review of aquatics at bcn2013 latest news
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review of aquatics at bcn2013 latest news
ISSN 2054-1082 AUGUST-SEPTEMBER-OCTOBER (FREE) BCN2013 GBR RESULTS AN OVERVIEW OF THE BEST OF BRITISH IN THE CATALAN CAPITAL + REVIEW OF AQUATICS AT BCN2013 THE WORLD’S PERFORMANCES AT THE 15TH FINA WORLD CHAMPIONSHIPS, ESP LATEST NEWS TOP TWO EDITORIAL PICK NEWS FROM BRITISH SWIMMING www.aquaticsmedia.com AQUATICS Magazine CONTENTS OFFICIAL PUBLICATION OF AQUATICSmedia AUGUST-SEPTEMBER-OCTOBER 2013 05 FOREWORD By the Editor 06 SNAPSHOTS Stunning sporting photos from the major event of the summer 08 TOP TWO BRITISH SWIMMING NEWS The Editor’s pick of the two most important pieces of news 10 BARCELONA 2013: TEAM GBR RESULTS An overview of the results of British Gas GBR Team at the 15 th FINA Worlds (LC) - Swimming - Diving + High Diving - Water Polo - Synchronised Swimming - Open Water Swimming 18 BARCELONA 2013: REVIEW An overview of the international aquatic world’s results at the 15th FINA Worlds (LC) - The Challenges for British Swimming - Thomas Lurz (GER) - Hungary’s Reincarnation - Rowena Webster (AUS) - Germany’s Triumph - Orlando Duque (COL) - The Queens of Barcelona - Svetlana Romashina (RUS) 38 PAST HEROES Revisiting the previous legends in aquatics - Pieter van den Hoogenband (NED) 43 NEWS FINA NEWS: All the news from the International Federation of aquatics. Includes: Upcoming Events, Change of Nationalities, Doping Offences and Bids on 2015 Events (Courtesy of fina.org) QUALIFYING TIMES: Major GB and International Meet qualifying times 4 - AQUATICS Magazine France’s men’s freestyle relay team rejoice after their winning performance at the Palau Sant Jordi. AQUATICS Magazine Editor in Chief Hugo Lowell Executive Editors William Gilman, Robert Howat Nikon Photography Matthias Hangst Florian Eisele Production & Printing Mixam Printing UK CONTRIBUTIONS FINA Aquatics World Magazine (Interviews, main Diving and Synchro articles, Pieter van den Hoogenband article) FOREWORD This year’s summer was an eventful one for us; we started the summer months with the British Gas Nationals, held once again this year in Sheffield, the home to British Swimming, before making the journey to the Catalan capital Barcelona, where the FINA World Championships returned to after a 10 years wait. The British Nationals was once again a fun packet event but it was sad to see key members of the international squad such as Liam Tancock and James Goddard left out after not making the necessary qualifying times for BCN2013. In Barcelona, the aquatics world was once again re-united with the Montjuïc (the Palau Sant Jordi, the Piscines Picornell, the Port Vell etc.), as well as the fantastic performances of the athletes trying to make their mark on the world stage. New stars were born and the old dogs proved their credentials as the venues filled to the brim with great crowds who buzzed with energy, enthusiasm and excitement. IMAGES AQUATICSmedia/Hugo Lowell; BCN2013; Getty Images/Al Bello, Lintao Zhang; US Presswire/Daniel Shirley; Reuters; AquaticsDiving; Taringa.net CONTACTS Please send all letters to: AQUATICSmedia 7 Abingdon Court, W8 6BS London, UK TEL: +44(0)7718138559 EML: [email protected] For British Swimming broadly, it has been a bittersweet year, claiming some medals yet not quite reaching their target but with another chance for the athletes to prove themselves in December as the “Duel in the Pool” returns to the UK – Glasgow, the site of the Commonwealth Games which will arrive very shortly. This is the final edition this year but we can look forward to three big events in 2014; the European Championships in Berlin; the 2nd Youth Olympics in Nanjing and of course the Commonwealth Games in Glasgow. So stay tuned for more exciting action! Hugo Lowell Editor in Chief AQUATICS Magazine 5 - AQUATICS Magazine Calm before the storm…hours of practice about to be put into minutes of racing. Nikon Photographers hard at work during a session at the 15th FINA World Championships. Nikon 6 - AQUATICS Magazine AQUATICS Magazine In the coming months, British swimmers will be looking to lead a team of the best swimmers of Europe as they go head to head with the world’s number one swimming nation, team USA. Thus it has been dubbed the ‘Duel in the Pool’. This year’s edition is set to be held in Glasgow, the site for the 2014 Commonwealth Games, after the Tollcross International Sports Centre received a revamp. In the past, this event was staged in Manchester in 2009 when it was last held in the UK. “For me it will be special as its being held in my home town of Glasgow,” said Olympic silver medalist Michael Jamieson (GBR). “It will be a great opportunity t 8 - AQUATICS Magazine opportunity to try the newly refurbished pool ahead of the Commonwealth Games next year.” Jamieson will be one of the Brits looking to lead the European contingent, hopefully beating the Americans in this event for the first time ever and in front of a home crowd. In this competition, the equivalent of the Ryder Cup, 22 men and 22 women will take to the pool, with each event held as a head-to-head final in a short course (25m) format pool. British Swimming Chief Executive David Sparkes commented, “we look forward to seeing some great swimming with the potential for world records in what we anticipate will be one of the fastest pools in the world.” The athlete line-ups are yet to be finalized as both USA Swimming and the European Federations are currently in the process of filling their ranks for a meet which is set to display some of the best swimming in the world. AM AQUATICS Magazine Between 2000 and 2012, James Goddard was arguably the most consistent swimmer on the British Gas GBR Team, claiming 4 Commonwealth medals over his long career, 3 of them gold. He also won 3 European medals, 1 World SC medal and was a staple on the World Championship and GB Olympic teams, swimming 5 times and 3 times respectively at the two highest events in the sport of