swimming

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She's 80—and Just Set an Ironman Record

Natalie Grabow, who only learned to swim at 59, says 'it's never too late' for a new challenge

(Newser) - As Natalie Grabow crossed the finish line at the Ironman World Championship in Hawaii on Saturday, she heard the crowd chanting her name. The 80-year-old grandmother from New Jersey didn't even know how to swim until the age of 59, when she decided to tackle her first triathlon. Now,...

Swimmer Dove in for a Race, Never 'Exited the Sea'

Turkish authorities search for Russia's Nikolai Svechnikov, who vanished during Bosporus swim

(Newser) - Coast guard and maritime police vessels in Istanbul were searching Monday for a Russian swimmer who went missing during a cross-Bosporus race a day earlier, Turkish state-run media reported. The swimmer, named by the Anadolu news agency as Nikolai Svechnikov, failed to complete the 4-mile annual race from Istanbul's...

After Century-Long Ban, You Can Swim in the Seine

3 swimming sites will open Saturday on Paris river

(Newser) - For the first time in over a century, Parisians and tourists are getting ready to take a dip in the Seine. Three new swimming sites on the Paris riverbank are set to open Saturday, including one close to Paris' Notre Dame Cathedral, another near the Eiffel Tower, and a third...

World Aquatics Takes Tough Stance on Enhanced Games

It promises athletes who join doping-friendly Vegas event will be banned for life

(Newser) - Athletes who participate in next year's "Enhanced Games"—an event that allows and even encourages performance-enhancing drugs—will face a ban from all World Aquatics competitions, the global swim governing body announced Tuesday. The Enhanced Games, scheduled for four days in May in Las Vegas, promises...

Swimmer Circles Martha's Vineyard, in the Name of Sharks

Endurance athlete Lewis Pugh takes to icy waters off Massachusetts to highlight conservation efforts

(Newser) - Endurance swimmer Lewis Pugh is taking on a new challenge: a 62-mile swim around Martha's Vineyard, the island made famous as the filming site for the 1975 film Jaws. The British-South African athlete, who has swum in some of the world's toughest conditions—including every ocean, near...

2,461 People Took an Icy Swim, Set a Record

A frigid dip in a Czech lake set a Guinness record for most swimmers to freeze for at least a minute

(Newser) - Czech cold-water swimmers on Saturday set a world record for the largest polar bear dip. As the AP reports, a total of 2,461 participants were involved in the successful attempt on the Most lake in northwest Czech Republic. The previous record was 1,799 swimmers who participated in the...

'The Shark' Gives Up Attempt to Swim Across Lake Michigan

4th time wasn't the charm for Jim Dreyer

(Newser) - An ultra swimmer nicknamed The Shark appeared to be back on shore Wednesday, giving up on yet another quest to cross Lake Michigan after more than 36 hours in the water. The AP reports an online tracker showed Jim Dreyer returned to Grand Haven, Michigan, where he started his planned...

A Year After Shark Took Her Leg, She's in Paralympics

Swimmer Ali Truwit was snorkeling days after graduating Yale when shark attacked her

(Newser) - The first step for swimmer Ali Truwit was overcoming her fear of the one place she'd always felt safe—the water. Having just graduated Yale, she and a friend were snorkeling off Turks and Caicos on May 24, 2023, when a shark charged and bit Truwit's lower left...

He Swam Halfway Across Lake Michigan. Then His GPS Batteries Failed
He Swam Halfway Across
Lake Michigan. Then His
GPS Batteries Failed
in case you missed it
Aug 17, 2024 3:55 PM CDT

He Swam Halfway Across Lake Michigan. Then His GPS Batteries Failed

Jim Dreyer says bag of spares fell overboard during attempt at 83-mile swim

(Newser) - Last year, Jim Dreyer was twice foiled by bad weather when he tried to swim across Lake Michigan to mark the 25th anniversary of the first time he accomplished the feat. This year, the weather cooperated, at least at first, but he had to call off the 83-mile swim on...

Notre Dame Suspends Men's Swim Team for a Year

Review finds NCAA gambling violations; other teams not involved

(Newser) - Notre Dame suspended its men's swimming program Thursday for at least one year after an external review found members of the team violated NCAA rules by wagering among themselves on results of their competitions and failed to "treat one another with dignity and respect," the AP reports....

