Kolam Renang Hotel-hotel Mewah Ini Menawarkan Sensasi Luar Biasa!

Hotel Mardan PAlace

AKUATIK - Hotel-hotel mewah di seluruh dunia pasti menawarkan berbagai fasilitas istimewa bagi tamunya. Hal ini tentu sudah biasa dan bukan lagi sebuah kejutan. Namun, siapa pun akan terkagum-kagum melihat fasilitas kolam renang luar biasa di hotel-hotel berikut ini. Mari menjelajah Turki, Yunani, Swiss, dan Pulau Dewata di Indonesia.

Pertama, Anda akan terpukau dengan kolam renang yang ada di Hotel Mardan Palace, Turki. Hotel seluas 180.000 meter persegi tersebut mengeksplorasi kebudayaan dan keunggulan alam di sepanjang garis pantai Mediterania. Selain memberikan kemewahan dalam 546 kamarnya, hotel ini juga menawarkan pelayanan spa yang luar biasa.

Namun, bukan pelayanan spa kelas satunya yang menjadikan hotel ini istimewa. Kolam renang luar ruang dengan bangunan di tengah-tengahnyalah yang membuat hotel ini tampak luar biasa.

Lokasi kedua yang memiliki kolam renang mengagumkan adalah Grecotel Amirandes Exclusive Resort. Resor ini berada 18 kilometer dari bandar udara internasional Heraklion, Nikos Kazantzakis. Situs resmi hotel tersebut menyebutkan bahwa mereka menawarkan lokasi sempurna dengan akses mudah menuju situs arkeologis terkenal di dunia, Istana Knossos.

Grecotel Amirandes Exclusive Resort berada di atas lahan seluas 70.000 meter persegi. Hotel ini memiliki 212 kamar mewah bergaya bungalow dan suites. Beberapa dari kamar-kamar eksklusif tersebut bahkan memiliki kolam renang pribadi. Tidak hanya itu saja, berbagai fasilitas umum untuk seluruh tamu, seperti restoran, juga dikelilingi kolam renang.

Tengoklah kolam renang utama hotel ini jika Anda ingin menikmati pemandangan bebas menuju lautan lepas, sembari ditemani kemewahan langsung dari pintu kamar tempat Anda menginap. Inilah yang membuat kolam renang Grecotel luar biasa.

Lokasi ketiga adalah Hotel Cambrian di Swiss. Hotel ini berada 50 meter dari jatung Adelboden. Lift ski berada tidak jauh dari hotel tersebut. Penginapan ini juga dapat dijangkau dalam dua jam dari Zurich dan dua setengah jam dari Geneva dengan menggunakan mobil.

Kolam renang air hangat luar ruang hotel ini justru sederhana karena tidak menggunakan berbagai dekorasi arsitektur rumit. Namun begitu, tetap saja dapat membuat para tamu hotel bisa menikmati keindahan alam, menyaksikan salju di puncak gunung di seberang lembah.

Lokasi keempat adalah Resor Ubud Hanging Garden di Bali. Hotel yang sudah dikenal luas secara internasional ini menawarkan infinity pool yang berada pada dua level, seolah membentuk terasering. Kolam renang istimewa tersebut dikelilingi oleh hutan hujan tropis yang tampak begitu menyegarkan. Para tamu juga dapat menikmati segarnya sinar matahari yang terus menyinari Bali. Uniknya, setiap kamar dan suite yang ada di resor tersebut memiliki "bagian kolam renang"-nya sendiri.

Terakhir, kolam renang di Darwin, Australia. Sebenarnya, kolam renang ini bukan bagian dari hotel. Kolam renang ini juga kalah cantik dengan keempat kolam renang hotel yang telah disebutkan sebelumnya. Kolam tersebut merupakan bagian dari Crocosaurus Dave dan menawarkan pengalaman mendebarkan yang luar biasa. Anda bisa berenang bersama seekor buaya berukuran besar dalam program Cage of Death.

Dengan "sangkar" berbentuk silinder tembus pandang, para pengunjung akan terlindungi sembari berenang bersama buaya-buaya besar. Setiap perenang bisa merasakan sensasi berada beberapa sentimeter dari buaya selama 15 menit. (KOMPAS.com)

Liga dan Kejurnas U-17: Tim Polo Air Sumbar Berlaga di Bandung

Padang, Padek, POLO AIR -  Tim polo air putra Sumbar diberangkatkan untuk me­ngi­kuti Liga Polo Air putaran II yang akan dilaksanakan 26-30 Agus­tus di Kolam Renang Tirta Lega, Bandung. Selain itu, Sumbar juga mengirimkan tim polo air untuk mengikuti Kejurnas Polo Air Yunior U-17. Pada liga dan kejurnas ini, Sumbar bertekad memberikan hasil maksimal, paling tidak mempertahankan gelar seba­gai runner-up pada putaran I beberapa waktu lalu di Padang. 

”Sebanyak 13 pemain, satu pelatih, satu wasit dan satu orang manajer akan I berang­katkan. Tim ini akan berangkat Jumat malam dengan mele­wati jalur darat membawa dua mobil pribadi,” kata Sekum PRSI Sum­bar, Maidison, ke­ma­rin.

