Hetland goes out with a big bang

As Aleksander Hetland (29) took his final swimming stroke of his career he also became Norway's second world Champion of all time.

This happened just 17 months after Alexander Dale Oen became the first one - both athletes being coached by Sondre Solberg at Bærumsvømmerne at the time they became kings of the breaststroke world.

The stars aligned this time for Hetland, with Cameron van der Burgh out with injury before the championships. Then when the man who took down Hetland's hope of European glory just weeks before, Fabio Scozzoli, had to withdraw from the World Championships due to illness Norwegian fans were getting gold in their eyes.

Hetland himself was worried. The time in the prelims and semifinal was not as good as he hoped for. He qualified fourth for the final and even Solberg had some doubts about his man.

"He looked a bit flat", admits Solberg, but he added the fact that throughout his career Hetland has been a finals man. A man who thrives on big occasions.

"He's a showhorse, and needs that kind of kick and adrenaline that a final setting can give."

And it did not get bigger than this. Hetland had announced this was his has last race, something he was very conscious about. It may even have helped him reach the pinnacle on Sunday night.

"As I took that last stroke I was actually thinking - this is your last stroke, make it count", said Hetland.

And he did. The norwegian finished only 0.02 seconds ahead of Damir Dugonjic of Slovenia, and 0.03 ahead of Florent Manaudou (France). He could easily have replicated his to date best World Championships performance, a bronze medal in the same event from 2010.

"I cant believe I'm a World Champion", said Hetland, standing firm that this was his final individual swim.

The title also came after a year which for Norwegian swimming has been extremely rough. The loss of Alexander Dale Oen sent the whole nation, not to say the swimming community into mourning. For the 29-year-old Hetland in particular as he lost his friend whom he had grown closer to in the last months, being united by their joint coach.

The partnership between them was a fruitful one. Hetland had his strong points, at starts and turns, Dale Oen's weaknesses. At the same time Dale Oen taught the other Alex some swimming tricks, particularly at pure swimming speed, where very few could compare to Norway's first world champion.

Aleksander (spelt with a 'k' as opposed to Dale Oen's 'x') Hetland used the knowledge learnt from Dale Oen as he missed the turn in the 50m final.

"I didn't have as good a dive as a I do at my best, and I missed the turn. I thought I had lost the race at that point. I never overtake people at the last 25", the sprint specialist said.

But that's just what he did. As he arrived back in Norway to a media frenzy at the airport he thanked Alexander Dale Oen for his help.

"Alex has a great part to play in this medal. He showed me things and techniques that I brought with me to this date", Alex Hetland said of Dale Oen.

Mind boggling in a year in which Daniel Gyurta dedicated his Olympic gold medal to the deceased Norwegian breaststroker, and Cameron van der Burgh, who at several times was in Bergen, Norway, to train and compete with Dale Oen, won the 100 meter breaststroke in London.

The contrast to Aleksander Hetland's last appearance in front of the media at the same airport was there for all to see. That was as the team landed back on Norwegian soil after the tragic incident in Flagstaff. As the oldest and most merited swimmer on the team it was natural that he took responsibility and some of the media responsibilities off the youngsters. A responsibility he did not shy away from.

Since the passing of Norway's greatest ever swimmer the focus for national team coach Petter Løvberg has been to continue the Norwegian success in the pool, and keep the spirit of Dale Oen alive.

Hetland in many ways started the revelation that has been Norwegian swimming in the late 2000's when he came fourth in the 100 IM at the Indianapolis World Short Course Championships in 2004.

Since 2006 Norway has taken 30 international medals, and since Dale Oens passing alone they've taken six, amongst them Hetlands gold and Ingvild Snildal/Sara Nordenstam's European long course titles. The Olympics might have been disappointing but otherwise Norwegian swimming has kept its level. Before 2006 the top results were few and far between. That performance culture is what the head of the national team, Petter Løvberg, wants to keep alive.

No wonder the Norwegian national team still want the 29 year old with a background of swimming and studying at SMU and university of Tampa, to contribute to the sport and especially the young athletes coming through the ranks.

Løvberg, or "Pete" as he is affectionately called, wants him to be a mentor for national team members. The Norwegian Swimming Federation sees Hetland as a good man for tutoring young athletes, both because of his swimming knowledge, but also because of the mentality that comes with being a world champion.

