0 WSC 25m: Doha (QAT) will be the host in 2014

Lausanne (SUI), MAJALAH RENANG INDONESIA – FINA, together with the Qatar Olympic Committee and the Qatar Swimming Association, has the pleasure to announce that following the decision of the FINA Bureau, the City of Doha (QAT) has been awarded the organisation of the 12th FINA World Swimming Championships (25m), in December 2014.

“We are very pleased to have the 12th FINA World Swimming Championships (25m) in 2014 in the outstanding Aspire Sport Complex, and its Aquatic Centre, in Doha. I am sure that all swimmers, coaches, officials, and representatives of the participating National Federations will enjoy a great competition and be impressed by the Qatari hospitality”, considered FINA President Dr. Julio C. Maglione.

"It is a great honour for Dohato be awarded these championships by FINA. Swimming is an important and popular sport in Qatarand we will give a special welcome to the athletes, fans and officials in 2014.

"Working with FINA and hosting the championships is a further sign of our commitment to the development of sports in Qatarand across the Middle East. We are investing in sport at every level and we promise to deliver a great event", HE Sheikh Saoud Bin Abdulrahman Al-Thani, Secretary General of Qatar Olympic Committee told.

Mr. Khaleel Al-Jabir, President of Qatar Swimming Association added: “We are delighted with this decision which fits well with our commitment to FINA's global events programme and the development of Swimming in Qatar.

"This a real boost to our plans for the sport here in Qatar and also a great platform to further develop Swimming in the region".

Before Doha, the 2012 edition of these championships, gathering the best 25m-pool swimmers in even years, will be staged in Istanbul (TUR), from December 12-16. (fina)

0 Zhang Lin Belum Lolos Kualifikasi Olimpiade

Zhang Lin

BEIJING, MAJALAH AKUATIK INDONESIA - Pemegang rekor 800 meter gaya bebas putra asal China, Zhang Lin belum lolos kualifikasi Olimpiade London. Media resmi China Senin (9/4/2012) melaporkan, tampil pada kejuaraan nasional di China, Zhang menyentuh garis finis pada posisi ke-10 di nomor 200 meter dan keenam di nomor 1.500 meter gayabebas.

Dia hanya menempati urutan keempat di nomor 400 meter gaya bebas, tertingggal 6,83 detik dari peraih medali emas, Sun Yang.

Dia mengaku masih bingung mengapa itu bisa terjadi. "Saya sungguh merasa kecapaian dan hasil ini sungguh mengecewakan.... Saya tidak tahu apa ada yang salah dengan penampilan saya. Padahal, saya selalu bisa mengulang irama dan melakukan yang terbaik saat latihan," ujarnya kepada China Daily.

Pelatih Zhang, Chen Yinghong juga terlihat kaget dengan pencapaian ini. Chen menduga asma Zhang yang menyebabkan ini semua.

"Saya betul-betul terpukul dengan hasil ini. Saya pikir penyakit asmanya kambuh. Hanya itu yang bisa saya jelaskan," ujarnya.

Zhang menjadi perenang putra pertama China yang mempersembahkan medali perak di nomor 400 meter gayabebas bagi negaranya pada Olimpiade 2008 di Beijing. Tahun lalu, dia memecahkan ekor dunia nomor 800 meter gayabebas pada kejuaraan dunia renang di Roma. Sayangnya, nomor 800 meter ini bukanlah nomor renang di Olimpiade. (KOMPAS.com)

0 Kejurda Renang 2012 : Perenang Surabaya Terlalu Tangguh

SURABAYA –MAJALAH RENANG INDONESIA - Perenang Surabaya masih terlalu tangguh bagi rival-rivalnya dari daerah lain yang ikut Kejuaraan Daerah (Kejurda) Renang Jawa Timur yang berakhir Senin (9/4) kemarin di kolam renang KONI Jatim.

Surabayamenjadi  tim terbaik dalam perolehan medali dan keluar sebagai juara umum dengan 81 medali emas, 64 perak dan 32 perunggu. Perolehan ini hanya bisa didekati oleh kabupaten Gresik yang menghuni posisi runner up dengan 36 emas, 34 perak dan 33 perunggu.

Sementara kota Malang dan Sidoarjo hanya mampu finish di peringkat 3 dan 4, masing-masing meraih 11 emas, hanya saja koleksi perak kota Malang lebih banyak 16 buah, sementara Sidoarjo hanya meraih 10 buah saja.