swimming. After finishing seventh at last year’s Olympics, the 30 year-old has decided not to defend his Commonwealth 200m IM and backstroke titles next year. After 12 years of swimming at the highest levels in sport, the Stockport Metro swimmer who had been racing internationally since the age of 18, explained that “It’s time to find something new in my life.” Although he won his international titles at the Commonwealth Games, his best success came in 2004 at the Athens Olympics in the 200m backstroke where he was promoted to third place after the disqualification of Aaron Piersol (USA) who had earlier won the event. However, following a successful appeal from the US Olympic Team, Goddard was once again demoted to fourth place, outside of the medals. Goddard’s last event was the British Championships, where he sadly failed to make the team for the 15th FINA World Championships. AM 9 – AQUATICS Magazine AQUATICS Media IN Barcelona: REVIEW 10 – AQUATICS Magazine 11 - AQUATICS Magazine AQUATICS Magazine On the last day of the 15th FINA World Championships in Barcelona, Fran Halsall managed to win bronze in the 50m freestyle clocking a 24.30, the third fastest time of her career. season bicep injury. For the past week, Halsall kept slipping from the podium spots, ultimately finishing fourth in the 50m butterfly by 0.17 seconds. Commonwealth champion Robbie Renwick finished sixth in Barcelona with a 1:46.52 in the 200m freestyle while both Dan Wallace and Craig McNally set Scottish records in the 400 IM (4:13.72) and 200m backstroke (1:55.67) respectively. Andrew Willis and Jazz Carlin also were just short of a medal, finishing fourth in the 200m breaststroke (2:09.13) and 400m freestyle (4:04.03) respectively. Michael Jamieson, London 2012 Olympic silver medalist in the 200m breaststroke, was out-touched by his teammate by 0.01 and finished fifth after struggling with a late 12 - AQUATICS Magazine Hannah Miley, like Jamieson managed a fifth in the 200m IM setting a season’s best time of 4:34.16. Ultimately, for Great Britain, without the likes of double Olympic Champion Rebecca Adlington, medals were going to be tough. Out of 17 finalists, GB managed 1 medal in the swimming medals table, 2 short of their target. AM AQUATICS Magazine Red Bull Cliff diving star Gary Hunt added a much needed and needed silver to GBR’s overall medal tally, scoring a 589.30. For Barrow, this was the first time she dove individually rather than as synchro. She scored 346.45 points overall. Jumping from a sheer 27m, hunt delivered both blindingly fast dives and blindingly bright silverware, all under Barcelona’s blinding sun. Tonia Couch, competing at her fifth World Championship could not quite make it to the final top eight, having dropped a dive in the opening round of the final after having qualified second from the semi-finals. Olympic bronze medalist Tom Daley dove through a torn tricep injury finishing sixth in the 10m platform with a total score of 470.60. Incidentally, Qui Bo (CHN), a longtime rival of Daley, took the top spot leading all the way through scoring an impressive 581.00. Sarah Barrow produced her best performance to date at the Montjuic, finishing fourth in the 10m platform. Couch and Barrow later made it to fifth in the 10m synchro, while Alicia Blagg and Rebecca Gallentree came sixth in the 3m synchro. Jack Laugher did not make it to the final after missing several dives in the semi-final, having qualified first so far. AM Hannah Miley, like Jamieson managed a fifth in the 200m IM setting a season’s best time of 4:34.16. 13 - AQUATICS Magazine Commonwealth Champion Robbie AQUATICS Magazine Although the GB men’s team did not qualify for Barcelona, the women’s team made their return to the FINA World Championships after a ten year long wait. In arguably the toughest group at the Championships, the women’s team gave a good fight against the world’s best waterpolo teams including the Olympic Gold medal winning team (USA) and reigning World Champions (GRE). With five players playing in their first ever World Championship, making Canada, the 2009 World Champions struggle for their victory over the GB girls which they won 14-9. Soon after, the GB team fell to Greece in a very tough match where multiple cross-cage shots ended in 14 – AQUATICS Magazine the back of the GB net. The second opening match ended in a 13-7 resulting in another defeat for the Brits. After a difficult two matches and struggling to find team rhythm, team GB had to bow down to the USA after missing many potential shots , losing 16-4. For their last match, team GB bravely battled against Olympic semi-finalists Hungary, losing 14-5, ending a very tough week for Britain’s water polo players who finished fourth overall. AM AQUATICS Magazine After a beautiful London 2012 Olympics where Jenna Randall and Olivia Federici performed to finish ninth in the Technical Routine, using a new choreography and new music, at Barcelona they went one step further bettering their ranking to joint eighth with Italy, a career best finish for the two. They then managed to retain their ranking of ninth in the highly competitive Duet Free. They scored a total of 87.180 in their “Ravens on the Tower of London” routine to replicate their London 2012 performance. Randall then went on to compete in the Solo event, retaining the eighth she earned at the 14th FINA World Championships in Shanghai 2011. For Barrow, this was the first time she dove individually rather than as synchro. She scored 346.45 points overall. Tonia Couch, competing at her fifth World Championship could not quite make it to the final top eight, having dropped a dive in the opening round of the final after having qualified second from the semi-finals. Couch and Barrow later made it to fifth in the 10m synchro, while Alicia Blagg and Rebecca Gallentree came sixth in the 3m synchro. Jack Laugher did not make it to the final after missing several dives in the semi-final, having qualified first so far. AM 15 – AQUATICS Magazine AQUATICS