British Olympic Trials - Race Videos

For international readers who haven't been able to watch the racing live, here are the finals so far. Courtesy of Swimming.org

Women's 400 IM Final

British Olympic Trials Ticketing Update

From British Swimming:

British Swimming has appointed leading ticket agency Ticketmaster as its new ticket vendor for the British Gas Swimming Championships 2012 (Selection Trials) and arranged new dates for people to buy tickets.

Preregistered customers can now buy tickets for the event from 10am on Tuesday 1 November. This is the start of an exclusive three day purchasing period for the 3-10 March competition that closes 10am on Friday 4 November. Tickets will then go on general release.

Following issues experienced with online and phone ticketing systems last week, British Swimming concluded that its original vendor was unable to provide the level of service required for this event.

Customers who have already purchased tickets for the event can be assured these tickets remain valid and will be delivered on time.

There are still tickets available for all sessions, no sessions have sold out and pre-registered customers will still have the first opportunity to purchase tickets.

Preregistered customers will be sent a unique passcode and link to the Ticketmaster website to purchase tickets and will also have the chance to buy over the phone, again quoting their passcode.

German Nationals, Mare Nostrum Swimming Tour, British Nationals

German Nationals, 31 May - 5 June

Germany's swimming stars get their first and only chance to stamp their tickets to Shanghai.


Start List
Results
Qualifying Times - Very tough!



Mare Nostrum Tour

A great sneak preview of some of the world's elite swimmers ahead of July's World Championships.



Barcelona, 4-5 June

Start List

Canet, 8-9 June

Start List
Results

Monaco, 11-12 June

Start Lists and Results


British ASA Nationals, 14-17 June

British swimmers get another chance to make the team for Shanghai. While many swimmers have already booked their place on the plane, other stalwarts of British Swimming such as Jo Jackson, Lizzie Simmonds, Kris Gilchrist and Robbie Renwick are yet to nail down individual spots.


Results
Programme

Thoughts from the British Championships

The British Championships are over for another year. During the marathon 8 day competition we were treated to a mixed bag of performances, some great, some shocking (and quite a few disappointing). British swimmers will have another chance in June to make the team and expect that to be a much faster competition. Let's get to the talking points...


Top Swim - Rebecca Adlington - 4:02.84 - 400m Free - Truly world class. For a detailed analysis of the race cast your eyes over this. Now it's time to see how the rest of the world react to the fastest 400 Free since the suit law changes.

Honourable Mention - Keri-Anne Payne - 16:06.67 - 1500m Free - A British record which moves Payne up to 20th all-time in the event. Despite the record, she is not a lock to swim the event in Shanghai as it's not an Olympic event. Fortunately her probable qualification in the 4 x200m Free relay should open the door.


Top Swimmer - Rebecca Adlington - Proved once again that she is the only British swimmer right now who can strike fear into her international opponents. Still the only British swimmer likely to go into 2012 as a gold medal favourite.


Honourable Mention - Ellen Gandy - Gandy is having a tremendous start to 2011, just as she did in 2010. The World Championships will be a big moment for her as she attempts to make the breakthrough in a global competition (in Beijing and Rome she was 15th in the 200m Fly). She currently owns four of the top five 200m Fly times in the world this year and if she can get down to anywhere near her British Record of 2:04.83 then she will likely come home a medalist from Shanghai.


Best Comeback - David Davies - As Davies himself admitted post-race, 15:06 in the 1500m isn't going to set the world alight, but it shows a huge improvement from last year. Training back in Cardiff seems to be paying off for the welshman. For now, both the 1500m and Open Water events remain options for 2012. Special mention to the victory celebration, flinging his cap high into the air when he finished... a kind of victory water bomb.


Honourable Mention - Fran Halsall - Just weeks on from ankle surgery, Halsall booked her ticket for Shanghai. Her times were nothing special for a swimmer of Halsall's quality, but qualification was the only goal. With these trials being so early in the year, there should be enough time for Halsall to get back to full fitness in time for Worlds.


Surprise - Jack Marriott - Heard of him? No? Neither had the majority of British Swimming. A student at Oxford University, his only swim of note had been winning the 50m Fly at the British University Champs last month. He turned up in Manchester and smoked a 24.33 to win the 50m Fly in only his second long course race in the event. Its not a time that will strike fear into the world's best, but it does show serious raw talent. Apparently he is in discussions with university powerhouse Loughborough to start training with them.

Trivia Question - Name the US team member, currently swimming at SwimMac, who also swam at Oxford University last year?


Honourable Mention - Steph Proud - You can point towards her performance at US Short Course Champs last winter where she won the 200m Back, but beating Elizabeth Simmonds over 200m Back is still an upset. While Simmonds was well off her best form in Manchester, Proud stepped up when she needed to and will have a chance to prove herself again at Worlds.

2012 British Championships to be held in the Olympic Aquatic Centre

Swimming fans will get their first chance to see a competition in the new Olympic Aquatics Centre with the 2012 British Championships scheduled to take place there.

