VOLLMER AND CLARY WIN ON THE FINAL NIGHT OF THE ERIC NAMESNIK MICHIGAN GRAND PRIX

MAJALAH AKUATIK INDONESIA-ANN ARBOR, Mich. – Dana Vollmer (Granbury, Texas) and Tyler Clary (Riverside, Calif.) each turned in strong performances Sunday, the final night of competition at the Eric Namesnik Michigan Grand Prix. Both Vollmer and Clary set pool records in the 100m free and 200m back, respectively, as a total of five pool records were broken at the fifth stop of the USA Swimming Grand Prix Series.

Vollmer was in second behind Natalie Coughlin (Vallejo, Calif.) at the halfway point of the 100m free but had a strong second half to give her the top spot. Her swim earned her a pool record with a time of 54.52. Coughlin placed second in 54.93 and Kara Lynn Joyce (Ann Arbor, Mich.) was third in 55.14.

In the men’s 200m back, Clary led the field from start to finish. He finished the race in a pool-record time of 1:56.61, more than three seconds ahead of the rest of the field. World-record holder Ryan Lochte (Daytona Beach, Fla.) was second in 2:00.21 and Robert Margalis (St. Petersburg, Fla.) finished third in 2:02.29.

Cesar Cielo picked up his second win of the meet in the men’s 100m free. The Brazilian set the pool record with a time of 49.12. Michael Phelps (Baltimore, Md.) turned in a strong performance in the free as well, placing second in 49.48. Brazil’s Nicholas Santos was third in 50.10.

The men’s 200m IM saw an exciting race between Phelps, Tunisia’s Ous Mellouli and Clary. Phelps had the lead going into the final 50 meters, however, he was unable to hold off a late surge from Mellouli. Mellouli hit the wall first to set a pool record of 1:59.42. Phelps earned second in 1:59.63 and Clary was third in 2:00.56.

Katie Hoff (Towson, Md.) set a pool record and earned the top spot in the women’s 800m free. Hoff swam a strong race from start to finish, turning in a time of 8:35.51. Brazil’s Andreina Pinto placed second in 8:37.44 while National Teamer Emily Brunemann (Crescent Springs, Ky.) was third in 8:44.36.

Ariana Kukors (Auburn, Wash.) picked up her first win of the meet with a standout swim in the women’s 200m IM. Kukors, the 2009 World Champion in the event, finished more than a second ahead of the rest of the field in 2:11.24. Caitlin Leverenz (Tucson, Ariz.) placed second with a time of 2:12.80 while Jasmine Tosky (Palo Alto, Calif.) finished third in 2:13.70.

The women’s 200m back was won by Sweden’s Therese Svendsen with a time of 2:13.08. National Teamer Madison White (Danville, Calif.) was second in 2:14.11 while her teammate at Crow Canyon Aquatics, Sidney Cooke, placed third in 2:16.98.

Germantown Academy’s Arthur Frayler won the final race of the night, the men’s 1500m free, with a time of 15:18.56. Michael Klueh (Evansville, Ind.) placed second in 15:24.63 and Andrew Gemmell (Wilmington, Del.) was third in 15:28.87 (usa swimming)

SIX POOL RECORDS FALL AT THE ERIC NAMESNIK MICHIGAN GRAND PRIX

MAJALAH AKUATIK INDONESIA-ANN ARBOR, Mich. – Six pool records fell Saturday on the second night of competition at the Eric Namesnik Michigan Grand Prix. Michael Phelps (Baltimore, Md.), Kate Zielger (Great Falls, Va.), Natalie Coughin (Vallejo, Calif.), Kara Lynn Joyce (Ann Arbor, Mich.), Tunisia’s Ous Mellouli and Brazil’s Cesar Cielo all broke pool records at the meet taking place at the University of Michigan. The Grand Prix meet concludes Sunday, April 10. 

Phelps set a pool record and won the men’s 100m back with a time of 54.15. He was able to hold off fellow Olympian Ryan Lochte (Daytona Beach, Fla.) for his only win of the night. Lochte finished second in 54.81 and David Nolan (Hershey, Pa.) was third in 55.10.

Ziegler had an impressive swim in the women’s 400m free, breaking the pool record by almost five seconds with a time of 4:07.78. Katie Hoff (Towson, Md.) finished second in 4:08.23 and Gator Swim Club’s Andreina Pinto was third in 4:15.81.

"My mindset has changed. I'm swimming for me more and I'm enjoying it," Ziegler said after the race. "There's going to be ups and downs but I'm still having fun.”

