the pullbuoy log
Friday, 30 August, 2002
Pan-pacs: US take medley relay WR
So Ian Thorpe didn't get his 6th gold in Yokohama, but it took a world record from the US Medley relay quartet to deny him. The US were expected to lead from the front with world no.1 Aaron Peirsol and 200m champion Brendan Hansen taking them out strongly, but on paper the Aussie back end was faster. [more]
Posted by Steve @ 02:19 PM BST [Link]
Thursday, 29 August, 2002
Swimming on Radio 5-live
Sarah Price and Adam Whitehead will be appearing on Radio 5 Live's Simon Mayo programme this Friday, 30th August 2002, to take part in the one hour sports panel from 1-2pm. They'll be offering their views on topical sports stories and talking about their successes at the Commonwealth Games. You can get BBC Radio 5-live in the UK on 909 and 693MW
Posted by Steve @ 06:35 PM BST [Link]
2002 Pan Pacific Championships
The 2002 Pan Pacific Championships have been taking place over the past week in Yokohama, Japan and finish today (29th August). The star of the meet has once again been Ian Thorpe who has collected 5 golds to date, winning the 100, 200 and 400 free and also being part of the victorious Australian 4x100 and 4x200m relay teams. [more]
Posted by Steve @ 01:26 PM BST [Link]
Tuesday, 27 August, 2002
GB Squad: greek nationals results
As you will have seen on pullbuoy, a British squad went straight from the Manchester Commonwealth games to a warm weather training camp in Greece, competing in the Greek National championships along the way. Full results are now available here: [more]
Posted by Steve @ 04:04 PM BST [Link]
Wednesday, 21 August, 2002
Holly Wells and Jessica Chapman
It is with great sadness that pullbuoy posts this news item, following the murders of Holly Wells and Jessica Chapman. As you may know from recent news reports following the girls' disappearance, Jessica was a keen swimmer and a member of City of Cambridge Swimming Club. She showed great potential, having this year competed in her first county championships and will be sorely missed, as indeed will Holly. Cambridgeshire Police and Cambridgeshire County Coucil have set up an Online book of condolence for those wishing to send a message to the community and families of the children. The thoughts of all at pullbuoy are with the families at this terrible time.
Posted by Steve @ 12:57 PM BST [Link]
Tuesday, 13 August, 2002
ASA publish 2003 fees
The ASA have published their membership and event entry fees for 2003. This sees the third rise in entry fees in as many years: ASA Membership and Event entry Fees
Posted by Steve @ 01:06 PM BST [Link]
Monday, 12 August, 2002
2003 World championships official site
The official site for next year's 10th world swimming championships in Barcelona is now up and running. Barcelona 2003
Posted by Steve @ 02:06 PM BST [Link]
Saturday, 10 August, 2002
Foster aiming to create professional team
Mark Foster is reportedly aiming to set up an elite professional swimming squad in this country. Based on the model of the Philips squad in Holland, the home of Pieter van den Hoogendband and Inge de Bruijn, the squad would consist of 3 or 4 of the top British swimmers. AS yet the venture has not attracted a sponsor and is still in the planning stages.
Original Cambridge Evening News Story
Posted by Steve @ 04:57 PM BST [Link]
Friday, 9 August, 2002
Fargus breaks leg
pullbuoy has received as yet unofficial and unconfirmed reports that Jo Fargus has suffered a major injury blow at a post Commonwealth games party earlier this week. Fargus, winner of gold and silver medals in Manchester, apparently tripped and fell down some stairs at a barbecue being held by England team-mate Adrian Turner to mark the conclusion of the Manchester competition, breaking her leg in two places. The break has apparently been operated on and pins inserted to set the fractures. The exact details and circumstances remain unclear.
All at pullbuoy wish Jo a speedy and successful recovery.