"We've already agreed for Hetland to be part of a training camp for our junior national team in January", says Løvberg.

At that camp Robin Dale Oen, Alexander's brother and former national record holder will also participate, to help keep the spirit and attitude brought to life by the two Alex's in particular.

Hetland will start working with branding at a major mineral water and brewery-company in Norway come 2013, so the full extent of the cooperation is not known, but Løvberg and his team want Hetland to be as involved as possible.

"I want to be a part of Norwegian swimming in the future. I want to give something back to a sport that has given me so much itself", says Hetland.

The swimming federation hopes to lure the breaststroker back in to competition. Especially for a breaststroke leg in the mixed medley relay at the European short course championships the coming year. Even if he's not fit to fight with the very best in the world he can still be an asset for the team. In and out of the pool.

"He does not have to train a lot to keep competitive. We try telling him that, but for now we have to give him peace. He deserves to have the opportunity to start his regular professional life - and I'm sure he will excel at that as well", says Løvberg.

Aleksander Hetland himself is sure he's ended on a high, but leaves a glimmer of hope for Norwegian swimming enthusiasts.

"We'll have to wait and see. Anything can happen, but now I'm having a long break", says the World Champion.

What happened to Ryan Lochte during the 200 back in Istanbul?

Ryan Lochte, the male swimmer of the meet, had a tremendous World Short Course Championships... but it didn't go all his own way.

After his pair of IM world records on the previous two days, expectations were sky high ahead of the 200 backstroke final. However, for the second global championship in a row he was upset in one of his signature events, the 200 back.

All the pre-race signs looked positive. The 200 back was the first final of the day. Lochte was the fastest qualifier having finished his heat swim in a lightning fast 25.93 final 50m split. In 2010 his winning time of 1:46.88 just missed Arkady Vyatchanin's world record of 1:46.11... and we had already seen Lochte swim faster than Dubai this week.

But something happened in the 200 back race, his underwaters stopped dominating his competitors. Watch the start, Ryan Murphy (lane 5) is leading at 25m. On top of that, on the very final turn Lochte went in first, but Radoslaw Kawecki surfaced with Lochte before overhauling him on the touch.

Even the current world record holder (and current training partner of Lochte) was surprised.

@ryanlochte Hey man, where's 1.46? And why did you let this guy win?
— Arkady Vyatchanin (@Arkady_V) December 16, 2012

At first it looked like Lochte might have been trying to do just enough to save himself for the 100 IM final that closely followed the 200 back, however that didn't seem to be the case after seeing how tired he was after the 100 IM. At the same time it is too easy just to chalk it down to the busy schedule he had... Lochte returned later with a 45.2 freestyle leg in the relay, so clearly still had some gas left in the tank.

So the question remains, what happened to Lochte? After his second high profile defeat, has he now lost his unbeatable aura in the 200 back?

(It might not matter soon anyway... Ryan Murphy (17), the second coming of Aaron Peirsol, has arrived)

Does Brazil's Nicholas Santos have the best start in swimming?

There are some great starters in swimming, but there might not be any quite as good as Brazil's Nicholas Santos. 



Watch Santos (lane 4) explode out of the blocks in the 50m Butterfly final. He's well clear of the rest of the field by 10m.

Is Santos swimming's fastest starter?

There are a number of other challengers for the title. Ryan Lochte, Cesar Cielo, Kenneth To, Roland Schoeman, Steffen Diebler and Florent Manaudou.

Here is Manaudou's start from the 50m free final.

Ryan Lochte from the 100 IM semi-final

...and Cesar Cielo from the 50m free in Dubai 2010

Unfortunately we don't have a definitive answer, but there is little doubt that Nicholas Santos is in rare company when it comes to getting off the blocks. 

Watch Ryan Lochte set a new World Record in the 100 Individual Medley

There isn't a swimmer in the world that can keep pace with Ryan Lochte when he is in this sort of form. He had the fastest first and second 50m of the entire race. Utterly dominant.

It was fitting that Peter Mankoc, now 34 years of age, was in the race. Three years ago at the European Championships (also in Istanbul) Mankoc set the former world record, also in a semi-final. Mankoc swam his race from lane 5 that day. From lane 7 this time around he got a view of Lochte's race that money can't buy.