Ketua umum PRSI Surabaya, Juniarno Djoko Purwanto mengaku senang atas keberhasilan kontingen atlet Surabayayang mampu kembali pertahankan juara Kejurda. “Kita bangga atas prestasi para atlet yang mampu kembali menjuarai Kejurda kali ini. Mereka tampil sangat bagus, bahkan atlet kami mendominasi,” ungkapnya Senin (9/4) kemarin.

Ya, kota Surabaya bukan hanya meraih title juara umum Kejurda, melainkan juga menempatkan banyak perenangnya sebagai atlet terbaik di masing-masing kelompok umur (KU). Perenang kota Surabayamendominasi merebut gelar atlet terbaik dengan menempatkan 7 atlet dari 12 atlet terbaik masing-masing KU.

Di sektro KU Senior baik putra maupun putri mulai peringkat pertama hingga ketiga peraih medali terbanyak dikuasai atlet Surabaya yaitu, Dicky Limanto, Andy Wibowo dan Epifani Rachmad Gunadi di sektor putra. Sektor putri dikuasai trio Surabayayakni Enny Susilawati, Erlina Yacob dan Elizabeth Kusumawati.

“Kita memang unggul di KU Senior. Atlet kita di KU ini baik putra maupun putri memang bagus-bagus,” tambahnya.

Sementara atlet lain Surabayayang merajai masing-masing KU adalah Christopher  T. di KU 1 putra, Giovani Yuan Parama di KU 2 putra, dan Richie Augusta Wibowo di KU 4 putra. Sementara di sektor putri ada Adinda Larasati Dewi K. di KU 3 dan Briza Aridainty Ardiyan di KU 4.

Sedangkan kabupaten Gresik yang menjadi runner up hanya mengirimkan dua wakilnya sebagai atlet terbaik yakni M. Auliya Akbar di KU 3 putra dan Nurul Fajar Fitriyati di KU 1 putri. Sedangkan tiga kota lain hanya menempatkan satu wakil saja yakni Sakti Dharma Putra (Kota Probolinggo), Olivia A. Fernandez (Kabupaten Sidoarjo) dan Barru Aliyyu Nissa (Kota Pasuruan).

(surabayapost)

0 Tarakan Juara Umum Kejura Renang Kaltim

TENGGARONG – MAJALAH RENANG INDONESIA - Tim renang Tarakan keluar sebagai juara umum Kejuaraan Daerah (Kejurda) renang tingkat Provinsi Kaltim 2012 yang digelar di kolam renang Puteri Junjung Buyah (PJB), Tenggarong. Kegiatan yang dihelat 6-8 April ini diikuti sembilan kabupaten/kota. Tarakan berhasil mendulang 136 medali, rinciannya emas 64 medali, 39 perak, dan 33 perunggu.
Sementara tim tuan rumah Kutai Kartanegara (Kukar) harus puas menempati posisi keempat dengan raihan 8 medali emas, 14 perak, dan 17 perunggu. Kukar harus mengakui keunggulan Balikpapanyang meraih 54 emas di posisi runner up, sedangkan di posisi tiga ditempati oleh Bontang dengan 23 emas (selengkapnya lihat grafis).
Ketua Persatuan Renang Indonesia (PRSI) Kaltim H Suwandi mengatakan Kejurda itu untuk memberikan kesempatan berkompetisi pada atlet renang Kaltim. Dengan harapan mampu berprestasi pada event yang lebih bergengsi, sekaligus untuk mengevaluasi hasil pembinaan dari masing-masing Pengkab PRSI se-Kaltim.
"Kejurda ini juga untuk melahirkan atlet-atlet renang usia dini Kaltim, guna dipersiapkan ke jenjang kejuaraan yang lebih tinggi," ujarnya.
Sekadar diketahui, Kejurda renang Kaltim 2011 juga dilaksanakan di kolam renang PJB Tenggarong. Dengan demikian Kukar dua tahun berturut-turut menjadi tuan rumah kegiatan itu.
Menyinggung terpilihnya Kukar sebagai penyelenggara Kejurda Renang 2012, menurut Suwandi karena sudah pasti Kukar memiliki venue yang memadai dan layak untuk kejuaraan tingkat provinsi. Bahkan pada PON 2008 lalu, kolam renang PJB juga menjadi salah satu venue perhelatan olahraga akbar nasional tersebut. (Kaltimpost)

0 Epifani Penuhi Kuota Renang Jatim di PON

SURABAYA – MAJALAH RENANG INDONESIA - Perenang Epifani Rachmad Gunadi akhirnya terpilih memperkuat tim renang Jawa timur di PON 2012, setelah sukses di Kejuaraan Daerah (Kejurda) renang Jawa Timur 7-9 April kemarin di Kolam renang KONI Jatim.