Posted by Steve @ 02:19 PM BST [Link]
Tuesday, 6 August, 2002
National Age Group & Youth Championships Results
With the Commonwealth Games now firmly out of the way, the National Age Group and Youth Championships take centre stage. You can keep track of what's happening via the ASA website: ASA National Age Group & Youth Championships 2002 Results
Posted by Steve @ 01:24 PM BST [Link]
Sunday, 4 August, 2002
CG day 6: Aussies bounce back in some style
The final evening of competition at the Manchester Aquatics centre saw the final 7 events decided as swimming brought the 17th Commonwealth Games to a close. The session proved a fitting finale to a quite outstanding meet and saw yet more high quality swimming, as everyone battled for those last few golds. In the end though it was Australia's night as they finally asserted their dominance on the 2002 games. [more]
Posted by Steve @ 07:22 PM BST [Link]
Saturday, 3 August, 2002
CG day 5: Clean sweeps the order of the day
The penultimate night of finals in the Manchester Aquatics centre was the one with the biggest uncertainty of the competition so far, as the backstroke events took centre stage. Could Ian Thorpe win his 6th gold medal in the 100m backstroke? Could Sarah Price add two more golds in the women’s events? The races on the way to those results were quite simply outstanding.
[more]
Posted by Steve @ 09:16 PM BST [Link]
Friday, 2 August, 2002
CG day 4: Cooke rounds it off nicely
This meet has seen some amazing drama, world records, Commonwealth records and numerous national records but tonight was a night for history to be made. We didn’t have to wait long for the moment to come; the session was barely 3 minutes old before a new name went down in the annals of Commonwealth Games history. [more]
Posted by Steve @ 09:00 PM BST [Link]
Riley Janes injured by TV camera
Candian backstroker Riley Janes injured his back in this morning's heats for the men's 100 backstroke, as he collided with the underwater 'halibut' camera from the start. The camera runs on a rail fitted to the bottom of the pool.
Janes always starts deep to allow him to use his excellent dolphin kick, but even with the pool depth set to 2m, it was not deep enough for him avod the clash with the camera casing and track. As a result the camera has been moved back to 12.5m from the start to prevent a recurrence in this evening's semi finals.
Posted by Steve @ 06:31 PM BST [Link]
Heidi Earp: is she ill?
When talking to the press after this morning's 100m breastroke heats, Heidi Earp let it slip that she hadn't swum as well as she had hoped to in the 200m final last night, as a result of an illness. When asked why she had swum she replied, "my coach made me!".
Posted by Steve @ 02:20 PM BST [Link]
Thursday, 1 August, 2002
CG day 3: England take Australia to the wire
The third day of swimming competition had already had its fair share of controversy before we event got to the finals session with Matt Welsh’s perhaps harsh disqualification in the heats of the 200m backstroke. If the evening lacked such shocks then it more than made up for it with pure drama and some tremendous racing. [more]
Posted by Steve @ 09:17 PM BST [Link]
Welsh dramatically DQ'ed in heats
World champion and hot favourite Matt Welsh has been sensationally disqualified from the heats of the 200m backstroke. He won his heat with ease but was taken out for moving at the start. Pullbuoy's source on poolside felt that Welsh had been harshly done by: "At take your marks, he came up a bit, stopped and came up a bit more but was still again prior to the gun."
As expected there was a protest from the Australian team but that was unsuccessful, with the jury of appeal confirming the disqualifiaction after watching video evidence of the start. The final this evening is now wide open, with Scotland's Gregor Tait and England's Simon Militis surely now in the frame for the gold medal. Other challenges will come from second string Aussies Ethan Rolff and Leigh McBean.
Posted by Steve @ 11:38 AM BST [Link]
England 4x200 relay line ups
Pullbuoy has learnt unofficially that the 4x200 relay team line ups for tonights finals will probably be:
women:
Pickering, Legg, Lee, Fargusmen:
Parry, Faulkner, Salter, BurnettSo, no place for world champion team member Janine Belton, who was also in the squad which set a world short course record in Norwich last year.
Posted by Steve @ 09:37 AM BST [Link]
Belton out of 4x200? Never mind, Bill's happy!
Rumours are circulating in Manchester that Janine Belton's place in the England Women's 4x200m relay team is in jeopardy following her below par performance in the individual event earlier this week. Belton, who was a member of the world championship winning team in Fukuoka, recorded a time of 2.03.65, well outside her best time of 2.01.33. The alternatives should she be dropped would seem to be backstroker Jo Fargus (PB 2.02.02) who came 5th in the trials, Margaretha Pedder or even Sarah Price. Whoever makes up the team, they will join individual medallists Karen Pickering and Karen Legg and fly specialist Georgina Lee to have a great chance of taking the gold.
Meanwhile Bill Sweetenham is reported to be content with performance of the home swimmers so far. He replied "pretty good" when asked what he thought of the British swims to date.