Magazine Shanghai Open Water gold medalist Keri-Anne Payne finished 14th after she could not manage to keep a strong enough lead as she fell back, overpowered on the final lap. She crossed the finish line in a time of 1:58.25.8, as the other GB swimmer, Danielle Huskisson in her World Championship debut came 33rd in 2:01:35.5. Although Payne navigated the buoys well enough to be in the leading pack, she was dragged back into the main group amidst “heavy fighting” for the cleanest positions. In the men’s Open Water, Jack Burnell swam himself to 15th in the 10k on his World Championship debut. He swam with teammate 16 – AQUATICS Magazine Daniel Fogg and both were also taking the lead several times at various stages throughout the race. Burnell went on to finish in a 1:49:30.6, while Fogg, having been unlucky in the jostling as much as Payne was, unfortunately got dragged back finishing 38th in a time of 1:50:29.0. Overall, considering the relative inexperience (except for Payne) in the GBR Open Water team, the results were in fact very promising leading on to Kazan World Championships in 2015 and of course, the real deal at Rio 2016. AM 18 - AQUATICS Magazine SWIMMING 19 - AQUATICS Magazine Michael Jamieson could only finish fifth in Barcelona after clinching silver at the London Olympics last year. THE CHALLENGES FOR BRITISH SWIMMING There is no doubt British Swimming is going through challenging times. At Barcelona, British Swimming scooped a grand total of a single bronze medal when the lights went out at the Palau Sant Jordi. It was also so apparent at last year’s London Olympics. Team GB came away with a total of 2 bronze and 1 silver, far less than expectations. So what happened? Team GB Shined Before At Rome for the 13th FINA World Championships in 2009, Great Britain stood at sixth in the final medal table with fantastic performances from Gemma Spofforth who set a World Record in the 100m backstroke and Liam Tancock in the 50m backstroke, 20 - AQUATICS Magazine who bettered his own World Record and added another gold to the GB medal count. In Budapest in 2010 for the Europeans, British Swimming did even better in terms of success stories. Fran Halsall led the GB team on a rampage, the team managing to amass18 medals in total, Halsall herself claiming 5 on the last day of competition. And Beijing 2008 star Rebecca Adlington also got into the medal mix, coasting to gold in the 400m freestyle after a disappointing swim in her favourite 800m freestyle. Back then, she said happily, “We have such strength in depth now it is incredible. The last time we came here it was a completely different team as none of us had won a gold in an individual 100m.” Riding on their victories over the last two years, the GB International team continued on to Shanghai in 2011, ready for more action. Although this time in 2011, with the presence of team USA, the world’s biggest swimming nation, the medal tally was not the same as that of in Budapest, British Swimming still came away with three gold medals on the world stage; Rebecca Adlington, back in her fine form winning this time in the 800m freestyle; Liam Tancock, defending his crown in the backstroke sprint dash event, the 50m backstroke and Keri-Anne Payne, who maneuvered the buoys so expertly in the 10k open water event. Overall, the team won 6 medals, moving up to fourth in the medal table, two places better than in Rome just two years ago. Unfortunately, this was when the sky started to darken. With the onset of 2012 and the ever looming Olympics coming closer with every passing day, preparations would have to finish soon. But still, many at the Olympic Trials, desperate to secure their Olympic berth for a home Games, had swum great times in March. Everything was looking hopeful as the Olympic fever which grasped most of Britain increased steadily. From the very first day of competition, team GB were down. The athletes tried their best and their races were full of desperate passion – anyone could see that, yet the swimming itself was sluggish and slow. Perhaps it was the immense pressure of a home Games. Perhaps it was the poor training leading up to the big moment. Perhaps it was the bad timing of the Trials. Ultimately, we will never really know. What we do know was that the results were less than satisfactory compared to the other sports where team GB had their finest ever Games. British Swimming was forced to completely re-think their approach to the whole process of nurturing toddler swimmers to senior international level swimmers who could potentially win World and Olympic medals. The one swimming medal came in the form of Fran Halsall, in a desperate charge to avenge her performances from London 2012, clinched a bronze in her favourite event on the last day. Alas, it would always have been a tough meet without the likes of Rebecca Adlington (who could have potentially added two more medals to the tally) and Liam Tancock (who had failed to make the team in the 100m backstroke and so could not defend his 50m backstroke crown) who are normally staple medallists at major international meets. Amidst all this downbeat news however, there is at least some glimmers of hope. First, these two meets where things have gone rather badly for team GB will serve as a wake-up call. Resting on the laurels from 2009 has produced very negative effects in terms of performance. Starting this past year, a new Olympic cycle has begun - it is a fresh start to Rio 2016. The current swimmers will feel the need and want in their hearts to perform better because that is the nature of an athlete. Secondly, we have a great contingent of junior swimers climbing up the ladder to the senior team. At the FINA Hunior Worlds in Dubai this summer past, out of the 14 swimmers sent by British Swimming, ten swimmers came home with a medal, including four setting a championship record in the men’s 4x200m freestyle relay. We will bounce back from the disappointing events of London 2012 and BCN2013. Sometimes in order for great success to happen, we have to endure great hardships first. Hopefully the hardships are over and British Swimming will only go from strength to strength until the lights go off at Rio 2016. AM Fran Halsall takes off before her bronze medal winning performance. Unfortunately for team GB, the bad news from London 2013 continued into Barcelona. Just 4 weeks into the job after being appointed the new performance director, Bill Furniss, former coach to Rebecca Adlington confessed that it had been “a disappointing week,” after UK Sport had set the target at three to five medals. 