Pemain-pemain yang di ba­wa adalah, M Guntur, San­sino, Afis Alamsyah, Anggi Darma Putra, Diky Anugrah, Azwan Risman, Irvan Ryandi, Edi Da­sra, M.Fikri dan M.Far­han.  ”Tiga orang lainnya yakni, No­vendra Deni, Adek Alfiandri dan Ilfan Riyandi akan me­nyusul karena ketiganya te­ngah me­ngikuti Pelatnas SEA Games.

Sedangkan untuk mengi­kuti Kejurnas U-17, kita memi­liki pemain pas-pasan, yaitu, M Fikri, Farhan, Gilang, Azwan Risma, Adek Alfiandri, San­sino dan M Guntur,” kata Maidison.

Meskipun memiliki keter­batasan dana, tim Sumbar akan berusaha semaksimal mungkin untuk memberikan hasil yang terbaik. ”Kami be­rangkat de­ngan dana yang minim, karena belum ada ban­tuan dari KONI. Kita maklum dengan kondisi KONI seka­rang, mudah-mu­dahan jika mereka sudah ada dana, KONI bisa membantu kita. Agar tetap bisa ikut serta, kami mengupayalan dana sendiri. Mudah-mudahan per­ma­sala­han ini tidak menghambat kita untuk meraih prestasi yang membanggakan,” harapnya.

Sementara, Pelatih polo air Sumbar, Peris AB mengaku terus melakukan persiapan pasca putaran I lalu. Meskipun hanya berlatih diluar kolam, ia mengaku anak asuhnya telah mengalami peningkatan. Ia berharap, semua pemainnya bermain semaksimal mungkin agar bisa meraih prestasi.

”Hingga saat ini kita masih terus menjalani latihan. Sete­lah putaran I lalu, kita tidak bisa latihan di kolam karena puasa. Meskipun demikian, anak-anak mengalami pening­katan di segi kondisi fisiknya. Untuk putaran II ini, kami ha­nya menambah satu pemain saja, yaitu M Far­han,” kata Peris.

Permasalahan yang ada sekarang adalah, pemain akan mengalami kelelahan karena menempuh perjalanan darat. “Kondisi pemain pasti menu­run saat pertandingan nanti. Saya akan minta pemain me­man­faatkan waktu untuk isti­rahat sebaik mungkin sebelum per­tan­dingan. Semua pemain pasti akan berupaya maksimal untuk memenangkan setiap per­tan­dingan,” ujar mantan pelatih timnas. 

(padang ekspres/poloairindonesia.blogspot.com)

Asian Youth Games 2013: Renang Rebut Medali Perak

NANJING, AKUATIK.- Cabang renang menambah pundi medali Indonesia di Asian Youth Games (AYG) 2013 usai Ricky Anggawidjaja kembali merebut medali perak di nomor 200 meter gaya punggung putra kemarin (21/8/13).

Berlomba di Natatorium Nanjing Olympic Stadium, Ricky mencatatkan waktu tercepat kedua, dua menit 6.70 detik setelah perenang Singapura Zheng Wen Quah yang menghasilkan waktu 2 menit 03.17 detik. Perunggu di nomor ini diraih perenang Cina Taipei Yang Chunyao dengan waktu 2 menit 07.76 detik.

Kepala Pelatih Renang tim Indonesia Hartadi Noertjojo menuturkan bahwa dirinya sudah lega karena hutang kepada Komite Olimpiade Indonesia (KOI) untuk mempersembahkan medali telah lunas. Secara catatan waktu, di atas kertas, diakuinya memang perenang Singapura lebih baik, tapi dia menilai hasil Ricky sudah maksimal.

"Kami bangga jelas. Karena Ricky sudah bisa melebihi targetnya sendiri. Untuk waktu, hasilnya lebih baik dibandingkan kualifikasi," katanya usai perlombaan. Menurutnya hasil satu emas, satu perak, dan satu perunggu ini sudah jauh dari bagus. Pasalnya, pihaknya mengaku tidak ada persiapan khusus untuk tampil di AYG ini, karena memang SEA Games lah yang dipersiapkan untuk peak para perenangnya.

Dengan tambahan satu perak ini, maka peringkat Indonesia pada klasemen sementara perolehan medali, naik ke posisi 12 dari posisi 15 sebelumnya dengan raihan satu emas, dua perak, dan satu perunggu.

Indonesia hari ini masih berpeluang untuk merebut medali lagi dari cabang squash di nomor beregu putra dan atletik. Di Squash, nomor beregu putra. Indonesia yang berada di pool B bersama Malaysia, Hongkong, Jepang, Kuwait, dan Thailand ini sementara telah mencatatkan dua kemenangan dan sekali kalah. Kemenangan tersebut dipetik dari Jepang (2-1) dan Thailand (3-0), sedangkan satu kekalahan diperoleh saat menghadapi Malaysia (0-3).