This will also mark the first time London has been used for a national championship in over a decade. The last national competition I can remember being held in 'The Big Smoke' was the ASA National Championships at Crystal Palace in 2001.

Definitely one to get a ticket for.

European Swimming Championships

The European Swimming Championships start today in Budapest.

From a British perspective it has a strange feel to it knowing that the Commonwealth Games will be the main focus this year. It is a shame that British Swimming don't put so much emphasis on European competition. As good as Australia, South Africa and Canada are, for many of our top swimmers they face much fiercer rivals in Europe than they do in the Commonwealth.

Britain should still come away with a decent medal haul. With Ryan Lochte swimming like a man possessed something must be going right in Florida so look for team-mate Gemma Spofforth to have a good meet.

Key British races to watch

Elizabeth Simmonds vs Gemma Spofforth - 100m/200m Backstroke

Katinka Hosszu vs Hannah Miley - 400m IM

Liam Tancock vs Camille Lacourt - 100m Backstroke

Francesca Halsall vs Femke Heemskerk - 100m Freestyle

Rebecca Adlington vs Federica Pellegrini vs Lotte Friis - 800m Freestyle

Ellen Gandy vs Jemma Lowe vs Mireia Belmonte Garcia vs Katinka Hosszu vs Zsuzsanna Jakabos - 200m Butterfly

Federica Pellegrini vs Rebecca Adlington vs Jo Jackson vs Coralie Balmy vs Camille Muffat - 400m Freestyle

Women's 4 x 200m Freestyle Relay


Women's 4 x 100m Medley Relay


Other races to watch out for

Paul Biedermann vs Yannick Agnel - 400m Freestyle

Laszlo Cseh vs Gergo Kis - 400m IM

Fred Bousquet vs Alain Bernard vs Fabien Gilot vs Amaury Leveaux - Heats 50m Freestyle (only 2 can go through)


Start Lists and Results can be found - Here

Live Timing - Here

For those in the UK, the BBC are doing a pretty decent job this year with some coverage of every evening session. (Unfortunately it only makes it onto BBC 2 three times during the competition)

Eurosport as usual will show both heats and finals. For those that don't have Eurosport you can sign up online for £3.99 a month to watch it online. Well worth it.

Search Amazon.com for swimming books

US Nationals - Predictions Contest

Recap of all the participants taking part in the US Nationals Predictions Challenge.

http://spreadsheets.google.com/pub?key=0AmKNofXojGLrdDE3bTRZRWM2Y3VlRjFsVjh1RDRDZkE&hl=en&single=true&gid=0&output=html

Feeling pretty good about my picks.

Surprised I was the only one picking NCAA champ Ann Chandler to medal on the 100m Breast. She was dominant at NCAA's and should be primed to step up over LC meters. I was also the only one to pick Chloe Sutton to win the 400m Free. I know Katie Hoff is having a resurgent year and is the fastest ranked American this year, but Sutton has already beaten her on the Grand Prix circuit. I think Sutton has more to offer in this event and (provided her turns have improved) could post a 4:04-4:05 time. I also expect good things from Justine Mueller on the 200m IM, but couldn't bring myself to put her ahead of Kukors, Smit or Hoff. The women's 200m IM is stacked.

I salute Braden Keith for choosing Matt Grevers to win the 100m Back. I have him a close second behind Peirsol... Not too sure about picking Eugene Godsoe to finish third though.

Live Results - Here

2010 Mare Nostrum - Monaco Predictions - Men

Mare Nostrum - Monaco Predictions

Men

50m Free

1. Fred Bousquet
2. Alain Bernard
3. George Bovell

100m Free

1. Alain Bernard
2. Eamon Sullivan
3. Brent Hayden

200m Free

1. Paul Biedermann
2. Zhang Lin
3. Ous Mellouli

400m Free

1. Paul Biedermann
2. Zhang Lin
3. Ous Mellouli

50m Back

1. Camille Lacourt
2. Daniel Arnamnart
3. Aaron Piersol

100m Back

1. Camille Lacourt
2. Aaron Piersol
3. Markus Rogan

200m Back

1. Markus Rogan
2. Aaron Piersol
3. Chris Walker Hebborn

50m Breast

1. Kosuke Kitajima
2. Hendrik Feldwehr
3. Darren Mew

100m Breast

1. Kosuke Kitajima
2. Eric Shanteau
3. Grigory Falko

200m Breast

1. Eric Shanteau
2. Kosuke Kitajima
3. Daniel Gyurta

50m Fly

1. Roland Schoeman
2. Duje Draganja
3. Geoff Huegill

100m Fly

1. Andrew Lauterstein
2. Albert Subirats
3. Benjamin Starke

200m Fly

1. Joeri Verlinden
2. Christophe Lebon
3. Andrew Mayor

200m IM

1. Eric Shanteau
2. Ous Mellouli
3. Thiago Pereira

400m IM

1. Ous Mellouli
2. Thiago Pereira
3. Lewis Smith

UPDATE - Check out David 'The Swim Geek' Rieder's predictions over at his blog.