21 - AQUATICS Magazine Interview: THOMAS LURZ (GER) He had previously taken bronze in the 5km and silver in the Olympic distance 10km. Now Thomas Lurz surprised everyone by winning the gruelling 25km on his first ever swim in that event. When he finished, he clenched his fists and claimed his fourth medal in the Catalan capital. Yet, when asked how he felt before his gold medal performance he replied that “to be honest, I felt very uneasy the day before the race, as I couldn’t imagine what I had let myself in for. And I had no idea how to ration my strength over such a long distance.” He said, yet he also commented on his great strategy which propelled him to the title in Barcelona. “I think I chose very smart tactics. It was obvious I would never set the tempo in my first 22 - AQUATICS Magazine race over 25km, even if we were treading water. But it was clear to me that my competitors would take care of the tempo. Spyridon Glanniotis set an incredible pace. I was hardly able to follow but he soon got into trouble and lacked the decisive power at the end. And then I thought Brian Ryckerman began his sprint finish much too early. I benefited from this in the end.” Although he won, swimming the whole 25km in 4:47.27.0, equivalent to swimming each 100m in 1:08.9, he does not think he will ever swim the long marathon again, “this was my first and last time. I’m a tough cookie but I had to go up and beyond my limits in this race,” having vomited twice as he negotiated the salty water in the Moll de la Fusta. Lurz was truly enthralling at BCN2013, winning not only his individual 25km, getting a silver in the 10km, a bronze in the 5km and then as team Germany, clinching gold in the team 5km. And so we asked him: will there be more to come? “I definitely can’t say. I have to think about my future career and that clearly takes precedence now. Winning medals is certainly a great experience, but I won’t be able to live on that in 2 years’ time. Open water swimming is not like football or tennis…” And we must also remember his age. Lurz first burst onto the international scene in 2005 at Montreal and was on the podium at his first senior international meet as he remarked, “ I’m not getting any younger, and this is gradually becoming more noticeable.” But whatever he does, we know he will always do what he does best – winning. AM WATER POLO 23 - AQUATICS Magazine 24 - AQUATICS Magazine Back on top – the Hungarians came back remarkably quickly after their losses at London 2012 HUNGARY REINCARNATED At the Piscines Picornell on the summit of the Montjuic, the Catalan capital saw Hungary return to the top of international water polo, finishing top of the podium for the third time after their disappointing result last year at London 2012. They were last here in Barcelona 10 years ago, a distant memory now after the team’s recent exploits. The Magyars, as they are known, have now only lost 6 of the tournaments they have ever participated in. "We are very happy, it´s nice to get this feeling again for me since I also won here 10 years ago. We are a new team and it´s so great what we have achieved," said an ecstatic Norbert Madras, after adding a second world title to his two Olympic gold’s and a euro league winners medal. 25 - AQUATICS Magazine Leading from the Front First, Hungary won in a close fought 8-7 against Montenegro. Hungary defended well and conceded no goals in the first quarter and scored four themselves (Varga with one and Hara the other two). But after conceding two late goals in the second quarter, Montenegro were only one behind at half time. With 1:19 minutes on clock the scores were equal at 7-7. With one of the last throws of the game, Marton Szivos scored the decisive goal of the tournament and shattered Montenegro’s dreams of their first gold medal since their independence from Serbia “This was our chance to win our first ever gold medal, but it wasn’t meant to be, nothing was going right for us. We started badly and ended up chasing their score for the entire game and on top of that we lacked the luck we needed in the last moment,” said Coach Rankoin Perovic. And as icing on the cake: Darko Brguljan received the honour of best goalkeeper of the tournament. The Legendary Magyars Hungary is a giant of international water polo, literally and metaphorically, with not a single player under 6ft 3. They have won 9 Olympic golds, 12 European titles and now their third world title. But it’s not just the men who impressed, for the woman’s team also managed to win the bronze in Barcelona. After narrowly missing out on the final (in a close fought game against the eventual winners Spain), Hungary’s women had a point to prove in their match against Russia. They showed their mettle and got their revenge in beating Russia in a replay of the world league semi-final previously this year. The Russians started strongly leading 2-0 and 3-1. But Hungary fought back to level the scores after the first period. The scores were still tied at the third quarter, until Hungary scored two quick consecutive goals to give them a 97 lead. Russia quickly replied with a goal from Olga Bevola. A few 22 seconds later Orsolya Takacs scored to put the game to bed and ended a fantastic contest. “My team was physically and mentally strong after the semi-final loss against Spain and we deserved the victory. The girls played as a team, as a unity,” said Hungary’s head coach Andras Meresz. To finish it off, Lieke