Pada hari terakhir babak penyisihan pool, Indonesia menyisakan dua pertandingan melawan Hongkong dan Kuwait, sebelum bisa melangkah ke semifinal. Sayangnya, hasil di nomor beregu putra gagal diikuti oleh nomor beregu putri. Indonesia dipecundai tim squash Hongkong dan Atlet Olimpik Independen (AOI) dengan hasil sama-sama 0-3 (PRLM) 

AYG 2013: Ricky persembahkan emas 100 meter AYG bagi Indonesia

Ricky Anggawidjaja (tengah)

Jakarta, AKUATIK - Ricky Anggawidjaja mempersembahkan medali emas bagi kontingen Indonesia setelah menjadi yang tercepat pada nomor 100 meter gaya punggung putra Asian Youth Games (AYG) 2013 di Nanjing, China, Selasa.

Atlet yang sebelumnya tidak ditarget mendapatkan medali ini mampu membukukan catatan waktu 58.42 detik atau lebih cepat 0.41 detik dari peraih perak asal Taiwan, Yang Chunyao dengan waktu 58.83 detik.

Medali perunggu direbut oleh perenang asal Korea, Won Youngjun dengan catatan waktu 58.90 detik.

Ricky sendiri mengaku tidak menyangka dapat merebut emas karena jika dilihat dari hasil waktu kualifikasi dan semifinal, dia menilai hasil maksimal. Bahkan dia memprediksi hanya mampu meraih perak atau perunggu.

"Perkiraan kalau ga perak ya perunggu. Karena saya merasa ada yang lebih baik, dari Taiwan. Dia posisinya 1-2 terus saat penyisihan dan semifinal," kata Ricky Anggawidjaja.

Raihan medali emas dinomor 100 meter gaya punggung putra juga tidak diperkirakan oleh kepala pelatih tim Indonesia Hartadi Noertjojo. Menurut dia, sebelumnya renang hanya mematok satu medali perunggu lewat Monalisa Arieswaty Lorenza.

Monalisa Arieswaty Lorenza merupakan atlet Indonesia yang mampu menyumbangkan medal pertama pada pesta olahraga bagi atlet Asia dibawah usia 18 tahun ini.

Perenang berusia 17 tahun ini turun di nomor 200 meter gaya kupu-kupu mampu mendapatkan medali perunggu setelah mampu membukukan catatan waktu 2 menit 15.10 detik.

Setelah Ricky mendapatkan emas, keberuntungan Indonesia berlanjut. Cabang atletik, menambah pundi-pundi medali Indonesia dengan mempersembahkan medali perak melalui Aprilia Kartina di nomor 500 meter putri.

Indonesia pada AYG 2013 mengirimkan 104 atlet yang turun di 13 cabang olahraga. Pada kejuaraan ini, Indonesia hanya menargetkan mampu merebut satu medali perak dan 11 perunggu. Namun, saat ini sudah mendapatkan satu emas, satu perak dan satu perunggu. (ANTARA News)

AYG 2013: Medali Indonesia Pertama Datang dari Renang

NANJING, RENANG - Cabang renang mempersembahkan medali pertama buat kontingen Indonesia di ajang Asian Youth Games II di Nanjing, China, Senin (19/8).

Medali perunggu dipersembahkan oleh atlet Monalisa Arieswaty di nomor 200 meter gaya kupu-kupu puteri. Mona merebut perunggu dnegna catatan waktu 2:15.46. Medali emas direbut oleh  atlet Korea, Park Jinyoung dengan catatan waktu 2:13.75, sementara perak diraih atlet Thailand, Sutasanee Pankaew yang mencatat waktu 2.15.10.

Ini merupakan medali pertama Asian Youth Games yang diraih oleh atlet-atlet renang Indonesia. Di Asian Youth Games I di Singapura, empat tahun lalu, tim renang Indonesia gagal mendulang medali.

Di hari pertama lomba renang, Indonesia meloloskan dua atlet putera ke babak final yang akan berlangsung Selasa (20/8). Menurut pelatih tim Indonesia yang ikut ke Nanjing, Albert C. Sutanto, dua atlet tersebut adalah Ricky Anggawijaya di nomor 100 meter gaya punggung, serta Ilham Achmad  di nomor 50 meter gaya dada putera.

Ricky Anggawijaya lolos ke final dengan catatan waktu 58.85 detik. Sementara Ilham Achmad lolos dengan mencatat waktu 30.17 detik. Atlet putera lainnya, Kenny Lisanputera gagal di final 200 meter gaya kupu-kupu setelah menempati posisi 7 dari 8 perenang.

Atlet renang lainnya yang turun Senin ini gagal lolos di semi final seperti Joanita Mutiara Hapsari dan Kavita Chrishna (50 meter gaya dada), Nurul Fajar Fitriyati  dan Kania Ratih (100 meter gaya punggung puteri), Adityastha Rai Wratsangka (100 meter gaya punggung putera) serta Satrio Bagaskara (50 meter gaya dada putra).

Sementara di nomor estafet 4x100 meter gaya bebas puteri, tim Indonesia berada di urutan delapan.