Coughlin placed first and set a pool record in the 100m back with a time of 1:00.04. The Olympic gold medalist took an early lead in the event and her strong underwater work helped her hold on to the lead in the final 50 meters. Elizabeth Pelton (Baltimore, Md.) was second in 1:00.67 and Brazil’s Fabiola Pulga Molina was third in 1:00.95.

Phelps was upset in the 200m fly, finishing fourth with a time of 1:57.79. The win went to China’s Wu Peng who finished in 1:56.62. Phelps, who owns the world record in the event, was unable to come from behind in the final 50 meters to make the podium. Poland’s Marcin Cieslak was second in 1:57.13 and Tyler Clary (Riverside, Calif.) was third in 1:57.56.

The men’s and women’s 50m free, always two of the more exciting races of the night, saw winning swims from Brazil’s Cesar Cielo and Kara Lynn Joyce (Ann Arbor, Mich.). The men’s race, which featured Olympic gold medalists Jason Lezak (Irvine, Calif.) and Cullen Jones (New Brunswick, N.J.), was dominated by the Brazilian swimmers as they earned the top three spots. Cielo swam a 22.08, a new pool record, while Bruno Fratus was second in 22.52 and Nicholas Santos was third in 22.54. Joyce won the women’s race with a pool-record time of 25.25, just .11 ahead of Brazils’ Cazzio Delaroli. Dana Vollmer (Granbury, Texas) rounded out the top three with a time of 25.45.

Clary picked up a win in the men’s 400m free with a time of 3:51.57. He held off Michael Klueh (Evansville, Ind.), who finished second in 3:52.01, and Charlie Houchin (Raleigh, N.C.), who was third in 3:52.81.

In other races, Jasmine Tosky (Walnut Creek, Calif.) won the women’s 200m fly in 2:11.11. Madison Wright of Kingfish Aquatics was second in 2:12.21 and Caitlin Leverenz (Tucson, Ariz.) was third in 2:13.34. Caitlin Leverenz picked up the win in the women’s 200m breast with a time of 2:30.37. Ariana Kukors (Auburn, Wash.) was second in 2:31.89 and Annie Zhu of Asphalt Green Aquatics was third in 2:32.16. The men’s 200m breast was won by 1500m free Olympic gold medalist Ous Mellouli of Tunisia. Melloui set a pool record in 2:15.36 and was followed by Mike Alexandrov (Champaign, Ill.), who was second in 2:15.84. Austria’s Markus Rogan was third in 2:15.92. (usa swimming)

MICHAEL PHELPS BREAKS TWO POOL RECORDS AT THE ERIC NAMESNIK MICHIGAN GRAND PRIX

MAJALAH AKUATIK INDONESIA-ANN ARBOR, Mich. – Olympic gold medalist Michael Phelps (Baltimore, Md.) broke two pool records Friday night, winning both the men’s 200m free and 100m fly at the 2011 Eric Namesnik Michigan Grand Prix in Ann Arbor, Mich. The meet, taking place at the University of Michigan, runs through Sunday, April 10.
Phelps took home his first win of the night in the men’s 200m free. His pool-record win came in a time of 1:48.45 which edged out Olympic gold medalist Ryan Lochte (Daytona Beach, Fla.). Lochte finished in 1:48.69 and Austria’s Markus Rogan earned third in 1:49.23.

“Both of us [Phelps and Lochte] hate to lose,” Phelps said post race. “He’s somebody who has made a lot of improvements in and out of the pool and it shows in all of his races. I didn’t know we were going to take it down to the end. When I looked over and saw him, I just wanted to touch the wall first.”
Phelps earned his second pool record of the night with his win in the 100m fly. He took the lead at the first 50 meters and held on to win in 52.30. Poland’s Marcin Cieslak was second in 53.08 and China’s Wu Peng was third in 53.26.

The women’s 100m fly saw a close race between Olympians Dana Vollmer (Granbury, Texas) and Natalie Coughlin (Vallejo, Calif.). Vollmer swam the third-fastest time in the world this year in the event to set the pool record in 57.50. Coughlin was second in 58.05 and Daynara Paula of Brazil was third in 58.69.
Two-time Olympian Katie Hoff (Towson, Md.) won the first women’s event of the night, earning the top spot in the women’s 200m free. Hoff, who broke the pool record in her morning preliminary swim, broke the pool record again tonight in 1:58.24. Jasmine Tosky (Walnut Creek, Calif.) was second in 1:59.60 and Whitney Myers (Oxford, Ohio) was third in 1:59.98.