Sebelumnya, dari total 16 kuota  cabang olahraga renang Jatim untuk PON nanti, PRSI Jatim  masih membutuhkan satu atlet lagi, karena 15 atlet telah lolos by name. Sisa 1 tempat yang masih belum terisi tersebut, menjadi rebutan para perenang Jatim lewat ajang Kejurda Jatim.

Manajer Puslatda renang Jatim, Reswanda T. Ade mengatakan, sebenarnya penampilan para perenang dari berbagai daerah cukup bagus, hingga akhirnya mengerucut sampai dua kandidat untuk mengisi sisa satu kuota PON.

“Sebenarnya ada dua kandidat untuk mengisi satu tempat di tim PON, yakni Epifani dan Dewanto. Kita terus pertimbangkan keduanya,” ungkapnya Selasa (10/4) kemarin.

Namun dengan berbagai pertimbangan, lanjut Reswanda, penampilan Epifani ternyata lebih bagus dan sesuai dengan komposisi yang dibutuhkan tim renang PON. Epifani yang turun di nomor 100 meter gaya dada dianggap tampil bagus sehingga layak untuk memperkuat tim estafet.

“Dari dua kandidat tersebut setelah kita pertimbangkan, Epifani ternyata lebih bagus. Dia juga sesuai dengan komposisi yang kita butuhkan yakni untuk memperkuat tim estafet putra Jatim, kita memang saat ini butuh sprinter hebat seperti dia,” tambahnya.

Epifani yang memperkuat Surabaya di Kejurda kemarin memang mampu meraih 3 medali emas lewat nomor 100 m gaya dada, 50 m gaya dada dan 200 m gaya dada. Atlet asal klub HIU Surabaya ini bahkan menjadi atlet terbaik KU senior peringkat ke-3 di bawah dua rekannya yang telah lama menghuni Puslatda yakni Dicky Limanto dan Andy Wibowo yang juga sama-sama memperkuat kota Surabaya.

Dihubungi terpisah, Epifani merasa senang berhasil merebut satu tempat di tim PON. Ia bahkan berjanji akan berjuang sekuat tenaga untuk mempersembahkan gelar buat Jatim. “Saya senang akhirnya berhasil masuk tim PON. Sebenarnya kemarin saya hanya meraih 3 medali, namun ke depan saya akan berusaha tampil lebih bagus dan memberikan medali buat Jatim,” tegas dia.(surabayapost).

0 A Comparison of Textile Bests to World Records

Guest editorial by John Craig

PHOENIX, MAJALAH RENANG INDONESIA- Arizona, April 10. NOW that most of the major Olympic Trials -- with the obvious exception of the United States -- are over, it's worth taking a look at the various world records to see which are the better swims: the official records, which are in most cases techsuit-aided, or the textile bests.

This article will look at all the individual Olympic events. There is no standard formula for converting a tech suited time to a textile time. A rough rule of thumb might be that the tech suits are worth approximately seven-tenths of a second per hundred, but that's a very fuzzy rule. Conversions, if that word can even be used, must take into account which tech suit, which event, and which swimmer. 

In early 2008, when Speedo first came out with the LZR, that was the fastest suit going. But by 2009, when the second generation all-polyurethane suits like the Jaked and Arena X-Glide came out, things got really crazy. Yet some of the current world records, even from 2009, were set in LZRs. And some were set by swimmers wearing only leggings, which conferred less benefit.

Any rough conversion must also take into account the distance swum. That seven-tenths of a second per hundred generally shrank as the distance increased; it's no coincidence that Grant Hackett's and Kate Ziegler's 1500's were the only two world records to survive the techsuit era, nor that the events in which the largest number of techsuit-clad swimmers broke previous records were the 50's and 100's.

Beyond that, two different swimmers wearing the same techsuit under the same conditions would benefit by differing amounts, depending on their form and their natural buoyancy. There are a few cases where the techsuited record holder hasn't come close to his or her record in textile; some would say that casts a shadow over their record. But it's also possible that 2009 might have been a career year for them anyway; this article gives them the benefit of that doubt.

Some of you will be personally familiar with swimmers whose techsuits seemed to benefit them by more than a second per hundred. Bear in mind, at the level where swimmers are setting world records, there are fewer sins of both stroke and body shape to forgive, so the advantage gained was less.