Menurut Albert Sutanto, tim renang Indonesia masih tertinggal bila dibandingkan dengan atlet-atlet muda Singapura dan Thailand. "Secara umum memang begitu, tetapi kalau mau masih optimistis, kita masih bisa bersaing di beberapa nomor,' kata Albert. (kompas)

Berikut perolehan medali sementara AYG:
1. China     16     9     7     32     1
2. Korea     5     5     1     11     2
3. DPR Korea     4     1     2     7     5
4. Japan     1     2     2     5     6
4. Malaysia     1     2     2     5     6
4. Singapore     1     2     2     5     6
4. Uzbekistan     1     2     2     5     6
8. Hong Kong,China     0     1     1     7     9   
9. Chinese Taipei     1     1     3     5     6
10. Kazakhstan  1     0     4     5     6
11. Independent Olympic Athletes     0     1     0     2     3     12
12. Saudi Arabia     1     0     0     1     15
13. Thailand     0     5     5     10     3
14. Qatar     0     2     0     2     13
15. Iraq     0     1     0     1     15
15. Vietnam     0     1     0     1     15
17. Mongolia     0     0     2     2     13
18. Indonesia     0     0     1     1     15
18. Islamic Republic of Iran     0     0     1     1     15
18. Sri Lanka     0     0     1     1     15
18. Tajikistan     0     0     1     1     15

FINA World Junior Swimming Championships

AKUATIK. The next generation of swimming stars will meet for the 4th edition of the FINA World Junior Swimming Championships, to be held at Dubai's superb Hamdan Bin Mohammed Bin Rashid Sports Complex from August 26-31, 2013.

The event is organised every two years since 2006 for swimmers under the age of 18 years old. It was previously held in Rio de Janeiro (BRA) in 2006, Monterrey (MEX) in 2008 and Lima (PER) in 2011.

FINA World Junior Water Polo Championships

AKUATIK. The 17th FINA World Men's Junior Water Polo Championships 2013 (20 & U) are currently underway in Szombathely (HUN), where the rising talents from the best nations in the sport will face each other from August 12-18. 16 teams from the five continents are taking part in the tournament, divided as follows:

Group A: Italy, Hungary, Canada, Colombia
Group B: Serbia, Brazil, South Africa, Uzbekistan
Group C: Spain, Russia, United States, Slovakia
Group D: Croatia, Australia, Kazakhstan, Japan

So far (day 1 and 2), only defending champion Serbia and Croatia collected two victories out of two games.

On August 19, the 10th FINA World Women's Junior Water Polo Championships 2013 (20 & U) will be organised in Volos (GRE). The participating teams are divided as follows:

Group A: Spain, Greece, Canada
Group B: USA, Italy, Kazakhstan, New Zealand
Group C: Australia, Ukraine, South Africa, Uzbekistan
Group D: Russia, Hungary, Brazil, Great Britain 

ry-reg� ] w s p� H� ngapore (SIN)
November 9-10 Tokyo (JPN)
November 13-14 Beijing (CHN)

Swimming world cup 2013: off to a fast start!

AKUATIK. The FINA Swimming World Cup 2013 is off to a great start! Both the inaugural meet in Eindhoven (NED, August 7-8) and second stop in Berlin (GER, August 10-11) were highlighted by blistering marks and a flurry of broken records - 10 World and six World Cup. Many World champions made the trip to the Dutch city and German capital, among them South African star Chad Le Clos and young sensation from Hungary, Katinka Hosszu, who set no less than six World Records in the span of five days.

This 2013 edition also celebrates the 25-year anniversary of FINA's swimming showdown in 25m pool, the World Cup being firstly launched in 1988. Moreover, Berlin has hosted the event a record 14 times.

Hosszu and Le Clos currently top the overall rankings, with a total 282 and 128 points respectively, but anything is possible with still six meets to go! The World Cup series will resume this October in Europe and the Middle East (cluster no.2) before heading and concluding in Asia (cluster no.3).

Swimming World Cup 2013, upcoming meets:

October 12-13 Moscow (RUS)
October 17-18 Dubai (UAE)
October 20-21 Doha (QAT)

November 5-6 Singapore (SIN)
November 9-10 Tokyo (JPN)
November 13-14 Beijing (CHN)

Mengintip Lawan di Asian Youth Games

JAKARTA, RENANG - Para atlet renang Indonesia yang mengikuti ajang Asian Youth Games II di Nanjing, China  diminta mengintip  kekuatan lawan yang diperkirakan menjadi lawan abadi di masa depan.

Ketua Umum PB Persatuan Renang Seluruh Indonesia (PRSI) Sandiaga Uno melepas  tim akuatik Indonesia yang akan berlomba di ajang Asian Youth Games 2013, Rabu (14/8). Tim akuatik Indonesia terdiri dari atlet renang serta atlet loncat indah.

Menurut Sandiaga Uno, masa depan olah raga akuatik Indonesia berada bahkan juga merupakan masa depan para atlet-atlet muda. "Ketika kamu memikirkan masa depan renang Indonesia, berarti kamu memikirkan masa depan kamu sendiri juga," kata Sandiaga lagi. "Ït is about you, young people."

Sandiaga meminta para atlet berjuang untuk mencapai waktu yang terbaik sesuai dengan latihan yang sudah mereka jalani. Soal menang atau kalah bukanlah menjadi yang utama, karena mungkin saja lawan memang jauh lebih baik. Baginya, proses kalah atau menang akan menjadi  pengalaman yang angat berharga buat si atlet. "Ït is not about the game. It is about the journey,"ungkap Sandiaga.