Klaasen played especially well to receive the award for top scorer (25). After narrowly missing out in both London and Beijing it was Hungary’s turn to taste some victory. But will their luck run out? Who knows. We can only wait and watch to see if the legendary Magyars can make the 4 years from London to Rio golden years, replicating their success everywhere. AM The title given back to whom it should belong…or that’s certainly how the Magyars feel about it. 26 - AQUATICS Magazine Interview: ROWENA WEBSTER (AUS) Rowena Webster (AUS) tackles Anna Espar (ESP) during the closing stages of the women’s water polo gold medal match. Dubbed the ‘Star of the Stingers’, London 2012 bronze and BCN2013 Silver medalist Rowena Webster has pretty ambitious goals set for herself. Raised in bush-fire prone state of Victoria in Australia, her dream after she finishes her water polo career is to become a firefighter. Yet, before she starts that new chapter in her life, as the eldest of the Aussie Stingers team at 25, she also wants to win the ultimate Olympic crown in Rio 2016. have been on the journey,” she will need to prove herself all over again. Since her breakthrough into senior She did in 2013, so why not 3 years international level polo in 2008, she later…? has amassed a fine collection of medals from the most prestigious of Rowie, as she likes to be known, is tournaments – but one still is not in currently finishing her physical her grasp. Come summer 2016, education teaching degree at Rowena Webster believes that will Deakin University, Melbourne while change. she juggles water polo training and working as a receptionist at the “My ambition is to be the best in the Victorian Institute of Sport. world,” she said. “I want to be among the world’s best attackers Coming from Victoria, which, and also be a dominant force in compared to other states like defense.” And no doubt she is doing Queensland or New South Wales is that. But in order to hear the not a water polo power-house, Australian national anthem being meaning, as Rowie put it, “We just played and stand “alongside the 12 don’t have the depth of talent other other girls with linked arms, who states have.” 27 - AQUATICS Magazine But, nonetheless, Rowie made it to the Aussie Stingers team which makes her very proud. And so she should be as since her London 2012 experience, she is only going from strength to strength in all areas of the game. “When Rowie first joined the team, she was mainly known for her strong shot. She wasn’t a very good defender. Now I believe she is close to being the best all round player in the world,” said coach McFadden. So maybe she can get to the top of the podium in Rio. At least one thing is certain in her life, as her tattoo says – ‘One life, no regrets’ AM 28 - AQUATICS Magazine DIVING 29 - AQUATICS Magazine Sascha Klein reached the highest heights with Hausding in Barcelona. GERMANY’S TRIUMPH “It’s crazy – we’re World Champions. Nothing else matters now,” said the pair. It seems that The duo scored a total of 461.46, the experience of the two put beating Russia into second place together - one a multiple World (Victor Minibaev and Artem Series medalist and the other an Chesakov scored 445.950). To top eight-time European Champion has it, Klein and Hausding also shoved paid off at last. Only one German has ever Olympic Champions Yuan Cao and Despite injuries, victory! managed a diving world title but Yanquang Zhang into the bronze Christa Kohler took the victory in medal position, inflicting a rather Although everything came together Belgrade in 1973, competing for the painful defeat on the Chinese after on the day, their preparations had former Germany, GDR not GER as they only managed a 445.56. been anything but easy. A year after we know the country today. London 2012, Sascha Klein had a “So we have made history” “We’re World Champions remarked a victorious Sascha Klein very rollercoaster year-at first it was his elbow playing up. Then an now. Nothing else matters” when he heard about their inflammation of the inner ear, then performance. Long time synchro issues with his back. It was a partner Hausding was in a similar In Beijing 2008, it was Mathew miracle that they even got to train state of shock after their dive into Mitcham of Australia who caused synchro diving. It was only a day the history books; “I don’t usually the upset by taking the crown from before the World Championships the hosts at the Water Cube. Come look at the scoreboard” was all he the Klein felt better enough to Barcelona 2013, it was the German could manage while he and his compete. Not only had he missed pair who caused the upset denying partner digested their success. chunks of training, but In Barcelona, the German Swimming Federation’s dream to win a world title was realized. Sascha Klein and Patrik Hausding finally put an end to the Germans’ misery and left their mark in the history books. 30 - AQUATICS Magazine the Chinese of another set of gold medals. he also missed many of the diving world series events. reflective and pensive Klein. “It’s getting increasingly difficult to keep up with the world’s best but somehow I just keep getting there.” AM To add insult to injury for the pair, Hausding had repeated knee problems in the lead up to BCN2013, until he developed tendinitis in his left biceps which caused him to miss his individual platform event. According to Lutz Buschkow, the Head diving Coach to German Diving, none of the performances would have been possible without the wonders worked by their support staff. He said later on, “The performance of our medical department was simply phenomenal.” Also helping the athletes were their coaches, offering support where they could hoping the best for their athlete for an athlete-coach relationship is a very fragile yet loving thing. Perhaps this was the key to their rapid recovery. Another medal for Klein After his (surprise) victory in the synchro, Sascha Klein kept riding the wave and with 508.55 points, had the opportunity