In any case, there's certainly no exact formula for figuring out how much the tech suits were worth. The question is, taking all these factors into account, which was the better swim. In some cases the answer is easy, in others less so. In cases where it's close, this article will err on the side of agnosticism.

Men's 50 free: Cesar Cielo, 20.91, vs. Fred Bousquet, 21.36. Bousquet did break 21 seconds in a techsuit, and no one else has ever broken 21.5 without one. But this one's still too close for a definitive call.

Men's 100 free: Cesar Cielo, 46.91, vs. James Magnussen, 47.10. Easy, this one's all Magnussen.

Men's 200 free: Paul Biedermann, 1:42.00, vs. Michael Phelps, 1:43.86. Biedermann wore an Arena X-Glide to beat Phelps (and Phelps' WR of 1:42.96 set in a full body LZR) in Rome. This won't be a popular decision, but this fan calls it for Biedermann. True, Biedermann has never broken 1:44 in textile, and he was beaten by both Phelps and Lochte last summer. But no reasonable conversion factor calls for a second per 100.

Men's 400 free: Paul Biedermann, 3:40.07, vs. Ian Thorpe, 3:40.08. Absolutely no question here, Thorpe's was by far the superior swim.

Men's 1500 free: No comparison necessary, Sun Yang's textile suited 14:34.14 is the official world record.

Men's 100 back: Aaron Peirsol, 51.94, vs. Camille Lacourt, 52.11. This one is pretty easy: despite the fact that Peirsol wore only Arena leggings for his swim, those were indisputably worth more than two tenths over a 100. Lacourt wins.

Men's 200 back: Peirsol, 1:51.92, vs. Ryan Lochte, 1:52.96. This one's closer, but Peirsol's pure polyurethane leggings were still probably worth more than half a second per hundred. Lochte, by a narrow margin.

Men's 100 breast: Brenton Rickard, 58.58, vs. Alexander Dale Oen, 58.71. Easy: Oen.

Men's 200 breast: Christian Sprenger, 2:07.31, vs. Kosuke Kitajima, 2:08.00. Fairly easy decision: Kitajima.

Men's 100 fly: Michael Phelps, 49.82, vs. Ian Crocker, 50.40. Phelps wore a full body LZR for his swim; was that worth .58 in a 100? Hard to say; too close to call.

Men's 200 fly: Phelps, 1:51.51, vs. Phelps, 1:52.09. Phelps wore only LZR leggings for his official world record, but his textile best is still the better swim.

Men's 200 IM: No comparison necessary, Lochte's textile-clad 1:54.00 is the official record.

Men's 400 IM: Phelps, 4:03.84, vs. Phelps, 4:06.22. Phelps wore only LZR leggings for his official WR, and over 400 meters the tech suit advantage shrinks a bit. His 4:03.84 was probably the better swim, but let's put this one in the too close to call category.

Women's 50 free: Britta Steffen, 23.73, vs. Inge de Bruijn and Francesca Halsall, 24.13. As with the men's 50, it's too close for a definitive call.

Women's 100 free: Steffen, 52.07, vs. Sjostrom, 53.05. At a full second spread, you have to give this one to Steffen by a few tenths. She won both the 50 and 100 frees at the 2008 Olympics and at the 2009 World Championships, so it's not as if she hadn't consistently proven herself against top competition, either.

Women's 200 free: Federica Pellegrini, 1:52.98, vs. Camille Muffat, 1:54.87. This one goes to Pellegrini.

Women's 400 free: Federica Pellegrini, 3:59.15 vs. Camille Muffat, 4:01.13. Muffat's turn, by a somewhat narrower margin.

Women's 800 free: Rebecca Adlington, 8:14.10, vs. Janet Evans, 8:16.22. Easy choice, Evans.

Women's 100 back: Gemma Spofforth, 58.12, vs. Zhao Jing, 58.94. Spofforth, who wore a LZR to set her record, gets a narrow nod here.

Women's 200 back: Kirsty Coventry, 2:04.81, vs. Missy Franklin, 2:05.10. Obviously, Franklin.

Women's 100 breast: Jessica Hardy, 1:04.45, vs. Rebecca Soni, 1:04.91. Soni by a narrow margin.

Women's 200 breast: Annamay Pierse, 2:20.12, vs. Leisel Jones, 2:20.54. Easily Jones.

Women's 100 fly: Sarah Sjostrom, 56.06, vs. Dana Vollmer, 56.47. Vollmer by a couple tenths.