Meski tanpa target, menurut Sandiaga pihak pengurus berharap para atlet memiliki  niat dan tujuan pribadi yang berkaitan dengan perbaikan diri. "Ketika berangkat ke suatu kejuaraan, kita harus memiliki satu tujuan di ajang tersebut. Apakah itu perbaikan prestasi, pengayaan pengalaman atau mungkin hanya ingin sekadar membanggakan orang tua. Yang pasti tidak sekadar ingin jalan-jalan...""

Tim renang Indonesia ke ajang AYG terdiri dari  8 atlet putera dan 8 atlet puteri. Mereka diperkuat beberapa atlet pelatnas SEA Games seperti Ricky Anggawijaya dan Satrio Bagaskara di bagian putera serta Monaliza Arieswaty, Nurul Fajriaty, Kavita dan yang lainnya di bagain puteri.

Pelatih nasional Albert C. Sutanto yang akan mendampingi para atlet, menyebut target utama para atlet saat ini memang perbaikan waktu.  "Bila dilihat dari hasil empat tahun lalu serta kualitas lawan-lawan kita di Nanjing, kita harus realistis untuk lebih mengejar target perbaikan waktu," kata Albert.  "Di kawasan ASEAN saja, Vietnam dan Thailand sudah menjadi kekuatan sendiri di luar Singapura yang memang kuat di setiap nomor.

Sementara wakil ketua umum, Bambang Udaya meminta para atlet untuk mengamati lawan-lawan mereka di ajang AYG kali ini. "Perhatikan lawan-lawan yang ada, terutama dari kawasan ASEAN. Karena mereka itulah yang akan menjadi lawan-lawan kalian di masa hingga sepuluh tahun mendatang," kata Bambang.

Setelah mengikuti ajang AYG di Nanjing, China pada 16-24 Agustus ini, sebagian atlet renang akan langsung mengikuti lomba Hongkong Open pada 23-25 AGustus ini. (Kompas.com)

15th FINA World Championships : Seven nations with gold in eight finals

RENANG, The eighth and last day of the swimming competitions at the 15th FINA World Championships was marked by the variety of nations getting gold in the eight finals in the programme. Only one country – France - clinched two gold medals, thanks to the performance of Camille Lacourt in the men’s 50m backstroke, and after the surprising disqualification of USA in the men’s 4x100m medley relay. With this final outcome, the French delegation arrived third (nine podium presences, including four titles) in the swimming medals’ table, behind USA (29, comprising 13 gold) and China (also nine awards, but five wins).

In the women’s 50m breaststroke, the duel between the two world record performers Yulia Efimova (RUS) and Ruta Meilutyte (LTU) ended up in the Russian’s favour, while Japan got the gold in the men’s 400m IM: but when everyone expected a win from Kosuke Hagino, it was his teammate Daiya Seto who got the crown.

Ranomi Kromowidjojo (NED) was the best in the 50m free (Fran Halsall, in bronze, gave the only medal for Great Britain in the swimming competition), and in the men’s 1500m free Yang Sun (CHN) comfortably won but could not approach his World Record set precisely one year ago at the 2012 Olympics.

Hungary has good reasons to celebrate with the victory of Katinka Hosszu in the women’s 400m IM, but the home crowd also vibrantly cheered the silver performance of Mireia Belmonte (ESP). The only US title of the day happened in the women’s 4x100m medley, with Franklin, Hardy, Vollmer and Romano perfectly controlling the operations in the water and… on the starting blocks!

At the end of the session, were given the FINA Championships Trophies to the best Male and Female swimmer, as well as the best Team of the competition.

Among men, the award went to Yang Sun (CHN), while Katie Ledecky (USA) was the winner in the women’s field. Both athletes medalled in the same events: 400m, 800m, 1500m free and 4x200m free relay – all in gold for Ledecky and titles for Yang in the individual events and bronze in the relay. Moreover, the US and Chinese star were the second swimmers in the history of the Championships to have won in the same edition the longest free events in the programme: before Ledecky and Sun, only Hannah Stockbauer (GER) in 2003 and Grant Hackett (AUS) in 2005 respectively, had achieved the same feat.

The Trophy for the best Team went without surprise to the USA.

15th FINA World Championships :Thank you Barcelona! See you in Kazan!

AKUATIK, Shortly after the conclusion of the swimming finals, the Closing Ceremony of the 15th FINA World Championships gathered all the flags of the 180 participating countries in Barcelona (ESP), while the FINA flag was officially given to the city of Kazan (RUS), the next organiser of FINA’s major event in 2015.

“We come to the end of a great Aquatic Festival here in Barcelona! During two weeks, our best athletes performed at the highest level with remarkable results. My sincere thank you to all of them! The venues, the Host Broadcaster, the spectators, the organisation and the hosts’ hospitality were amazing”, said FINA President Dr. Julio C. Maglione. “The 15th FINA World Championships has increased the importance and value of all our aquatic disciplines and FINA brand gained more exposure and prestige. I would like to express our sincere gratitude to all Spanish and Catalan authorities, to the Organising Committee Barcelona 2013, to the Royal Spanish Swimming Federation, and to the volunteers for their contribution, support and excellence in staging these 15th FINA World Championships here in Barcelona. These Championships were unforgettable!” added Dr. Maglione.