As far as tonight's 100 IM final is concerned, expectations should be tempered. This might be as fast as we see from Lochte as he has a brutal final session ahead. The 200 backstroke final is up first with the 100 IM following just minutes afterwards. Then again, we are talking about Ryan Lochte here... tempering expectations isn't usually a good idea.

World Short Course Swimming Championships - Istanbul - Dec 12 - 16

Start Lists & Results

Live Video (1) (2) (3) 

Live Audio

Live Timing

Schedule

Prize Money

Hot Topic - Ye Shiwen

2016 World Short Course host announced


Heats start at 10am Istanbul time (8am London / 3am New York)

Finals start at 7pm Istanbul time (5pm London / Midday New York)

Watch Vladimir Morozov 'The Siberian Sizzler' become world champion in the 50 free

The 50 free final in Istanbul really lived up to the pre-race hype. Florent Manaudou was going for a rare triple crown, Olympic, European and World champion in the same year. Vladimir Morozov had other ideas.

Manaudou blasted off the blocks as strongly as usual, but couldn't build a lead over Morozov as they took the turn together. The Russian then showed that there is nobody faster than him on top of the water as he pulled away from the field on the second 25m.

The winning time, 20.55, was sensational. Only Cesar Cielo has been faster in a textile suit (20.51) and Roland Schoeman's world record of 20.30 doesn't seem out of reach. In fact, a combination of Manaudou's dynamite start (or Schoeman's for that matter) with Morozov's speed might just have cracked the world record.

Mark down Saturday 3 August 2013 in your diary. That's when Morozov, Manaudou, Cielo, Schoeman, Jones, Ervin, Fratus et al will rumble in the 50 free final at Worlds in Barcelona. It has the potential to be a classic.

@speed_endurance Had to live up to the given by you "Siberian Sizzler" :)
— Vladimir Morozov (@v1addy) December 14, 2012

Watch Ryan Lochte set a new world record in the 200 IM

There have been some outstanding swims already in Istanbul, but Ryan Lochte breaking 1:50 in the 200 IM tops them all. Regardless of the length of the pool, this goes down as one of the all-time great IM swims.

Lochte's splits emphasised his sheer dominance - he had the fastest time on all four strokes.

Fly - 23.71 (Would have finished 20th in the 50 fly individual event, just missing the semi-final)
Back - 27.03 (Just a shade slower than 100 back bronze medalist Guilherme Guido's second 50m)
Breast - 31.74 
Free - 27.15

Additionally, after the medal presentation, Lochte gave his medal away to a young fan. A genuinely classy move.

Post-race comments

On why he gave his medal away to a young boy in the crowd:
“One of the main reasons for racing is because of my fans, so I always want to give something back.”

“If I took the medal it would end up in a sock drawer, if I give it to a fan they’re going to treasure it. It will make their day or even their life.”

“To see that smile on that little face means everything to me.”

On whether it is the first time he has given a medal away:
“I give them all away.”

Relive Vladimir Morozov's 45.52 from Istanbul

Watch the Siberian Sizzler Vladimir Morozov race away from a talented field including Anthony Ervin, Luca Dotto, Tommaso D'Orsagna and Takuro Fujii. He splits 21.62 at 50m before laying down the after burners on the second 50m (23.90).



Takeovers, takeovers, takeovers (make that переход, переход, переход)

Keep watching for the final takeover. You will see two things...
1) Matt Grevers USA with a sublime takeover (0.13).
2) Artem Lobuzov RUS with a shocker (0.49)

One of the most well trodden theories in swimming is the strength of Team USA's takeovers... and it is not a myth, here are the cumulative takeover times:

USA - 0.47 seconds (no US swimmer had a takeover time of more than 0.18)
Russia - 1.26 seconds (no Russian swimmer had a takeover time of less than 0.35)
Total USA gain on three takeovers = 0.79 seconds

To put that into perspective, Russia missed out on the bronze medal to Australia by 0.74 seconds.

New Vote: What was your favourite race from the 2011 World Swimming Championships?

Vote above for your favourite race of the World Swimming Championships. If clicking 'Vote' just isn't enough, make your case for your favourite race in the comment section. If your favourite isn't on the list... the comment section also awaits.

Men's 200m Freestyle - Battle royale between swimming's superpowers. The significance of the race increased as it acted as a baton change between the former owner and newest incumbent of the title 'World's Best Swimmer'.