Women's 200 fly: Liu Zige, 2:01.81, vs. Zige, 2:04.40. Her techsuited time is clearly better. It is actually one of the three most improbable records set during the techsuit (along with Zhang Lin's 800 free and Arianna Kukors' 200 IM).

Women's 200 IM: Arianna Kukors, 2:06.15, vs. Ye Shiwen, 2:08.90. Obviously, Kukors.

Women's 400 IM: Stephanie Rice, 4:29.45, vs. Elizabeth Beisel, 4:31.78. Interestingly, the difference of 2.33 seconds is very close to the difference between Phelps' two 400 IM's, which was 2.38. This one is likewise too close to definitively call.

So where does that leave us? This list includes two events were the textile best is also the official world record, five deemed too close to call, 13 where the textile swim is considered superior, and six where the techsuit time is given the edge. Where this article called for one or the other by a narrow margin, there will of course be differing opinions. There are also some swims where the difference is stark enough that there will be few dissenting opinions. This article shied away from picking the close ones, as the point was not to make narrow calls.

While the techsuit era is considered by many to have been a sort of blight on swimming, there were several outstanding swims -- six to be exact -- which must be given their due. If you look at the history of swimming, at any given time hasn't been at all uncommon for six of the world records in the 26 individual Olympic events to have been set three and four years previously, especially when one of those years was an Olympic year.

But while those swims must be given their due -- and are, with official recognition -- the textile bests which are obviously superior swims must also be given their due.

(Thanks to Swimming World and Craig Lord of SwimNews for having recently compiled lists of textile bests.)

John Craig was a mediocre swimmer in college but is second to none in his nerdy love of the sport.

(swimmingworldmagazine)

0 POM ASEAN: Bintang Renang PON Berjaya di POM ASEAN

RENANG INDONESIA. Indonesiaberuntung memiliki perenang muda sekelas Triadi Fauzi. Setelah sukses merajai kolam renang Pekan Olah raga Nasional (PON) 2012, Triadi kemudian melanjutkan keperkasaannya di kolam renang Pekan Olah Raga Mahasiswa (POM) ASEAN 2012.

Dalam pertandingan renang POM ASEAN yang berlangsung di Vientiane, Laos, Rabu (19/12), Triadi menyumbangkan dua medali emas bagi Indonesia.

Emas pertama Triadi diraih pada nomor 100 meter gaya kupu-kupu putra dengan catatan waktu 55.25 detik. Medali Perak dan perunggu diraih perenang Thailand dan Malaysia.

Sementara emas kedua Triadi berasal dari nomor 50 meter gaya bebas putra. Perenang yang meraih tujuh keping emas di PON 2012 itu  mencatat waktu 23.23 detik yang merupakan rekor baru POM ASEAN. Perak dan perunggu jatuh ke perenang Malaysia dan Thailand.

Tambahan dua medali emas Triadi mendongkrak posisi Indonesiake urutan ketiga klasemen sementara perolehan medali sekaligus menggeser posisi Thailand.

Indonesiamengumpulkan 37 medali emas, 46 perak, dan 53 perunggu. Sementara Malaysia berada di diurutan teratas dengan  56-42-62 dan Vietnamdi tempat kedua dengan 55-35-28.

Aquatics(Swimming and Diving) Medals

No	Country	G	B	B	Total
1	Malaysia	20	9	4	33
2	Indonesia	9	13	16	38
3	Thailand	4	9	7	20
4	Singapore	1	0	1	2
5	Philippines	0	3	5	8
6	Lao PDR	0	0	1	1
Total		34	34	34	102

Aquatics (Diving) Medal

No	Country	G	S	B	Total
1	Malaysia	4	2	0	6
2	Indonesia	0	2	2	4
3	Lao PDR	0	0	1	1
4	Philippines	0	0	1	1
Total		4	4	4	12

  Aquatics (Swimming) Medal

No	Country				Total
1	Malaysia	21	9	7	37
2	Indonesia	14	15	16	45
3	Thailand	4	11	12	27
4	Singapore	1	0	1	2
5	Philippines	0	5	5	10
Total		40	40	41	121

0 Ryan Lochte "Buang" Medali Emas

ISTANBUL. RENANG INDONESIA - Perenang AS, Ryan Lochte memecahkan rekor dunia 200 meter gayaganti di kejuaraan dunia kolam pendek di Turki, namun menyerahkan medali emasnya kepada penggemarnya.