US Wraps Up Swimming by Setting Two World Records

With eight gold medals, American team edges Australia

(Newser) - The US set two world records on the final night of swimming at the Paris Olympics on Sunday, winning the gold-medal count over rival Australia and easing the sting of the first loss ever in the men's 4x100-meter medley relay. Bobby Finke set a new standard in the 1,...

Olympic Swimmer Has a Scary Ending to Her Race

Slovakia's Tamara Potocka, 21, suffered apparent asthma attack, collapsed after emerging from pool

(Newser) - Slovakian swimmer Tamara Potocka collapsed poolside Friday morning after a qualifying heat of the women's 200-meter individual medley at the Paris Olympics. Potocka, 21, collapsed as she got out of the water and almost immediately was surrounded by a half-dozen medical attendants, who put her on a stretcher after...

Katie Ledecky Earns Serious Olympic Bragging Rights

American now has 13 medals, more than any female Olympian ever

(Newser) - American swimmer Katie Ledecky did not earn a gold medal in a team relay on Thursday, but the silver one she received instead just happens to be historic. The medal is Ledecky's 13th, more than any female Olympian in history, reports NBC News . Eight of those medals—including Wednesday'...

The Paris Olympic Pool May Be Handicapping Swimmers

It's shallower, which could be slowing things down

(Newser) - If the Olympics' swimming events seem slightly less thrilling than usual, in that world records aren't falling despite impressive talent in the water, it may be the pool's fault. That's the argument put forth in the Wall Street Journal , which explains the pool being used for these...

It Might Be the Dullest Olympic Sport Ever

The BBC remembers the 'plunge for distance' in swimming

(Newser) - Speed, athletic prowess, and grit are all markers of Olympic competitions, inspiring the world to watch as the best compete for the gold. But the BBC digs up a chestnut from the days of yore that's been called the "lamest, weirdest, and most boring Olympic sport of all...

See How Clean? Paris Mayor Swims the Seine

Anne Hidalgo fulfills promise to swim the river to show that it's clean enough for Olympic events

(Newser) - After months of anticipation, Paris Mayor Anne Hidalgo took a dip in the long-polluted Seine River on Wednesday, fulfilling a promise to show the river is clean enough to host open swimming competitions during the 2024 Olympics—and the opening ceremony on the river nine days away. Clad in a...

US Swimmer Thought Week Couldn't Get Better. Until It Did

Lily King qualifies for 3rd Olympics, then gets engaged

(Newser) - Lily King clinched a spot on Team USA for a third time, but that might not have been the high point of the Olympic veteran swimmer's week. After securing her spot in not one but two Olympic races at the US Olympic Team Trials in Indianapolis, King watched Thursday...

Transgender Swimmer Can't Go to Olympics
Lia Thomas
Can't Go to
Olympics
Jun 13, 2024 1:00 AM CDT

Lia Thomas Can't Go to Olympics

Transgender athlete fails in her challenge of World Aquatics rules

(Newser) - Transgender swimmer Lia Thomas failed in her challenge against rules that stop her from competing in elite women's races because judges ruled she did not have standing to bring the case, the AP reports. The development means she won't be able to compete at the Olympics, Fox News...

US Swimmers Feel 'Cheated' by China Doping Case

23 swimmers tested positive for banned drug before Tokyo Olympics but were not suspended

(Newser) - The World Anti-Doping Agency—WADA—and Chinese authorities are strongly rejecting allegations that they covered up a case involving Chinese swimmers months before the Tokyo Olympics in 2021. Over the weekend, the New York Times and German broadcaster ARD reported that 23 Chinese swimmers tested positive for trimetazidine, a banned...

Swimming Champ Loses Title Over 'Dumbest Rule'
Swimming Champ Loses Title
Over 'Dumbest Rule'
in case you missed it
Mar 9, 2024 12:05 PM CST

Swimming Champ Loses Title Over 'Dumbest Rule'

Owen Lloyd crossed into next lane to celebrate with teammate at college championship

(Newser) - North Carolina State University swimmer Owen Lloyd scored a huge win at the Atlantic Coast Conference Championships—and was immediately stripped of his title. Lloyd climbed into the next lane to celebrate the 1,650-yard freestyle title with teammate Ross Dant, who finished in second place two seconds behind him,...

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