MEDALS TABLE

NF	GOLD	SILVER	BRONZE	TOTAL
USA	15	10	9	34
CHN	14	8	4	26
RUS	9	6	4	19
FRA	4	1	4	9
HUN	4	1	2	7
AUS	3	11	0	14
GER	3	3	4	10
BRA	3	2	5	10
RSA	3	1	1	5
ESP	1	6	5	12
ITA	1	3	1	5
DEN	1	3	0	4
JPN	1	2	3	6
GRE	1	1	0	2
LTU	1	1	0	2
SWE	1	1	0	2
NED	1	0	3	4
TUN	1	0	1	2
COL	1	0	0	1
CAN	0	3	4	7
POL	0	2	1	3
UKR	0	1	4	5
GBR	0	1	1	2
BEL	0	1	0	1
MNE	0	1	0	1
MEX	0	0	4	4
NZL	0	0	3	3
CRO	0	0	1	1
FIN	0	0	1	1
MAS	0	0	1	1
TRI	0	0	1	1
	68	69*	67	204

* 2 silver medals in the men's 50m backstroke

15th FINA World Championships : FINA and OC praise successful edition in Barcelona (ESP)

AKUATIK, Before the last swimming session, FINA and the Organising Committee (OC) of the 15th FINA World Championships in Barcelona (ESP) expressed their satisfaction for the outstanding success of the competition. In a joint Press Conference in the main venue of the Championships, the Palau Sant Jordi, FINA President Dr. Julio C. Maglione, and the co-presidents of the OC, Maite Fandos (Vice Mayor of Barcelona) and Fernando Carpena (President of the Royal Spanish Swimming Federation) highlighted the competitive aspects, but also the sport and social legacy left by FINA’s major event.

“Barcelona became the world capital of sport for these two weeks and this positive impact, in terms of media exposure, will bring significant benefits for our city and for our region. From a touristic point of view, the images of our city were seen in more than 200 territories around the world; we also had more than 13,000 news in Spanish media related with the Championships, which is an outstanding figure”, stated Maite Fandos.

FINA World Championships 2013:Orlando Duque crowned high diving World Champion

AKUATIK. In the third and final day of the high diving competition, Colombian Orlando Duque became the first man to claim the high diving world champion title in the event premiere at a FINA World Swimming Championships in front of more than 10,000 spectators.

Orlando Duque will go down in history as the male athlete to claim the first High Diving World Champion title ever.

The Colombian diver only managed to extend his advantage in points on round five after a very tight closing competition day. The first three rounds ended up with four athletes tied in the first position on 102.60 points: Briton Gary Hunt, Russian Artem Silchenko, Mexican Jonathan Paredes and Ukrainian Anatolii Shabotenko.

An also very even fourth round saw the majority of participants display the most difficult dives of their repertoire, and a triple somersault with four twists gave Gary Hunt 170.10 points lifting him up to the first position. Matt Cowen (135, 10), Jonathan Paredes (129, 85) and Orlando Duque (129, 60) where second, third and fourth classified after four rounds.

It all came down to round five, where a poorly executed four somersaults with one and a half twists dive by Gary Hunt made him lose the lead to Orlando Duque. The Colombian diver got the maximum score with 142.80 points –only 0.90 points more than Hunt - after performing a triple back somersault with three twists, followed by Jonathan Paredes (132.60) and Michal Navratil (119.60), thus becoming the first male athlete to win a World Championship ever. Gary Hunt commented on his last jump: "I failed when hitting the water. I was too focused on the start. The water approaches so quickly when you are falling at 80km/h …I got it wrong by just a second. "

Duque, who’s 38 years old, became today the second diver this age to win a medal at a World Championships together with American Ginger Huber, who claimed silver in the women’s event. "Being the champion of the first edition of this 15th FINA World Championships is fantastic. It's amazing, "said Duque in the mixed zone. The podium was completed by Gary Hunt, who won silver with 589.30 points, and Jonathan Paredes, bronze with 578.35 points.

The first High Diving event of a World Championships exceeded the expectations in its premiere at Barcelona 2013. Now it shall be decided whether it becomes a regular event in FINA tournaments to come.

FINA World Championships 2013: Olympic silver medallist Spain now crowned World Champion

AKUATIK. Spain completed the business it did not quite finish last year at the London Olympic Games by defeating Australia 8-6 in the gold-medal final of the FINA Women’s Water Polo World Championships at the Bernat Picornell Pool. It was silver behind United States of America in London while Australia claimed bronze. Tonight it was a well-deserved gold as the best team at these championships and now the top nation on the planet for women’s water polo. It was victory for head coach Miki Oca and his resolve and faith in his players, led by the indefatigable Jennifer Pareja, voted the championship’s Most Valuable Player.

Throw is a startling 11-save effort by goalkeeper Laura Ester and she was undoubtedly the best in her class in Barcelona. Spain was confident from the start and managed to out-defend the Aussie Stingers who looked nervous and times and never got into high-scoring mode.

Australia lost star Rowena Webster on three majors before the third break and others followed in a match where both teams received 15 major fouls apiece. Australia had a penalty blocked by Ester and an unexpected unforced error by Stingers goalkeeper Kelsey Wakefield - who was pushing Ester for the best in Barcelona - proved critical when just one behind. Roser Tarrago shot from near halfway and Wakefield tried unsuccessfully to collect with one hand. Never mind, the Spanish defence proved the winner, disrupting Australia at every stage of the match.

