International Olympic Committee : News

Swimming: Australian world championship trials results

5/3/2013 12:03:20 PM

Results of finals Friday on the eight and last day of the Australian Swimming Championships and world championship trials in Adelaide:

Men

50m backstroke: 1. Daniel Arnamnart 24.90, 2. Benjamin Treffers 24.97, 3. Ashley Delaney 25.35

400m individual medley: 1. Thomas Fraser-Holmes 4:10.14, 2. Travis Mahoney 4:18.09, 3. Jared Gilliland 4:19.31

1500m Freestyle: 1. Jordan Harrison 14:51.02, 2. Mack Horton 14:59.66, 3. Ryan Napoleon 15:24.25

Women

50m breaststroke: 1. Jennie Johansson (SWE) 30.83, 2. Leiston Pickett 30.86, 3. Alicia Coutts 31.47

50m freestyle: 1. Cate Campbell 24.27, 2. Bronte Campbell 24.59, 3. Brittany Elmslie 24.91

400m individual medley: 1. Keryn McMaster 4:40.76, 2. Samantha Hamill 4:42.79, 3. Taylor McKeown 4:42.83

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Swimming: National championships results

4/14/2013 10:23:00 AM

Results from the national swimming championships in Niigata, north of Tokyo, on Sunday, a qualifying event for the world championships:

Men

50m freestyle

1. Shinri Shioura 22.03

2. Kenta Ito 22.21

3. Yuki Kawachi 22.39

800m freestyle

1. Kohei Yamamoto 7:54.59

2. Ayatsugu Hirai 7:54.84

3. Fumiya Hidaka 7:58.29

200m backstroke

1. Ryosuke Irie 1:55.50

2. Kosuke Hagino 1:56.11

3. Hayate Matsubara 1:57.81

200m breaststroke

1. Akihiro Yamaguchi 2:09.31

2. Kazuki Kohinata 2:11.27

3. Yukihiro Takahashi 2:11.55

100m butterfly

1. Takuro Fujii 52.23

2. Yuki Kobori 52.38

3. Masayuki Umemoto 52.66

Women

50m freestyle

1. Yayoi Matsumoto 25.46

2. Haruka Ueda 25.54

3. Misaki Ago 25.59

1500m freestyle

1. Maiko Fujino 16:26.32

2. Ayano Koguchi 16:30.64

3. Yukimi Moriyama 16:44.23

200m backstroke

1. Sayaka Akase 2:09.37

2. Miyu Otsuka 2:11.02

3. Rena Nishiwaki 2:12.00

200m breaststroke

1. Rie Kaneto 2:23.11

2. Satomi Suzuki 2:24.80

3. Runa Imai 2:25.14

100m butterfly

1. Natsumi Hoshi 58.53

2. Yuka Kato 58.98

3. Nao Kobayashi 59.42

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Mellouli triumphs in 10km Marathon - London 2012 - Swimming

8/10/2012 12:00:00 AM

Mellouli, who took bronze in the 1500m Freestyle in the pool last week, was followed home by the German Thomas Lurz who took silver.

The bronze medallist was Richard Weinberger of Canada.

When he won gold in the 1500m Freestyle in Beijing, Mellouli became the first African male to win an individual Olympic Swimming title and victory today saw him become the first swimmer to win an Olympic medal in the pool and open water at the same Games.

Although open water was only introduced four years ago, Mellouli, who beat his chest on finishing, has now set a precedent.

Mellouli said: 'I can't explain it, I can't really describe it.

'I don't think this has ever been done before. This is probably one of the toughest things to do.

'I'm a pretty solid guy and I never react but you saw that reaction, that says it all.'

Risztov secures gruelling Marathon swim title - London 2012 - Swimming

8/9/2012 12:00:00 AM

The Hungarian produced a strong performance to take the title, holding off the USA's Haley Anderson, who finished second to claim silver. Italy's Martina Grimaldi took bronze.

Great Britain's Keri-anne Payne just missed out on a medal, finishing fourth.

Still only 26, Risztov competed in a full spectrum of events in London from the >4 x 100m Freestyle Relay through the 400m and 800m Freestyle as well as today's Marathon swim.

The nature of her victory was impressive, going out at the head of the field and never falling below third.

She said: 'It was a really tough race but I was prepared for the race and I'm very happy with the result.

'It is really hard to take in but in a few hours I will be much more happy because I'm really, really tired now.'

Phelps ends career in golden fashion - London 2012 - Swimming

8/4/2012 12:00:00 AM

The 27-year-old started his Olympic Games career at Sydney 2000, 12 years ago, where he finished fifth in the 200m Butterfly.