Women's 800m Freestyle - A definite contender for the head-to-head race of the competition. Rebecca Adlington and Lotte Friis were the clear pre-race favourites, and very little separated the pair for all 800 metres.

Men's 1500m Free - A truly historic race. The only men's world record to survive the tech-suit era went down almost exactly 10 years after it was originally set. Sun Yang broke the record with one of the most incredible final 50 metres you will ever witness.


Women's 200m Backstroke - In years to come this race might be remembered as the first of many, many individual World golds for Missy Franklin. She also came closer than any other woman to breaking an individual WR in Shanghai.

Men's 100m Breaststroke - After the tragedy that hit Norway, Alexander Dale Oen was swimming for more than just himself. A poignant example of an athlete channeling extreme emotions to achieve greatness.


Men's 200m IM - Phelps v Lochte. World Record. Best times for both men. Great, great race.

Women's 200m IM - A lot was expected from this race and it lived up to the hype. We had lead changes, a top three split by just 0.22 seconds and a storming freestyle leg from Ye Shiwen that took her from 5th to first in the space of 29.42 seconds.


Men's 4 x 100m Free Relay - The race started with James Magnussen setting a new textile best time, and ended up with a hard charging Fabien Gilot just falling short of giving France a much sought after win. It also saw a full strength US team finish third, a changing of the guard?

Women's 4 x 100m Free Relay - On paper the pre-race favourites won the race, so why did this race make the list? Well, because for 300m this race was getting away from the Dutch and it took a stunning 52.46 from Femke Heemskerk to overhaul the Americans.


Other - The races above were my personal favourites, but if there is another race you feel deserves to make this list then add it in the comments.

Michael Phelps: A Fitting Swansong

If a picture is worth a thousand words, this is surely an example of it. Standing on a World Championships podium for the 33rd and final time, the look on Michael Phelps’ face was, well, content.

It is fitting that Phelps’ final swansong was a gold medal effort. It is fitting that it came in a relay, the only events that seemed to bring out the emotions that showed us the ‘real Phelps’. It is fitting that Phelps’ Butterfly leg was a second faster than the rest of the relay, essentially winning the relay for the US team that had a margin of victory of just 0.20 seconds.

As is so often the case with swimming, words come a distant second to the thrill of racing. So I leave you with the race that I consider Phelps’ greatest moment at the World Championships. Enjoy.

Watch World Swimming Championships Live Video and Chat

In a Speed Endurance first, we will not only be showing the live racing but also hosting a live chat throughout the World Swimming Championships. Use the chat to get those burning issues off your chest before, during or after racing.

UPDATE: Thank you to everyone who has taken part in the World Championships Chat. We've had over 10,000 comments since day one. It's been a fantastic way to watch the swimming and I hope everyone enjoyed it. Let's do it all over again for the next big competition.

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Cesar Cielo Cleared to Race in Shanghai - Swimmer's Reactions

According to Swimming World, Cesar Cielo has been cleared to swim in Shanghai. Without inside knowledge of the case, I won't sit here and say whether this decision is right or wrong. Naively or not, I'll put my faith in the court of arbitration chaired by three guys from Australia, Switzerland and USA.

There has already been an immediate reaction from the swimming world:

Beginner's Guide to the 2011 Russian Swimming Championships

Navigating your way around Russian swimming sites can be an arduous task. Here are a few easy steps to keep up-to-date with this week's Russian Swimming Championships (Apr 18-23).

1). How can I watch?

Easy. The Russkis are particularly good at streaming their National Champs. Not only can you watch live, you can also see the entire finals session again immediately on completion. Links below:-

Day One Finals
Day Two Finals
Day Three Finals
Day Four Finals
Day Five Finals
Day Six Finals

Finals begin at 17:00 Russian time (14:00 BST)

RESULTS - Not livetiming, results should appear after each session.

2). Who are the swimmers?

The next hurdle when watching Russian swimming is figuring out who is who. You can't rely on the good old Roman Alphabet on this one... it is all Cyrillic, all of the time.