In the bronze-medal clash, played as the second match of the first session, Hungary won the first medal for its country (the men will play Montenegro in the men’s final on Saturday) with a 10-8 margin over Russia, who led 3-1 during the first quarter. Hungary started shooting go-ahead goals late in the second period, meaning Russia had to play catch-up water polo. Hungary kept 19-goal Ekaterina Prokofyeva scoreless and Russia kept 18-goal Barbara Bujka off the scoresheet. Her back-up centre forward, though, Ildiko Toth, struck three times.

In the play-off for fifth and sixth, scheduled as the curtain-raiser for the gold-medal final, Olympic and World Cup champion United States of America beat outgoing world champion Greece 15-12 in a penalty shootout after the match was tied at 10-10 by fulltime and 11-11 after two extra periods. USA sent in all four shots in the shootout while Greece missed two. The pair played in the same group and USA won that encounter 12-8. USA stretched its lead over Greece in World Championship play to seven and the win was one place better that Shanghai 2011 when it lost by five goals to Australia. In the play-off for seventh and eighth, Netherlands turned a 5-1 opening quarter into a 12-9 victory with Lieke Klaassen scoring three penalty goals to become the championship’s highest goal-scorer with 25. It was a rematch of the 7-8 classification match at Shanghai 2011, which the Dutch also won.

Immediately after the match, Dutch gold medallists from the Beijing Olympics - Iefke van Belkum and Biurakn Hakhverdian - announced their retirements. This leaves just goalkeeper Ilse van de Meijden and Smit as the remaining gold medallists.

The Media All Star team was named with the championship’s Most Valuable Player, Jennifer Pareja (ESP), leading the group. She was joined by the best goalkeeper, Spain’s Laura Ester, centre forward Barbara Bujka (HUN) and field players Rita Keszthelyi (HUN), Lieke Klaassen (NED), Jennifer Pareja (ESP), Ekaterina Prokofyeva (RUS) and Rowena Webster (AUS).

Final classifications:

1. Spain
2. Australia
3. Hungary
4. Russia
5. United States of America
6. Greece
7. Netherlands
8. Canada
9. China
10. Italy  
11. Kazakhstan
12. New Zealand
13. Great Britain
14. Brazil
15. South Africa
16. Uzbekistan

FINA World Championships 2013: Two more gold for Lochte (USA), his overall tally reaches 23!

AKUATIK. Ryan Lochte (USA) earned two gold medals in the sixth session of the swimming competition at the 15th FINA World Championships, having now an accumulated number of 23 awards in FINA’s major event since 2005. His latest successes happened in the 200m backstroke, where he easily revalidated his 2011 title, this time in 1:53.79. In the last final of the evening, he was essential in the triumph of his team in the 4x200m free relay. The other two podium presences of Lochte in Barcelona were in the 200m IM (gold) and in the 4x100m free (silver). 

Other highlights of this sixth day included the surprising win of Yulia Efimova (RUS, 2:09.41), in the women’s 200m breaststroke. In the semis, Rikke Pedersen (DEN) had established a new World Record of 2:09.11, but she was slower in the decisive race, getting the silver in 2:20.08. In the men’s 200m breaststroke, Daniel Gyurta, from Hungary, became the first man with three wins in this event, after his golden performances also in 2009 and 2011. His time of 2:07.23 is a new Championships and European record, and is faster than the World Record he had set at the 2012 Olympics, when he won this distance. The current WR holder, Japan’s Akihiro Yamaguchi had a poor performance, finishing seventh.

In the initial final of the day, Cate Campbell (AUS) earned her first world title, by clinching the gold in the 100m free. She left behind her the 2012 Olympic champion Ranomi Kromowidjojo (NED, third) and the world record holder in this event since Rome 2009, Germany’s Britta Steffen (sixth).

In semi-final action, Lochte had still energy to qualify first for the 100m butterfly decisive race, while teammate Missy Franklin was also the fastest in the 200m backstroke. In this event, Federica Pellegrini (ITA) could not reach the final, concluding in ninth. In the men’s 50m free, Florent Manaudou (FRA), the Olympic champion, will swim the final in lane 4, after clocking 21.37 in the semis. Cesar Cielo (BRA), 2011 champion and WR holder, has the third time (21.60), while Australian sprinter James Magnussen was only ninth in 21.79.

FINA World Championships 2013: MEDALS TABLE

MEDALS TABLE (2/8)

NF	GOLD	SILVER	BRONZE	TOTAL
CHN	13	7	4	24
USA	12	8	7	27
RUS	8	5	3	16
AUS	3	7	-	10
GER	3	3	4	10
BRA	2	2	4	8
RSA	2	1	1	4
FRA	2	-	4	6
HUN	2	-	2	4
ESP	1	5	5	11
ITA	1	3	-	4
GRE	1	1	-	2
SWE	1	1	-	2
TUN	1	-	1	2
COL	1	-	-	1
LTU	1	-	-	1
CAN	-	2	3	5
JPN	-	2	2	4
DEN	-	2	-	2
POL	-	2	-	2
UKR	-	1	4	5
BEL	-	1	-	1
GBR	-	1	-	1
MEX	-	-	4	4
NED	-	-	2	2
NZL	-	-	2	2
FIN	-	-	1	1
MAS	-	-	1	1
	54	54	54	162

Fina World Championships 2013: Hungary and Montenegro to battle for men's gold medal

AKUATIK. Multiple Olympic champion Hungary and Montenegro will do battle for the FINA Men’s Water Polo World Championships at the Bernat Picornell Pool on Saturday. A reshaped Hungary, a far cry from the triple Olympic champions of the new millennium, pushed London Olympic champion Croatia out of title contention with an 11-10 victory built on better extra-man statistics and the stopping power of goalkeeper Viktor Nagy.