Perenang asal New Yorkberusia 28 tahun ini mencatat waktu 1 menit 49.63 detik dalam lomba yang berlangsung di Sinan Erdem Arena, Jumat. Rekor sebelumnya atas namanya sendiri 1:50.08 yang dibuat di Dubai, Desember 2010.

Sebelumnya ia telah mendapatkan medali emas di  nomor 200 meter gaya bebas, 4x100 meter dan 4x200 meter estafet gaya bebas.

Namun secara mengejutkan, Lochte menghadiahkan medali emas yang baru diraihnya kepada seorang anak berusia 10 tahun yang dengan sabar menunggu untuk mendapatkan tandatangan Lochte.

"Saya memberikannya. Alasannya, saya berlomba karena mereka, para penggemar.  Jadi saya hanya mengembalikannya kepada mereka," kata Lochte. ia telah mengum;pulkan 27 medali kejuaraan renang kolam pendek, termasuk 18 medali emas.

"Jika saya menyimpannya, saya akan mengabaikannya. Jika saya memberikan kepada mereka, medali itu akan disimpan dengan rapih. Mereka akan sangat senang dan senyum mereka adalah sangat berarti buat saya," kata Lochte. (Kompas.com) 

0 Lochte (USA) makes history with 8 medals in Istanbul

women's 50m free

RENANG INDONESIA, For the fourth consecutive edition of the FINA World Swimming Championships (25m), Ryan Lochte (USA) is the winner of the FINA Trophy for best male swimmer, earning an unprecedented eight medals in Istanbul! The swimming superstar already made history two years ago in Dubai (UAE) with seven podium appearances, but this time in the Turkish metropolis, he did even better with an even more impressive roll of honour: 1st 200m Free, 1st 4x100m free, 3rd 100m fly, 1st 4x200m free, 1st 200m IM, 2nd 200m back, 1st 100m IM, and 1st 4x100m medley.

Lochte has now an accumulated total of 30 medals at these championships since his first appearance in Indianapolisin 2004. Moreover, the 11-time medallist at the Olympics was the only swimmer to establish new World Records in Istanbul: firstly in the final of the 200m IM (1:49.63) and then in the semi-finals of the 100m IM (50.71). Lochte's performances decisively helped USA clinch the title for Best scoring team in Istanbul.

"My overall performance this week was decent, I had a couple of World records and it was an honour. I'm glad I was able to step up for the team. I always feel I can do better", said Lochte after the event.

Looking ahead, the U.S. champion added: "After the Olympics, I took a two-and-a-half-month break, this was the longest break ever since I was 8 years old. My biggest goal is Rio 2016." And continued: "I push my body to limits where other athletes are afraid to go to."

His last word went to his family and fans: "The fans are incredible, they brought me where I am today. I love kids because I am a big kid too. I have to be thankful for my family, they're my biggest supporters. I'm also thankful for my fans, they've given me so much love, especially at this meet."

Hungary’s Katinka Hosszu was awarded the FINA Trophy for Best female swimmer. She earned five medals in the five-day competition: 1st 200m fly, 3rd 400m IM, 1st 100m IM, 2nd 200m IM, and 2nd 200m free. The winner of the 2012 FINA/ARENA Swimming World Cup demonstrated her immense versatility in the pool, ending in the best possible way a fabulous 25m season.

"It feels awesome to be the Champion of the meet. I'm proud that Hungarywon so many medals at this competition", said Hosszu.

Besides these two major stars, other athletes also shined in Istanbul. With three or more appearances in the podium, the following swimmers are worth mentioning:

MEN
Paul BIEDERMANN (GER) – 2nd 200m free, 3rd 4x200m free, 1st 400m free
Laszlo CSEH (HUN) – 2nd 400m IM, 3rd 200m IM, 2nd 200m fly
Stanislav DONETS (RUS) – 2nd 100m back, 3rd 50m back, 2nd 4x100m medley
Tommaso D’ORSOGNA (AUS) – 3rd 4x100m free, 2nd 4x200m free, 2nd 100m free, 3rd 4x100m medley
Matt GREVERS (USA) – 1st 4x100m free, 1st 100m back, 2nd 50m back, 1st 4x100m medley
Robert HURLEY (AUS) – 2nd 4x200m free, 1st 50m back, 3rd 4x100m medley
Vladimir MOROZOV (RUS) – 1st 50m free, 1st 100m free, 2nd 4x100m medley
Thomas SHIELDS (USA) – 2nd 100m fly, 3rd 50m fly, 1st 4x100m medley
Kenneth TO (AUS) – 3rd 4x100m free, 2nd 100m IM, 3rd 4x100m medley