The 400m IM was won by Tyler Clary (Riverside, Calif.) on the men’s side and Caitlin Levernz (Tucson, Ariz.) on the women’s side. Clary was just off the pool record, winning the event in 4:16.74. Robert Margalis (St. Petersburg, Fla.) was second in 4:20.96 and Lithuania’s Vytautas Janusaitis was third in 4:21.86. Leverenz won the event in 4:40.71. Stina Gardell was second in 4:41.83 and Brazil’s Joann Maranhao was third in 4:47.93.

In other races, Asphalt Green’s Annie Zhu won the women’s 100m breast with a time of 1:11.17. Sara Lajnef was second in 1:11.63 and Allie Szekely was third in 1:11.85. The Brazilian men swept the men’s 100m breaststroke, earning the top three spots in the event. Felipe Franca Da Silva was first and set a meet record in 1:01.62. Joao Luiz Gomes Junior was second in 1:01.95 and Felipe Ferreira Lima placed third in 1:01.99.

PRSI Kirim Empat Atlet Renang Putra ke Australia

MAJALAH AKUATIK INDONESIA. Pengurus Besar Persatuan Renang Seluruh Indonesia (PB PRSI) mengirim empat perenang putranya ke Gold Coast Australia.

Keempat atlet tersebut adalah Glen Viktor, Triaji, Akbar Nasution dan Idham Basuki. Keempat atlet ini dikirim ke Australia untuk mengikuti pelatihan dalam progam pelatihan nasional (pelatnas) SEA Games XXVI/2011 November mendatang.

"Mereka akan tinggal di sana selama tiga bulan. Pada bulan Juli mereka akan mengikuti kejuaraan dunia di Shanghai, China. Lalu kembali lagi ke Gold Coast," ujar Tim Manager Cabang Olahraga Renang, Bambang Udaya kepadaMedia Indonesia, Selasa (22/3).

Keempat atlet putra ini dipilih untuk mengikuti pelatihan di Australia karena PRSI menilai di nomor putra, kans Indonesia cukup besar untuk memperoleh medali emas di cabang olahraga renang yang dipertandingkan di Palembang ini.

"Lima medali emas ditargetkan di nomor-nomor putra dari 38 nomor yang dipertandingkan," ujar Bambang

China Keeps Rolling in FINA Diving World Series

MAJALAH AKUATIK INDONESIA. SEVEN of the eight titles on offer ended in Chinese hands, whose dominance remained unchallenged at the first leg of the FINA/MIDEA Diving World Series, taking place in Moscow (RUS), from March 18-19, while Cuba's Jose A. Guerra/Jenkler Aguirre took advantage of China's absence in the men's 10m platform synchro to capture the only remaining gold.

China's diving stars Kai Qin and Qiu Bo were the obvious winners in the men's 3m springboard (and also in the synchro same event with partner Yutong Luo) and 10m platform respectively. Bo finished with an outstanding score of 607.60, 95.55 points ahead of silver-medallist Sascha Klein (GER), and receiving 18 perfect 10s and no mark below 9.0 from the judges for his overall performance.

In the women's field, the scenario was also spectacular, with Zi He and Ruolin Chen sweeping all four events; the first was untouchable in the 3m springboard individual and synchro (with Minxia Wu) while the second remains unbeaten in the 10m platform's both events (with Hao Wang). Svetlana Philippova/Nadezda Bazhina's silver in the 3m springboard synchro was the only medal for the host country among women while the 2009 revelation, Malaysia's Rinong Pandelela, finished with a silver medal in the 10m platform. 

Next stop of this year's World Series is Beijing (CHN, March 25-26), then Sheffield (GBR, April 15-16) and finally Guanajuato (MEX, April 22-23).

MEDALLISTS IN MOSCOW
Men's 3m springboard: 1. Kai Qin (CHN) 506.20; 2. Evgeniy Kuznetsov (RUS) 505.35; 3. He Chong (CHN) 486.00
Men's 10m platform: 1. Bo Qiu (CHN) 607.60; 2. Sascha Klein (GER) 512.05; 3. Victor Minibaev (RUS) 502.80
Men's 3m springboard synchro: 1. Kai Qin/Yutong Luo (CHN) 452.40; 2. Stephan Feck/Patrick Hausding (GER) 430.47; 3. Iliya Kvasha/Oleksey Prygorov Oleksey (UKR) 428.64
Men's 10m platform synchro: 1. Jose A. Guerra/Jenkler Aguirre (CUB) 463.02; 2. Patrick Hausding/Sascha Klein (GER) 439.11; Victor Minibaev/Ilia Zakharov (RUS) 432.60