The first semifinal produced an upset according to many pundits, except anyone related to Hungary. The Hungarians, under new head coach Tibor Benedek, himself one of the world’s most decorated athletes, grabbed the lead in the second quarter, took the match to 10-7 early in the fourth, watched Croatia level at 10-10 and then celebrated when Denes Varga scored the winner at 1:58.

It was a return to the glory days for the Hungarians and the man with more gold medals than anyone in the history of the game, Tamas Kasas, visited his countrymen in the changing rooms afterwards. Also watching on was the coaching maestro and architect of those three gold medals from 2000, Denes Kemeny.

In the second medal semifinal, Montenegro hammered outgoing world champion Italy into submission with a stunning 10-8 victory engineered on a 3-0 opening burst that became 5-1 at halftime and 9-4 by the final break. You could smell the fear in the Italian camp as Montenegro shunned the form of the Italian team with its five wins, while Montenegro started the championship with a 6-4 loss to Greece.

It was a tournament of toppled champions and Montenegro wanted Italy to join the rest out of the limelight, although Italy will have a chance for some consolation of a lower podium finish when facing Croatia.

In the round of 5-8 semifinals, there was high drama in the clash between Serbia and Spain. The home team won 14-13 in sudden death penalty shootout after the match was tied at 6-6 at fulltime, 8-8 after extra time and 11-11 after the first rotation of five attempts each. The winning goal by Xavier Garcia came on the sixth shot of sudden death.

In the other 5-8 semifinal, Greece had the better of the high-flying Australia 11-9.

Saturday’s final classification round:

15:00 For 7th & 8th Game 41 AUS vs SRB
13.00 For 3rd & 4th Game 43 CRO vs ITA
20.45 For 5th & 6th Game 42 GRE vs ESP
22:15 For 1st & 2nd Game 44 HUN vs MNE

Fina World Championships 2013: World Record for Pedersen (DEN) in the women's 200m breast

AKUATIK. The fifth session of finals was highlighted, in terms of performances, by the new World Record in the women’s 200m breaststroke by Rikke Moller Pedersen (DEN) in the first semi-final of the event. The Danish swimmer clocked an impressive 2:19.11, improving the previous world global mark (2:19.59) set by Rebecca Soni (USA) at the London Olympic Games. Pedersen is naturally the athlete to beat in the decisive race, but Yulia Efimova, from Russia, is not far, with a 2:19.85 effort in the semis. It was the third World Record of the Championships, all in women’s events - Ruta Meilutyte (LTU) in the 100m breaststroke and Katie Ledecky (USA) in the 1500m free are the two other WR performers so far.

In terms of medals, the five finals gave two titles to USA and also two gold medals to China. In all of these events, logics prevailed, with Ryan Lochte confirming his good shape in the men’s 200m IM and getting the third consecutive gold in this distance since 2009. Additionally, it was his first individual podium presence in Barcelona. In the women’s 4x200m free relay, the North Americans were also the favourites and touched home first for the fifth title in the last six editions of these Championships.

From the Chinese side, 2008 Olympic champion Zige Liu is back at the top, with a brilliant triumph in the women’s 200m butterfly, in front  of the audience’s hero Mireia Belmonte and well ahead of her compatriot Liuyang Jiao (sixth) the reigning Olympic winner. In the women’s 50m backstroke, it was another Chinese affair, with WR holder Jing Zhao defeating her teammate and revelation of the current season, Yuanhui Fu.

Last but not least, Australia took the last gold at stake, by winning the always prestigious men’s 100m free. James Magnussen, from Australia, imposed his class in 47.71, and could forget his silver medal in London, behind Nathan Adrian, this time the bronze medallist in the Catalan capital.

Fina World Championships 2013: MEDALS TABLE

MEDALS TABLE (2/8)

NF	GOLD	SILVER	BRONZE	TOTAL
CHN	13	7	3	23
USA	10	8	5	23
RUS	7	4	3	14
GER	3	2	4	9
AUS	2	6	0	8
BRA	2	2	4	8
RSA	2	1	1	4
FRA	2	0	4	6
ITA	1	3	0	4
GRE	1	1	0	2
HUN	1	0	1	2
TUN	1	0	1	2
COL	1	0	0	1
LTU	1	0	0	1
SWE	1	0	0	1
ESP	0	5	5	10
CAN	0	2	3	5
JPN	0	2	2	4
UKR	0	1	4	5
BEL	0	1	0	1
DEN	0	1	0	1
GBR	0	1	0	1
POL	0	1	0	1
MEX	0	0	4	4
NZL	0	0	2	2
MAS	0	0	1	1
NED	0	0	1	1
	48	48	48	144