WOMEN
Ruta MEILUTYTE (LTU) – 1st 50m breast, 2nd 100m IM, 1st 100m breast
Mie NIELSEN (DEN) – 2nd 100m back, 1st 4x100m medley, 3rd 4x100m free
Jeanette OTTESEN (DEN) – 3rd 50m fly, 1st 4x100m medley, 3rd 4x100m free, 3rd 50m free
Rikke PEDERSEN (DEN) – 1st 4x100m medley, 3rd 100m breast, 1st 200m breast
Megan ROMANO (USA) – 1st 4x200m free, 2nd 100m free, 3rd 4x100m medley, 1st 4x100m free
Allison SCHMITT (USA) – 1st 4x200m free, 1st 4x100m free, 1st 200m free
Olivia SMOLIGA (USA) – 1st 100m back, 3rd 4x100m medley, 2nd 50m back

In Istanbul, many remarkable performance were achieved and besides Lochte's two WR, 18 Championships Records were set (11 among women, seven in the men’s field).

Topping the medal table, USA, clearly dominating the operations with a total 27 awards (11 gold, 8 silver and 8 bronze). The top-5 still includes China(3+5+3), Hungary (3+4+3), Denmark (3+2+5) and Russia (2+3+4). In this group, the major revelation came from Denmark, present in Istanbulwith a very strong and successful team. Never before had the Nordic country such success at short-course Worlds.

25 countries had athletes with medals – only the 2002 edition in Moscow (RUS) had been more prolific, with 26 nations. Moreover, four new National Federations sent their first swimmer to the podium: Lithuania, with new breaststroke queen Ruta Meilutyte; Jamaica, and the excellent Alia Atkinson (two silver medals in the women’s 50m and 100m breast); Faroe Islands – bronze medal of Pal Joensen in the men’s 1500m free; and Trinidad and Tobago, thanks to the bronze medal of George Bovell in the men’s 100m IM. 

"It is definitely a special moment for Trinidad and Tobago, after all these years I finally got my first medal at a World Championships. I was nervous, it's been a long season with the Olympics, I was not in great shape coming to this meet so I'm very pleased with this medal", considered Bovell.

Day 5 – Finals

The last day of competition in Istanbul included 12 finals and produced three new Championships Records: in the men’s 200m butterfly, Kazuya Kaneda (JPN) concluded a very successful season with a gold medal in 1:51.01 (the previous best mark of the meet, 1:51.05, had been set by Moss Burmester from New Zealand in 2008); in the women’s 200m breaststroke, Rikke Pedersen was one of the three champions for Denmark, getting the World crown in 2:16.08 (improving the 2:16.39 effort from U.S. Rebecca Soni in 2010).

“This gold is awesome, is everything to me. It’s my first gold at a World championships, I’m a world champion!” said an ecstatic Pedersen.

On what the key to her win was: “Just to be brave and aggressive and to think that I could be the first. I told myself to risk it all. To trust myself and all the work I’ve done”.

Finally, in the women’s 50m backstroke, Jing Zhao (CHN) improved her own mark from the semis (26.11), touching first for gold in 25.95. “Today I’m over the moon. Since I stopped using the textile swimming suit, this is my personal best. The opponents were very strong. I was very nervous before the race, maybe that’s how I beat them”, Zhao said.

The other highlights of the session were the victory of Vladimir Morozov (RUS) in the men’s 100m free. He also won the 50m free, confirming his status of short-course king of freestyle sprint events.

"My plan was to break my best time and it is already improved by 1.7 seconds since last year. I'm pretty happy with the race. I tried to begin very fast, but I think it was a bit too fast, so I was not able to speed up in the last metres”, stated Morozov.

Radoslaw Kawecki (POL) won the duel with Ryan Lochte in the men’s 200m back – in a thrilling final, Kawecki beat the North American by only 0.02 (1:48.48 against Lochte’s 1:48.50).

Ilaria Bianchi gave a second World short-course title for Italy after being the fastest in the women’s 100m butterfly, defeating 2008 Olympic champion in the 200m, China’s Zige Liu.

"My first medal at short-course World Championships. I'm so proud to be the first Italian woman since Federica Pellegrini to win a gold medal at these Worlds!" said Bianchi after the race. On her feelings coming into the race: “I’ve been thinking about the race all day, it is the first time I’ve been really nervous before a race”.

On her recent improvements: “This year it’s been an escalation, I found what I needed in terms of training. I’ve reached perfection on both the physical and psychological levels. I feel I’m doing what I really need”.