2010 Mare Nostrum - Monaco Predictions - Women

Mare Nostrum - Monaco Predictions

Women

50m Free

1. Ranomi Kromowidjojo
2. Therese Alshammar
3. Jessica Hardy

100m Free

1. Ranomi Kromowidjojo
2. Natalie Coughlin
3. Dana Vollmer

200m Free

1. Dana Vollmer
2. Blair Evans
3. Coralie Balmy

400m Free

1. Coralie Balmy
2. Blair Evans
3. Camelia Potec

50m Back

1. Zhao Jing
2. Daniela Samulski
3. Anastasia Zueva

100m Back

1. Zhao Jing
2. Daniela Samulski
3. Sophie Edington

200m Back

1. Lauren Lavigna
2. Sophie Edington
3. Cloe Credeville

50m Breast

1. Jessica Hardy
2. Rebecca Soni
3. Yuliya Efimova

100m Breast

1. Rebecca Soni
2. Jessica Hardy
3. Yuliya Efimova

200m Breast

1. Rebecca Soni
2. Annamay Pierse
3. Joline Hostman

50m Fly

1. Therese Alshammar
2. Inge Dekker
3. Dana Vollmer

100m Fly

1. Natalie Coughlin
2. Dana Vollmer
3. Inge Dekker

200m Fly

1. Samantha Hamill
2. Annika Mehlhorn
3. Mireia Belmonte

200m IM

1. Camille Muffat
2. Mireia Belmonte
3. Hannah Miley

400m IM

1. Hannah Miley
2. Mireia Belmonte
3. Tanya Hunks

British Gas Swimming Championships 2010 - Day 2 Finals

Womens 50m LC Butterfly Final

Amy Smith took victory in the 50m Fly in 26.88. Smith was the only women to dip under 27 seconds with Ellen Gandy second in 27.20 and Louise Pate third in 27.42. Jemma Lowe took fourth in 27.45 and both her and Gandy will have their main events later in the competition.

Mens 50m LC Backstroke Final

Liam Tancock decided to sit out the final of the 50 Back to concentrate on the 100 Back and 100 Free. This left a wide-open final and Luke Wood stepped up to take victory in 26.17. Scott Hathaway took second in 26.20 and David Gregory third in 26.70.

Womens 50m LC Breaststroke Final

Achieng Ajulu-Bushell, who aims to switch nationalities from Kenya to Britain and England, took victory in the 50m Breast in 31.18. The time was slightly slower than her semi final effort of 31.04. Ajulu-Bushell turned 16 last week and looks to be one of the rising stars ahead of London 2012.

Stephanie Slater took second in 31.93 with Lowri Tynan third in 31.96.

Mens 50m LC Butterfly Semi-Finals

Antony James leads the qualifiers for the men's 50m Fly with a time of 24.41. James Doolan qualified second in 24.44 with Ian Hulme third in 24.56.

Geoff Huegill leads the Commonwealth this year in 23.46.

Mens 100m LC Breaststroke Semi-Finals

British record holder Daniel Sliwinski, 19, took victory in the 100m Breast in 1:01.45. The time puts Sliwinski 7th in the world this year, 0.01 ahead of Mike Alexandrov (USA). After the race Sliwinski spoke of his confidence that he'll go faster than last year (59.55) despite the new suit laws. Darren Mew, 30, qualified second in 1:01.74. Star of the GBRvGER duel Michael Jamieson qualified third in 1:01.76.

Womens 100m LC Freestyle Semi-Finals

Fran Halsall leads the field into tomorrow's 100m Free final. Halsall swam 54.98 after clearly easing down on the second 50m. Amy Smith continued her impressive evening's work with a strong 55.13 to qualify second fastest. Lucy Ellis goes in third fastest with a time of 55.98.

Mens 200m LC Freestyle Final

Robert Bale took some major scalps in the final of the 200m Free winning in a time of 1:47.82. The time was a new personal best and ranks Bale 7th in the world this year. Robbie Renwick took second in 1:47.96 with Ross Davenport third in 1:48.06. David Carry just missed out on the podium with a time of 1:48.17.

The men's 200m Free looks set to be a great battle at the Commonwealth Games in both the individual and relay. Australian's Nicholas Ffrost (1:47.50), Thomas Fraser-Holmes (1:47.66), Kenrick Monk (1:47.83) and Patrick Murphy (1:48.30) mean that the top 8 men this year are all within 0.80 seconds of each other.

Womens 100m LC Backstroke Semi-Finals

Lizzie Simmonds qualified fastest for tomorrow's night final in a time of 59.84, the only swimmer under 1-minute. Gemma Spofforth, fresh from leading the Florida Gators to the NCAA title, eased back in the final 50m to qualify second in 1:00.62. Stephanie Proud was third fastest in 1:01.41.

Splits from both swimmers.

Simmonds - 29.17/59.84
Spofforth - 29.39/1:00.62

Simmonds remains second in the world this year, behind Australian Emily Seebohm's textile best time of 59.21.

In an interview with Steve Parry before the semi finals Gemma Spofforth spoke about how important leading the Gators to their NCAA success was claiming that it was more special to her than the world record last year in Rome.