Six gold and two bronze medals at Athens 2004 were followed by his historic eight golds at Beijing 2008.

His London 2012 Games adventure did not start off so well with fourth place in the 400m Individual Medley - his worst result since Sydney 2000 - and he was shocked by Chad le Clos in the 200m Butterfly, the South African taking advantage of Phelps' poor glide into the wall.

However, the Baltimore swimmer won the 100m Butterfly and 200m Individual Medley - where he beat team-mate Ryan Lochte - as well as taking the titles in the 4 x 200m Freestyle and tonight's Medley Relay and silver in the 4 x 100m Freestyle.

SMS messages and phone calls from the likes of US president Barack Obama followed, and tonight he was presented with a FINA lifetime achievement award by president Julio Maglione inscribed with the words: 'To Michael Phelps, the greatest Olympic athlete of all time. From FINA. August 4 2012. London, Great Britain.'

After his final race, Phelps told a packed press conference: 'It's kind of weird looking at this (trophy) and seeing it say I am the greatest Olympic athlete of all time.

'I said to Bob (coach Bob Bowman) in the warm-down pool that I looked up to Michael Jordan, what he did in his career and I have been able to become the best swimmer of all time, we got here together and I thanked him. It was fine.

'He said "That's not fair. You were the one in the pool". I said "what's not fair"?

'My tears are in my goggles and yours are streaming down your face. I wouldn't be here without him. I love him to death and I am thankful to have someone like him. It has been great.'

On retiring, he added: 'I don't want to swim after I turn 30 and that is in three years and I don't want to swim for another three years.

'I would be past 30 by the time of the next Olympics. I have achieved what I wanted to achieve; Bob and I have somehow been able to do every single thing.

'If you can say that about your career then it's time to move forward, time to move on to other things.

'I finished my career how I wanted to.'

Phelps' retirement overshadowed the rest of tonight's programme, in which the USA women set a new world record in their medley race of 3:52.05.

Sun Yang also set a new world record in the 1500m Freestyle, lowering his own mark by more than three seconds to 14:31.02.

Ranomi Kromowidjojo completed the sprint 50m Freestyle, winning it in an Olympic record of 24.05.

Phelps makes history in the pool

8/3/2012 12:30:00 PM

The win not only broke his own record for number of medals – taking his total Olympic medal tally to 20 – but it also made him the first man to defend an Olympic swimming title twice, after previously taking the title for this event in Athens and Beijing.

A delighted Phelps said after the momentous win: “To win a gold medal and be the first to three successive titles is something pretty special and something I'm pretty happy for.”

The 27-year-old had already made history on Tuesday evening at the London 2012 Olympic Games, when he became the most decorated Olympian of all time.

Phelps won the 18th and 19th Olympic medals of his career to pass Russian gymnast Larisa Latynina’s tally of 18, which had stood since 1964.

The evening began with Phelps winning silver in the 200m butterfly before claiming gold in the 4x200m freestyle relay alongside USA team-mates Ricky Berens, David Walters and Ryan Lochte.

“It's very special,” said Phelps afterwards.

“There are still other races and that is what is on my mind right now. I am going to attempt to sleep. I am not sure if it is going to be possible."

Phelps had looked set to win the 200m butterfly for the third successive Games, but was beaten to the wall in the closing stages by South Africa’s Youth Olympic champion Chad le Clos, who finished strongly to pip the American by just five hundredths of a second.

After anchoring the USA to gold in the relay, however, Phelps ensured that his name was etched into the record books once again, having won more Olympic medals than any other athlete in history, with IOC President Jacques Rogge praising the American’s accomplishments.

“To take part in an Olympic Games is an achievement for any athlete - to win a medal makes you a member of an elite band; but Michael Phelps has made Olympic history tonight by winning his 19th medal and I salute his unique achievement,” said IOC President Jacques Rogge. “He breaks the record of Russian gymnast Larisa Latynina and in doing so he joins a group of athletes who have continued to strive for excellence in sport.”

Phelps made his Olympic debut as a 15-year-old at the Sydney 2000 Games and won his first medals four years later in Athens, when he won an incredible six gold medals and two bronzes.

The American surpassed that achievement in Beijing in 2008, however, when he broke compatriot Mark Spitz’s record of seven golds at a single Games by winning all eight events that he entered, breaking seven world records in the process.

Watch his performance in Beijing 2008

Wins for Phelps and Ledecky - London 2012 - Swimming

8/3/2012 12:00:00 AM

On what was a superb night for the USA, Missy Franklin won the 200m Backstroke in a new world record.

Phelps clinched his 17th Olympic gold medal, and 21st medal overall, when he came from seventh at the halfway point to win in 51.21 ahead of Chad le Clos, his conqueror in the 200m, and Evgeny Korotyshkin, who shared second place.