Bianchi’s effort could not be replicated by her compatriot Gregorio Paltrinieri in the men’s 1500m free – after a very close race, Mads Glaesner from Denmarktouched home in 14:30.01 while the Italian was second in 14:31.13.

“I was hoping for a medal. I knew it was going to be painful and it was. I tried to stick to Gregorio (Paltrinieri) and it worked”, recalled Glaesner on his race.

On the performance of the Danish swimmers in Istanbul: “The (2012) Olympic Games were disappointing for us, so it’s good we are doing so great here”, he concluded.

Aliaksandra Herasimenia (BLR) overcame a strong field to impose herself in the women’s 50m free (23.64). Britta Steffen (GER), winner of the 100m free, missed the podium (fourth, in 24.04) while Aleksander Hetland (NOR) narrowly beat his main challengers in the men’s 50m breaststroke.

The winner from Norwayconcluded in 26.30, 0.02 faster than silver medallist Damir Dugonjic from Slovenia and 0.03 ahead of Florent Manaudou from France(bronze in 26.33).

Finally, the last three wins for the USA came from Ryan Lochte in the men’s 100m IM touching in 51.21, from Allison Schmitt in the women’s 200m free (swimming in lane 1, she triumphed in 1:53.59), and from the quartet in the men’s 4x100m medley relay, where Lochte got his last medal of the Championships.

Bye bye Istanbul, over to you Doha!

FINA President Dr. Julio C. Maglione highlighted the success of the FINA World Swimming Championships (25m) in Istanbul and handed over the FINA flag to the next organisers of the competition, the city of Doha in Qatar.

In the closing ceremony at the Sinan Erdem arena Mr Ali Al Jabir, Assistant Dırector of the Qatar Swimming Association received the flag on behalf of Doha 2014. In his short speech, Mr. Al Jabir thanked Istanbul for hosting a successful event and went on to say: “It is with great pride and honour to accept this responsibility to organise the 12th FINA World Swimming Championships (25m). The hosting of this unique event in close collaboration wıth FINA and with the support of the Qatar Olympic Committee, will be a key milestone to the development and promotion of the sport of swimming”.

Before that, the FINA President considered: “The FINA Family lived an unforgettable competition, highlighted by many remarkable performances. Confirmed stars and new revelations have demonstrated the vitality and progress of Swimming in the five continents. This success is mostly due to the hard work of our 202 National Federations worldwide. They all deserve our gratitude and appreciation!”. Dr. Maglione concluded by saying: “Many countries were represented at the medal’s table of these championships, and some new nations had the opportunity to shine at the highest level. Swimming is developing fast, attracting more youth and generating an increased number of stars in the five continents. This is fundamental for the improvement of the value and image of FINA and its aquatic sports worldwide”.

0 ASEAN University Games XVI: Renang Indonesia Tambah Dua Emas

JAKARTA, RENANG INDONESIA - Indonesiamerebut dua medali emas di nomor estafet 4x200 meter gaya bebas putra putri ASEAN University Games, Senin (17/12).

Di bagian putera, regu Indonesiamerebut medali emas dengan catatan waktu 7 menit 43.81 detik. tim Indonesiaterdiri dari perenang Putra M. Randa, Triady Fauzi, Alexis Wijaya Ohmar dan Glenn Victor Susanto.

Mereka mengungguli Thailand yang merebut medali perak dengan 8 menit 04.88 detik  dan Malaysia yang meraih perunggu dengan 08.19.65 dalam lomba yang berlangsung di Aquatic Centre, National Sports Complex, Vientiane.

Emas juga diraih tim estafet 4x200 meter puteri yang terdiri dari Enny Susilawati, Kathriana Mella, Ressa Kania Dewi dan Patricia Yosita yang mencatat waktu 8 menit 40.01 detik.

Tim Malaysia berada di tempat kedua dengan 8 menit 45.90 detik dan Thailand meraih perunggu dengan 9 menit 03.456 detik.

Dalam ASEAN University Games XVI yang berlangsung 12-20 Desember ini, kontingen Indonesia masih berada di urutan lima dengan 17 emas, 30 perak dan 42 perunggu. (Kompas.com)

Aquatics : Medal

Nof	Country	G	S	B	Total
1	Malaysia	14	6	3	23
2	Indonesia	6	9	14	29
3	Thailand	3	7	3	13
4	Singapore	1	0	0	1
5	Philippines	0	2	3	5
6	Lao PDR	0	0	1	1
Total		24	24	24	72