to step on that podium once more but this time with a bronze medal. Incidentally, London 2012 Champion David Boudia (USA) finished second with 517.40 and the defending World Champion, Qui Bo (CHN), perhaps as consolation for his Olympic run where he did not manage to take the gold, was in a class of his own, scooping the title with an easy 581.00 points. Although Barcelona was an excellent meet for Klein, his age, which most people would call young, is catching up with him in this young people’s sport. “Diving is a tough sport and my bones are not getting any younger” remarked a Marco Koch (GER) on top of the world this summer past. 31 - AQUATICS Magazine High Diving made its debut in Barcelona this year…and it looks as if it will stay. Interview: ORLANDO DUQUE (COL) He is the 38 year-old Columbian who lives in Hawaii and stopped doing ‘normal’ pool diving to pursue what he calls a ‘more natural form of diving.’ Orlando Duque came to Barcelona with one goal in mind, to win, and he accomplished it. In the second week of competition in Barcelona at the FINA press conference, Duque explained the two main issues with high diving. “There are two problems: the entry in the water and getting disoriented in the air. The first one is clearly vital, as we reach a very high According to him, when asked how acceleration and if you don’t enter the water in a vertical position, it will he got into the sport, “when you hurt a lot,” he said. However to him, dive into a pool, it gets a bit boring the benefits clearly outweighs the after a while. All the pools look the difficulties as he outlined next; “The same and you want to look for something different. Then you start feeling in the air must be like the thinking of diving a bit higher, then a one a dog is experiencing when it has its head out of a window of a gain a bit higher and then you end up doing the 27m platform. It’s kind moving car. We feel the air, the sun and the water approaching fast. of a new challenge. This was the Those are three seconds of plenty case with me,” reflects the high of nice sensations!” diver who has won nine ‘World Championship titles’ in cliff diving, Diving is definitely a sport where some at the prestigious Red Bull Cliff Diving World series. 32 - AQUATICS Magazine injuries occur a lot. And therefore, almost unsurprisingly, Duque dove in Barcelona with an ankle injury (this time caused by skydiving not high diving) but still managed to get the gold, Columbia’s first at a World Championships scoring 590.20. Asked about his emotions on the dive, he recalls, “It was quite hard for me – I had surgery in November, I was out of the water until March,” but it seems he still felt well enough to dive. “The pressure is huge!” he exclaimed. “But I stayed steady, consistent and, despite mistakes in my second dive I managed to get the gold!” He finally ended the questions on a last positive note - “It’s huge…it feels so great.” AM SYNCHRO 34 - AQUATICS Magazine 35 - AQUATICS Magazine The whole Russian team romped to victory in Barcelona. No doubt they will be even better in Kazan 2015 in front of a home crowd. THE QUEENS OF BARCELONA Before the swimming even started at the Palau Sant Jordi, Russia made their second clean sweep of gold medals in the synchro events at the FINA World Championships, also managing to snatch the competition’s best team trophy from the grasp of their rivals. China won 4 silver medals in solo and duet and hosts Spain walked home with 3 silver and 4 bronze in their pockets. Romashina, the Golden Girl of Synchro Russia’s 24 year-old triple Olympic Champion Svetlana Romashina was dubbed the “Tsarina” of BCN2013 after her beautiful performances in the free and solo technical events. Romanisha won her first solo crown, following in the footsteps of what some people see as her mentor, Natalia Ishchenko, the most decorated synchro swimmer in history. On Day 1, Romashina started her bid for World Championship medals, bagging the gold after getting a score of 96.800. Then, on Day 4, the Russian continued her medal bid, clinching gold in the solo free, securing the third consecutive win for Russia in this event as Romashina danced on the water to a Marilyn Monroe song. who made her mark more than a decade ago claiming Spain’s first medal at this international level. “It’s very exciting to compete here after Spain’s first success, because we are at home, I felt the support in the crowd,” remarked a smiling Carbonell. China’s Xuechen Huang placed second and local girl Ona Carbonell placed third in both solo events. Her moving routine paid tribute to the home Olympics in 1992, making it even more special for the Barcelona based Carbonell. A routine where she swam with the soprano Montserrat, Freddie Mercury being the backdrop for Cabelle’s duet touched the judges who duly rewarded her with a score of 94.290. Echoes of the Past The double Svetlanas In many ways, Carbonell’s performance echoed that of Gemma Mengual, Spanish synchro swimmer On Day 2, Romashina teamed up with her new partner Svetlana Kloesnichenko in the duet tech 36 - AQUATICS Magazine routine, ended up winning it, and thus making this Russia’s tenth world title in the event since they first won it in 1998. The pair scored a 97.300. Previously winning this event in 2009 with Anastasia Davidova and in 2011 with Ischenko, this crown at Barcelona will be her third. Commenting on her new partner, Romashina said, “We felt comfortable from the very first day we started training together. I’m very happy to partner with her.” She added, “We never had any conflicts....she’s very calm.” The medals she has won so far, including those from Barcelona, total to a magnificent 15. Romashina currently sits third in the all-time synchro medal winners list with only her former teammates Davydova (18 medals) and Ishchenko (19 medals) standing in her way until she is in a league of her very own. Her incredible record so far compromises nothing but gold. AM 37 - AQUATICS Magazine Interview: SVETLANA ROMASHINA (RUS) The new