Women's 3m springboard: 1. Zi He (CHN) 371.40; 2. Tania Cagnotto (ITA) 350.00 3. Jennifer Abel (CAN) 324.65
Women's 10m platform: 1. Ruolin Chen (CHN) 409.95; 2. Rinong Pandelela (MAS) 369.45; 3. Alexandra Croak (AUS) 358.95
Women's 3m springboard synchro: 1. Zi He/Minxia Wu (CHN) 346.50; 2. Svetlana Philippova/Nadezda Bazhina (RUS) 317.10 3. Tania Cagnotto/Francesca Dallape (ITA) 311.10
Women's 10m platform synchro: 1. Ruolin Chen/Hao Wang (CHN) 366.42; 2. Meaghan Benfeito/Roseline Filion (CAN) 327.87 3. Alexandra Croak/Melissa Wu (AUS) 307.92

BRITISH AQUATICS ATHLETES REVEAL ALL FOR DARING PHOTOSHOOT

A dozen of Great Britain’s bravest aquatics stars have bared all for an iconic naked photo shoot.

The 12 women - six swimmers, three divers, two water polo players and a synchronised swimmer – revealed all for award-winning sports photographer Andy Hooper with the image printed in the Daily Mail today (4th March).

Commonwealth medallist Georgia Davies admitted she had her doubts about baring all and that even the fittest swimmers have their insecurities.

"When I first heard I was shocked as I've never been asked to do anything like this before but it sounded fun so why not," said Davies.

"Everyone has their hang-ups but I am proud of my physique - we do much training so I do have a toned body.

"Our nutritionist sends us weekly recipes so we know what we can and can't eat but it's a balanced diet. We do eat cakes occasionally!

"I don't deprive myself of anything but knowing when to stop is important."

1. Monique Gladding, 2. Sophie Casson, 3. Stephanie Millward, 4. Brooke Graddon, 5. Stacey Tadd, 6. Lisa Gibson, 7. Robyn Nicholls, 8. Katie Dawkins, 9. Rachel Lefley, 10. Amy Smith, 11. Tonia Couch, 12. Georgia Davies.

Water polo player Lisa Gibson agreed that the photo shoot was a great chance to show the positive affects of her swimming training.

"It is a good message to get out there that we are all healthy and train hard," said Gibson.

"If I don't train I put weight on so swimming is important to keep me lean and toned.

"I'm confident with who I am but as always there are things I'd like to change." (swimming.com)

Florida Senior State Championships: Ryan Lochte Shows Off

MAJALAH AKUATIK INDONESIA. RYAN Lochte lit up the pool at the Florida Senior State Championships in Orlando this weekend. The meet took place in short course yards format.

Lochte put on a show with wins in the 200 free (1:35.88), 100 fly (47.52) and 200 IM (1:44.88). He also took second in the 500 free (4:20.38), as Peter Vanderkaay checked in with a 4:20.38 for the win in the middle distance race. On the final day, he scratched finals but put up the top time of the day with prelim performances in the 200 back (1:43.24) and 200 fly (1:46.05).

Teammate Rex Tullius won the 200 back in 1:45.56, while Clearwater's Matthew Ellis captured the men's 200 fly in 1:46.85. Ellis also topped the men's 100 free in 44.98. 

Roman Sludnov swept the breaststroke events with wins in the 100 (54.11) and 200 (1:59.11), while Gator's Omar Pinzon hit the wall in 47.74 to win the men's 100 back. He also topped the men's 400 IM in 3:55.72.

T2's Erika Erndl pulled off a title trifecta with three wins. She captured the women's 200 free in 1:45.50. Erndl doubled up with a 1:03.40 to win the women's 100 breast, then tripled with a 1:58.97 to win the women's 200 IM.

Sarasota's Ashlee Linn claimed the women's 100 back in 55.08, before sweeping the backstroke events with a 1:57.22 in the 200 back. Meanwhile, T2's Anne-Marie Botek won the women's 50 free in 22.45. She picked up her second title in the women's 100 fly with a 52.84 for the win. Daytona Beach's Shaun Casey hit the wall in 1:59.36 to win the women's 200 fly. Casey also captured the women's 400 IM in 4:16.34, while Rebecca Mann, 13, topped the women's 1000 free with a 9:47.32, while also capturing the 1650 free title in 16:17.69.

Clearwater's Hayley Palmer snared the women's 100 free title in 48.61, while Gator's Andreina Pinto topped the women's 500 free in 4:46.72. Lysis Halkides earned the women's 200 breast title in 2:15.33.

Sarasota's Ryan Turner topped the men's 1000 free in 9:15.90, while Sarasota's Derek Pridemore won the men's 1650 free in 15:34.21. Swim Florida's Pavel Babaev snared the men's 50 free in 20.27. (swimming world)