year-old in this 100m back event as well in the 55.01 logged last year.

Read the full story on SwimSwam: Throssell, Barratt & Edwards-Smith Get Golden Start To Western Aussie C’ships

By Retta Race on SwimSwam

25-year-old Katsumi Nakamura of Japan has launched his own YouTube channel to help interact with fans and give insight into what it takes to be an Olympian.

Katsumi Nakamura, courtesy of Katsumi Channel

With the 2020 Games on the horizon and taking place in his home nation, the record-holding freestyle sprinter isn’t taking any chances in his preparation, diligently following a personalized methodology, which includes a series of purposeful steps both in and out of the pool.

In this 15-minute video, with which you can follow along by activating English subtitles within YouTube, Nakamura gives viewers a glimpse into a typical training day. We see what the 47.87 100m freestyler eats for breakfast, lunch, and dinner; how he is extremely disciplined when it comes to his pre-practice stretching, body-relaxing, and ab work.

Katsumi Nakamura, courtesy of Katsumi Channel

We even see Nakamura at home, getting insight into his non-swimming routine, which even includes a calculated approach to skincare.

Barring anything unforeseen, Nakamura will at least be competing at the home Olympic Games as a member of Japan’s men’s 4x100m free relay. The nation qualified for Tokyo by way of finishing 9th at the 2019 World Championships.

Nakamura is also likely to compete on the medley relay, also which qualified for the Games with a 4th place finish in Gwangju.

The man will also do his best to qualify individually, looking like a top contender to take the 50m/100m freestyle double at Japan’s Olympic Trials taking place in April.

Read the full story on SwimSwam: Insider Training: Watch Katsumi Nakamura’s Disciplined Daily Routine

By Dan Dingman on SwimSwam

SwimSwam’s daily swimming workout series is a collection of workouts written by coaches from a variety of backgrounds. All daily swimming workouts have been written using Commit Swimming. The workouts themselves are not indicative of SwimSwam’s or Commit’s views on training. They strictly reflect the opinions of the author swim coach.

Workout Context

• Purpose:  Base building
• Target age group:  13-18 years old
• Target level:  Age Group (Advanced), National/ Collegiate Level
• Weeks until target meet:  2 weeks
• Team Location:  United States
• Course:  25 Yards
• Shared workout link:  Click here to view this workout on commitswimming.com

The Workout

1 x
    1 x 600 @ 8:00 mod 200 free 200 IM K D 200 back 1:20 base
    4 x 100 @ 1:30 build each 100 IM order 50 kick 25 drill 25 swim    
1 x
    4 x 100 @ 1:40 fast kick free w snorkel on R side L side
    8 x 25 @ :25 fast kick free w board
    8 x 25 @ :35 1/2 lap breast kick fast turn 1/2 lap all out free to wall use kick board
    4 x 50 @ :50 all out kick odd breast or fly even free
_______________________________________________________________________________
1 x
    1 x 100 free AP @ 1:15 1:20
    2 x 150 free AP @ 2:00 2:10
    1 x 300 free AP @ 3:30 3:50
    16 x 50 free AP-4 @ :40 :45 Paddles REST 2:00
    16 x 50 best odd @ 1:00 build fast
4 x [straight thru]
    50 free mod
    50 best odd kick fast
    100 build 25 best odd drill 25 free BP 3rd DPS 50 drill swim best odd
1 x
    16 x 25 fast kick @ :25 odd free :30 even best odd
    4 x 150 pull free paddles snorkel buoy @ 2:30 fast 2:40 fast
    2 x 50 drill best odd mod     @ 1:00
    4 x 50 swim best odd all out @ 1:00     200 race pace all out
    2 x 50 drill best odd mod     @ 1:00
    4 x 50 swim best odd all out    @ :50        200 race pace all out
300 easy do whatever it takes to get in 300 easy

Jeff Kincaid
Senior Program Director, SEVA Seahawks

SwimSwam’s daily swimming workout is powered by Commit Swimming.

Swimming news for swim coaches and swim teams, courtesy of Commit Swimming. Click here to view all daily swimming workouts on SwimSwam.

Read the full story on SwimSwam: Daily Swim Coach Workout #42