star of the Russian team: Svetlana Romashina has reached the highest heights in synchro. She has become the Olympic Champion 3 times, the World Champion 15 times, the European Champion 5 times. At the Palau Sant Jordi, Svetlana Romashina, on her first attempt at the solo event, struck gold. Possibly the best at synchro overall in the world right now, and yet most sports fan don’t even know her name, let alone recognize her face. But, she doesn’t seem to mind too much, “why should I mind? In a way it’s an advantage – I don’t have to waste my energy on that. I never cared much about it.” Perhaps not noticed by the majority of sports fans around the world, thanks to her international successes, now the only one on her team with that many titles. “It’s nice on the one hand,” she said. “On the other, I miss the girls whom I I spent most of my career. Natalia Ishchenko in particular. She became my family, person I spent more time with throughout the years than with my real family.” Unknown to most people, being in a synchro team and not being the top girl can be tough. Only that top athlete from each country can perform in the solo and the duet, thought to be the events which determine the ‘face’ of the team. So when Romashina first joined the team in 2005, at the age of 15, she was very much the ‘new girl’, while Ishchenko, her future partner, was the, ‘face’ of the team. “I was never jealous about Natalia Ishchenko,” she reminisces, “you see, when you work in the group sometimes you get a feeling you are the most hardworking people around. Just imagine the pressure those who participate in both solo and duet are under.” Since Ishchenko’s retirement after London 2012, Romashina has now moved in to take her place. Maybe Romashina had not expected this as part of her future plans, but she commented, “frankly, Natasha and I only started discussing our future only after the London Olympics. We had no strength to think about anything but the practices before that. And Ishchenko has not retired yet. She just took a break.” One wonders if synchro wasn’t an Olympic sport, would the athletes train and scare themselves so much for a rather less known sport? To this she answered, “Everyone works so hard. I don’t know how they can motivate themselves to work so hard without having the highest goal.” AM 38 - AQUATICS Magazine PAST HEROES Pieter van den HOOGENBAND (NED) 39 - AQUATICS Magazine Pieter van den HOOGENBAND (NED) When, back before the London Olympics in Eindhoven at the European Water Polo Championships at the pool named after him – the Pieter van den Hoogenband Swim Stadium, he looked very much the same as in his heyday when the ThorpeHoogenband rivalry was at its peak. Apparently, the answer to him was just as simple. “Oh, no, no way. I wish Ian all the best; he is a wonderful guy, a great swimmer who deserves the attention. It’s great he is back, but for me it was over a long time ago,” he said. “Returning has never crossed my mind.” In fact Hoogie, as he used to be Training with Gennady Touretsky, called in the good old days of the former Soviet coach who swimming, had not hit a racing pool propelled the legendary Alexsandr since he quit after the 2008 Beijing Popov and Michael Klim to great Olympics. Perhaps it brings back heights around the time of the turn memories he would rather keep to of the millennium now was coaching himself. arch-rival Ian Thorpe for a The times he does swim are when comeback after he retired shortly he is with family, during holidays after the 2004 Athens Olympics. mostly in the sea. “This doesn’t The question put forward was mean I hate the water. No, my love simple – Thorpie has returned; what for it never ceased, its touch still about you? feels great.” After he finally hung up his swimsuit, having made the Olympic final in the 100m freestyle for the fourth time at Beijing 2008, he stayed in the aquatics world for one year before trading his goggles for a bike to stay in shape. Today he runs his own business which helps other companies to be better, applying what he learnt in swimming at the very top to the rest of the world much like how his father, now the Chairman of the FINA Sports Medicine Committee, initiated the “Let Pieter swim faster” program, building up a team around him. The team was made up from the best of what sport could offer – Pieter had a nutritionist that originated from speed skating, the dry-land trainer came from basketball and the best weightlifting coach was plucked from football. And the results were phenomenal. 40 - AQUATICS Magazine When asked which his best triumph was, he picks the titles in Athens as his favourite of the three Olympic crowns he won. “Without question it was the best of all. Winning two gold medals in Sydney was natural for me. I couldn’t imagine it any other way. But I had to overcome a handful of problems afterwards, a hernia was the worst one, so recovering from it and getting through everything and finally reaching the top again in 2004 was a huge relief. I never felt the same before…” Calling it a day is not easy for most great athletes, alas we saw Boris Becker go through a very tough time after his career came to a close, yet Pieter seemed to have taken it all in his stride. “For me, it has never been a problem that I cannot be the best in the world any more. I knew that I had to start a new chapter in my life. And I enjoy it very much. I don’t have to train six hours a day but I have plenty of new challenges, new targets, I have a great family, two children- what else would I need?” To him, although he never really had an idol, it was America’s loss to Anthony Nesty in the 100m butterfly at the 1988 Seoul Games that influenced him the most. “That told me that, hey, you don’t have to come from the US to become an Olympic Champion. You can do it even if you were born in such a small country as Surinam. Or the Netherlands…” Although luck was strangely never on his side at the FINA World Championships not winning a single gold, at the Olympics, he did bag 