It was the final individual race of the 27-year-old's career, with just the 4 x 100m Medley Relay to come before the Baltimore swimmer bows out of competition.

He said: 'I am just happy that the last one was a win, that is all I wanted coming into tonight.'

Meanwhile, Ledecky led from start to finish and was under world record pace until the final few metres as she touched in 8:14.63, the second fastest time in history behind Rebecca Adlington's world record from Beijing 2008.

Mireia Belmonte Garcia was 4.14secs adrift in second, with Adlington securing her second bronze of the week in third.

Franklin claimed her second individual title of the week when she lowered Kirsty Coventry's world mark to 2:04.06, while Florent Manaudou of France won the men's 50m Freestyle in 21.34.

Record-breaking night in the pool - London 2012 - Swimming

8/2/2012 12:00:00 AM

Phelps led from start to finish in the 200m Individual Medley and held off fast-finishing USA team-mate Ryan Lochte down the final freestyle leg to win in 1:54.27, just 0.04 outside his own Olympic record.

It means Phelps is the first man to win the event at three consecutive Games, and it came just 48 hours after he won his 18th and 19th medals to become the most decorated Olympian in history, overtaking Russian gymnast Larisa Latynina, who won 18.

Lochte, who had been forced to settle for bronze in the 200m Backstroke final 30 minutes earlier, took silver in 1:54.90, with Hungary's Laszlo Cseh taking bronze.

Phelps, who will retire after the Games, said: 'To be able to win the gold medal and be the first to three-peat is something very special and something I am very happy about.'

Phelps could also win the 100m Butterfly title for the third time in succession after later returning to the pool to win his semi-final in 50.86 and advance to the final as fastest qualifier.

USA swimmers won three of the four finals on Day 6, with Soni getting the ball rolling in style, claiming gold in the 200m Breaststroke by smashing her own world record.

The 25-year-old took control of the race after the opening length and touched in a time of 2:19.59, slicing more than four tenths of a second off her previous time. Japan's Satomi Suzuki claimed silver, with Russian Iuliia Efimova taking bronze.

'I wasn't trying to focus on records or medals or anything, I just wanted to swim one more race the way I knew I could,' Soni said. 'It has been my goal since I was a little girl to swim under 2.20, my coach told me I could be the first woman to swim 2.19 and I have been chasing it ever since, and I am just so happy.'

Tyler Clary then took gold in the 200m Backstroke ahead of Japan's Ryosuke Irie and defending champion Lochte, clocking an Olympic record of 1:53.41 as Lochtefaded on the last length.

The Netherland's Ranomi Kromowidjojo ensured there would not be a clean sweep of the evening's four finals by USA swimmers, powering to victory in the 100m Freestyle and lowering her Olympic record - set yesterday - to 53.00.

The 21-year-old was only fourth at the turn but stormed down the final length to finish ahead of Aliaksandra Herasimenia and China's Yi Tang.

Gyurta claims gold in record time - London 2012 - Swimming

8/1/2012 12:00:00 AM

Gyurta and Jamieson went head-to-head over the last 50m, with the Athens 2004 silver medallist lowering Christian Sprenger's world mark by 0.03 to 2:07.28.

Jamieson clocked 2:07.43 - the third fastest time in history - to claim the silver, with Ryo Tateishi of Japan (2:08.29) picking up the bronze medal.

Meanwhile, China's Jiao Liuyang added the 200m Butterfly title to the World Championships gold she won last year.

Jiao's time of 2:04.06 was a new Olympic record and helped her finish ahead of Spain's Mireia Belmonte Garcia and Natsumi Hoshi.

Phelps wins record 19th Olympic medal - London 2012 - Swimming

7/31/2012 12:00:00 AM

The 27-year-old swimmer had equalled Larisa Latynina's record earlier this evening with silver in the 200m Butterfly.

But the USA swimmer has now moved beyond the Russian, whose record had stood since 1964, to stand alone at the pinnacle with three more events to come.

Phelps was just touched out for gold in the 200m Butterfly by Chad le Clos of South Africa, with Takeshi Matsuda claiming the bronze for Japan.

Earlier, teenager Ye Shiwen added the 200m Individual Medley title to the gold she won in the 400m IM.

The 16-year-old came from slightly down at third at the final turn to produce a storming freestyle leg to secure victory.

Meanwhile, USA's Allison Schmitt won in Olympic record time in the 200m Freestyle final.

Schmitt, who last month swam the event faster than anyone in textiles in history, led from start to finish and touched in a dominant 1:53.61.

France's Camille Muffat was second as the pair reversed their placings in the 400m Freestyle on Sunday.