Here's a handy list to help you out:-


The words that will bring a tear to the eyes of all Americans... МОРОЗОВ Владимир - VLADIMIR MOROZOV

National Championship Bonanza Part II

Italian Championships, April 13 - 17

WATCH LIVE

Start List (Federica Pellegrini will swim the 100, 200, 400 & 800 Free)
Results


Russian Championships, April 18 - 23

Start List (coming soon)
Results (coming soon)
Russian Qualifying Standards

South African Championships, April 11 - 16


Start List
Results

Australia's Strength in Depth - Women's 200m Freestyle

The 200 Free world rankings have a green and gold tinge to them today after two stunning 1:55.7 efforts from Kylie Palmer and Bronte Barratt at the Australian Championships. 

Palmer and Barratt's efforts are the two fastest times ever by Australians, they move to 10th and 11th respectively on the all-time list and 5th and 6th on the all-time textile list. The threat level posed by both women has just moved up from potential finalists/possible contenders for medals, to gold medal challengers. As it currently stands the top tier in the 200 Free looks like this: Federica Pellegrini, Kylie Palmer, Bronte Barratt, Camille Muffat & Allison Schmitt.

There was another storyline from the 200 Free final - The sixth placed finisher in the 200 Free, Alicia Coutts, swam 1:57.72. That is an entire relay squad who would have ranked in the Top 15 in the world last year. I don't think there is another swimming nation that can boast the kind of depth Australia has in the event. The USA could get close and China has a strong team, but neither country looks to have six swimmers right now on those kind of times. To put this level of depth into context, last year's top time in the 4 x 200 Free relay came from USA in 7:51.21. The combined times of the top four Aussies (with 0.5 seconds taken off for the three relay take-overs) is 7:44.53. The seemingly untouchable world record in the event, China's 7:42.08, is suddenly within reach.

The luxury of having six elite swimmers for the relay is two-fold; a) you can afford to rest your two big guns in the heats, and b) there is cover should any of the top four have an off-meet in Shanghai.

Early prediction for the 4 x 200 Free relay in Shanghai. 1) Australia, 2) China, 3) USA.

New Vote: Who Will Win The 400m Freestyle at this Year's World Championships?

If the 200m Freestyle is the most stacked event with storylines on the men's side, for the women it is surely the 400m Freestyle.

The event includes the most popular swimmers, male or female, of two major European nations, Rebecca Adlington and Federica Pellegrini. Two high-profile American women with two contrasting backgrounds. A young Chinese contingent with no apparent ceiling to their talent. France's major medal hopes on the women's side and a couple of Australian's putting together some impressive major competition results.

The Main Contenders

Rebecca Adlington - Double Olympic Champion from Beijing. European and Commonwealth Champion last year. Has just swam the event's fastest time since the suit laws were changed.

Federica Pellegrini - Only woman ever to swim under 4:00 long course and reigning World Champion. Had consistency issues last year and is now training with Laure Manaudou's former coach.

Chloe Sutton - The former open water swimmer has transitioned seamlessly to the pool. Has improved many technical aspects. Can keep pace with anyone else in the world between the flags.

Katie Hoff - Last year's World Short-Course Champion has returned to her best form after a post-Beijing dip. The best start and turns of anyone in the event.

Camille Muffat - Multi-talented 21-year old, has been improving steadily over the last few years. Looks set for a break-out in 2011.

Coralie Balmy - 8th on the all-time list. Underperformed at European's last year and has subsequently changed coaches. No shortage of talent.

Li Xuanxu - Just 17 years old. 6th at the World SC Championships which was also her LC world ranking last year. Watch out for the Chinese at a home World Championships.

Yiwen Shao - 16 year-old dominated last year's Asian Games winning by over 3 seconds in her first international competition. Watch out for the Chinese at a home World Championships.

Bronte Barratt - 8th in the world last year, but just 0.1 seconds shy of 4th. Has been on the international scene for some time, but is still just 22 years old.

Kylie Palmer - Strong performances in the major competition's last year. Silver medalist behind Hoff in Dubai. Beat the likes of Pellegrini, Sutton, Balmy and Li Xuanxu. Also won silver at the Commonwealth Games behind Adlington.

Other - Plenty of other hopefuls in this event, including the likes of Jaz Carlin, Ophelie-Cyrielle Etiene, Blair Evans, Lotte Friis, Mireia Belmonte (although the event clashes with 200m IM), Erika Villaecija plus any unknown talents poised for a breakthrough (looking at you China).

Cast your vote now. If clicking vote isn't enough, make the case for your pick in the comment section below.

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.