3 gold, 2 silver and 2 bronze between 2000 and 2004. Now he has different ambitions: “I hope we will 41 - AQUATICS Magazine have looked back on an Olympic Games in Holland organized with big success. And im heading a successful company and enjoying watching my kids raised.” We wish him the best of luck on a new chapter in his life. AM FINA NEWS UPCOMING FINA EVENTS: 2013 05 OCTOBER 2013 - FINA 10 KM MARATHON SWIMMING WORLD CUP 2013 - HONG KONG (HKG) 12 OCTOBER 2013 - FINA SWIMMING WORLD CUP 2013 - MOSCOW (RUS) 17 OCTOBER 2013 - FINA SWIMMING WORLD CUP 2013 - DUBAI (UAE) 20 OCTOBER 2013 - FINA SWIMMING WORLD CUP 2013 - DOHA (QAT) 05 NOVEMBER 2013 - FINA SWIMMING WORLD CUP 2013 - SINGAPORE (SIN) 09 NOVEMBER 2013 FINA SWIMMING WORLD CUP 2013 - TOKYO (JPN) 12 NOVEMBER 2013 - FINA MEN'S WATER POLO WORLD LEAGUE 2014 - EUROPE PRELIMINARY ROUND 1ST MATCH VARIOUS CITIES 13 NOVEMBER 2013 - FINA SWIMMING WORLD CUP 2013 - BEIJING (CHN) 19 NOVEMBER 2013 - FINA WOMEN'S WATER POLO WORLD LEAGUE 2014 - EUROPE PRELIMINARY ROUND 1ST MATCH - VARIOUS CITIES 29 NOVEMBER 2013 - 8TH FINA SYNCHRONISED SWIMMING WORLD TROPHY 2013 - MEXICO CITY (MEX) 10 DECEMBER 2013 - FINA MEN'S WATER POLO WORLD LEAGUE 2014 - EUROPE PRELIMINARY ROUND 2ND MATCH VARIOUS CITIES 17 DECEMBER 2013 - FINA WOMEN'S WATER POLO WORLD LEAGUE 2014 - EUROPE PRELIMINARY ROUND 2ND MATCH - VARIOUS CITIES 2014 16 AUGUST 2014 – 2nd YOUTH OLYMPIC GAMES – NANJING (CHN) 28 AUGUST 2014 – 2nd FINA WORLD JUNIOR OWS CHAMPIONSHIPS – EILAT (ISR) 8 SEPTEMBER 2014 – 20th FINA JUIOR DIVING CHAMPIONSHIPS – PENZA (RUS) 22 OCTOBER 2014 – 14th FINA WORLD JUNIOR SYNCHRO CHAMPIONSHIPS – TAMPERE (FIN) 29 NOVEMBER 2014 – FINA AQUATICS WORLD CONVENTION – DOHA (QAT) 3 DECEMBER 2014 – 12th FINA SC WORLD SWIMMING CHAMPIONSHIPS – DOHA (QAT) 2015 19 JULY 2015 – 16th FINA LC WORLD CHAMPIONSHIPS – KAZAN (RUS) 43 - AQUATICS Magazine FINA NEWS CHANGE OF NATIONALITY: Ms. Ellen GANDY: From Great Britain to Australia. Ms. Uschi FREITAG: From Germany to Netherlands. Mr. Gavrll SUBOTIC: From Montenegro to Serbia. Mr. Sasa MISIC: From FYR Macedonia to Montenegro. Mr. Ugo CROUSILLAT: From France to Montenegro DOPING OFFENCES: Tudor DOBRE (ROU): May 12 2013, tested positive to substance THC/Cannabis (Class S.8 Cannabinioids) following a doping test at the National Water Polo Competitions in Romania. Starting June 11 2013, the athlete has a period of 6 months ineligibility. Nikita MAKSIMOV (RUS): March 3 2013, tested positive to substance Dehydrochlormethyltestosterone (Class S.1.1.a Exogenous Anabolic Androgenic Steroids) following an out of competition doping test in Krugloe (RUS). Starting April 4 2013, the athlete has a period of 2 years ineligibility. Anita STEPANENKO (EST): May 24 2013, tested positive to substance Stanozolol (Class S.1.1.a Exogenous Anabolic Androgenic Steroids) following a doping test at the Estonian-Finnish competitions in Tallinn (EST). Starting July 23 2013, the athlete has a period of 1 year ineligibility. Following a hearing, it has been established that the coach of Anita STEPANEKO, Nikolai BORZOV (EST) had administered the prohibited substance in his swimmer’s drink without notifying the athlete. Starting July 23 2013, the coach has a period of lifetime ineligibility. Jakub JONCZYK (POL): June 15 2013, tested positive to substance Methylhexaneamine (Class S.86.b Specified Stimulants) following a doping test at the Polish Championships in Olsztyn, Poland. Starting June 15 2013, the athlete has a period of 1 year ineligibility. Alexandr RAZDROBENKO (BLR): August 17 2012, tested positive to substance Clenbuterol (Class S.1.2 Other Anabolic Agents) following an out of competition doping test. Starting August 17 2013, the athlete had a period of 1 year ineligibility. Following reports which were confirmed, it was revealed that the athlete took part in national level competitions and thus violated FINA DC Rule 10.5.2. Consequently the period of ineligibility has restarted from February 2013. BIDS FOR 2015 FINA EVENTS: FOR THE FOLLOWING EVENTS, BIDS MUST BE PRESENTED NO LATER THAN 31 DECEMBER 2013. 2015 EVENTS: 2015 - 11th FINA WORLDJUNIOR WOMEN’S WATER POLO CHAMPS (20 & U). 2015 – 18th FINA WORLD JUNIOR MEN’S WATER POLO CHAMPS (20 & U). 2015 – FINA SYNCHRO WORLD TROPHY. 44 - AQUATICS Magazine FINA NEWS BIDS FOR 2016 FINA EVENTS: FOR THE FOLLOWING EVENTS, BIDS MUST BE PRESENTED NO LATER THAN 31 DECEMBER 2013. 2016 EVENTS: 2016 - 15th FINA WORLD JUNIOR SYNCHRO CHAMPS. 2016 – 3rd FINA WORLD YOUTH MEN’S WATER POLO CHAMPS (18 & U). 2016 – 3rd FINA WORLD YOUTH WOMEN’S WATER POLO CHAMPS (18 & U). 2016 – 3rd FINA WORLD JUNIOR OPEN WATER SWIMMING CHAMPS. 2016 – OLYMPIC MARATHON SWIMMING QUALIFIER. 2016 – OLYMPIC GAMES WOMEN’S WATER POLO QUALIFICATION TOURNAMENT. 2016 – OLYMPIC GAMES MEN’S WATER POLO QUALIFICATION TOURNAMENT. FINA STRUCTURE: FINA BUREAU 2013 -2017 President: Dr Julio C. Maglione (URU) [email protected] Honorary Secretary: Paolo Barelli (ITA) [email protected] Honorary Treasurer: Pipat Paniangvait (THA) [email protected] Vice Presidents: Husain Al Musallam (KUW), Tamas Gyarfas (HUN), Dennis Miller (FIJ), Dale Neuberger (USA), Sam Ramsamy (RSA) Members: Fernando Carpena (ESP), Errol Clarke (BAR), Dimitris Diathesopoulos (GRE), Dr. Mohamed Diop (SEN), Matthew Dunn (AUS). Ben Ekumbo (KEN). Erik van Heijningen (NED), Andrey Kryulov (KAZ), Lino Candido Lourenco (ANG), Eugenio Martinez (CUB), Jesus Mena (MEX), Dr. Margo Mountjoy (CAN), Coaracy Nunes Fihlo (BRA), Vladimir Salnikov (RUS), Kazuo Sano (JPN), Qiuping Zhang (CHN). Honorary Life President: Mustapha Larfaoui (ALG) [email protected] Honorary Members: Gennady Aleshin (RUS), Rafael Blanco (ESP), Bartolo Consolo (ITA), Eldon C. Godfrey (CAN), Nory Kruchten (LUX), Francis Lyuce (FRA), Guillermo Martinez (CUB), Chief Olatokumbo Thomas (NGR), Gunnar Werner (SWE). Executive Director: Cornel Marculescu For information on the structures of the FINA Technical Committees, please visit fina.org 45 - AQUATICS Magazine QUALIFICATION_standards 46 - AQUATICS Magazine