2009: the season of swimming in review
2009-12-28
Editorial Office
Before we look ahead to 2010, let's take one more look at 2009. Part 1, January-June

Before we look ahead to 2010, let's take one more look at 2009.

Part 1, January-June.

JANUARY

05
Adlington gets OBE honour. Double Olympic champion Rebecca Adlington has been recognised in the New Year's Honours list.At the Beijing Olympics Adlington, 20, won 400 and 800 metres freestyle events, then became the first British woman to win an Olympic gold medal in the swimming pool since Anita Lonsbrough 48 years ago. She will receive an OBE from the Queen for her services to sport.

Olympic swimming champion Oussama Mellouli has been voted Tunisian Sportsman of the year by the country's sports media. At the Beijing Olympics, the 24-year-old who trains in Southern California, won Tunisia's first Olympic swimming gold medal, beating Australian Grant Hackett in the 1500 metres freestyle.

Roy Saari, who won a gold medal for the Unites States at the 1964 Olympics and set 4 swimming world records during his career, dies of congestive heart failure at his Mammoth Lakes home on December 30, 2008. He was 63. Saari’s gold at Tokyo came in the 800 metres freestyle relay and followed his silver medal in the 400 metres individual medley. His four world records included the first sub-17-min 1500m, his 16:58.7 set at the 1964 US Olympic trials.

15
Star swimmer Michael Phelps signed an endorsement contract with Mazda Motor Corp.

23
Michael Phelps and Natalie Coughlin were honoured by the U.S. Olympic Committee's (USOC) with the Sportsman and Sportswoman of the Year award, respectively.

30
American Tara Kirk announced her retirement from competitive swimming - just eight months out from the Beijing Games. The 22-year-old breaststroke specialist has also announced that she will proceed with an arbitration hearing, set for May, to seek damages from USA Swimming.

FEBRUARY

01
Beijing Olympic bronze medallist Takuro Fujii set a new men's 100m butterfly national record at the Tatsumi International Swimming Center in Tokyo. He clocked 51.28 seconds to break the previous mark of 51.33 by Kohei Kawamoto in December 2008.

02
Olympian Craig Stevens has announced his retirement from the sport. The 28-year-old won silver as part of the as part of the Australian 4x200m relay team at the 2004 Games. He also swam in the final of the 1500 metres freestyle finishing 6th but renounced to contest the 400 metres and left his place to Ian Thorpe, who was disqualified from the event at the trials after he fell into the water before the start.

05
Olympic multiple gold medalist Michael Phelps could face criminal charges after a British tabloid issued a picture of him holding a bong, a device probably used to smoke marijuana at a party on November, during his down time.

USA Swimming suspends Olympian Michael Phelps for three months after a picture apparently showing him using illegal drugs was issued by a tabloid newspaper.

08
Nikolay Skvortsov of Russia sets a world record in the men's 200 metres butterfly at the national short-course championships in Saint Petersburg. He won in 1:50.53 seconds.

17
San Antonio Olympian Josh Davis is getting olympic medals back. The medals, three golds from Atlanta 1996 and a silver from Sydney 2000 [all from relay events] were stolen from Davis' car since he travelled to St. Louis for a clinic last week and medals served as motivational tools for young swimmers. The thief left the medal outside a club, in a way to be easily found.

Olympic superstar Michael Phelps won't face criminal charges for the photo showing him smoking from a marijuana pipe at a University of South Carolina house party. There aren't enough physical evidence to charge the swimmer, admitted the Sheriff of Richland County.

18
Sheikh Khalid of Kuwait has been elected president of the Asian Swimming Federation, during the General Council of Asian Swimming Federation held in Oman

21
After a meeting with representatives of 16 swimwear manufacturers held in Lausanne, Fina sets standard for high-tech swimsuits. The requirements will be discussed at the FINA Bureau meeting in Dubai on March.

Therese Alshammar of Sweden has set a European record in the women's 50 metres butterfly at the Japan Open short course swimming championships winning in 25.13 seconds.

22
Shiho Sakai of Japan set world short-course record of 56.15 seconds in winning the women's 100 metres backstroke at the Japan Open short course swimming championships.

26
English Commonwealth champion Christopher Cook confirmed his retirement from swimming. Cook, 30-year-old from South Shields, attended two Olympics in 2004 and 2008. The highlights of his career included gold in the 50 and 100 metres breaststroke at the 2006 Commonwealth Games and a silver with the 4x100 medley relay.

28
Mirna Jukic of Austria sets the new European record of 2:22.91 seconds in winning the women's 200 metres breaststroke at the national championships in Vienna.

MARCH

01
Australia gets back 1904 Olympics missing medals. Australia picked up four Olympic medals which were wrongly awarded to the United States more than a century ago. The medals were won by Francis (Frank) Gailey, at 22; a silver in the 220 yards, 440 yards, 880 yards and bronze in the one-mile freestyle at the 1904 St. Louis Games.

03
Italy’s former European champion Lorenzo Vismara retires from swimming to become a coach. Vismara, a 34-year-old freestyle specialist, won gold at the 2004 and 2006 Europeans with the 400m freestyle relay. Originally a waterpolo player, Vismara attended the 2000 Sydney Games but experienced a disappointing end to his Olympic career when he placed 4th in the 4x100m free relay final in Athens. He also won 33 national titles among 50 and 100 metres freestyle (including 6 golds on a short-course).

04
The Australian Institute of Sport (AIS) has appointed tracey Menzies as its new Senior coach for swimming Programme. Menzies, former coach of swimming sensation Ian Thorpe and other high profile Australian swimmers such as Ky Hurst, Craig Stevens, Patrick Murphy, Travis Nederpelt, Matt Welsh and Ashley Callus, was named Swimming Australia's Open Water Coach of the Year in 2008.

08
Federica Pellegrini wins the 200m free in 1:54.47 seconds, at the Italian Nationals, lowering the world record she set to win gold at the Beijing Olympics.

14
A new 200 metres breaststroke world record was set by Annamay Pierse at the Canadian short-course championships in Toronto, where she won in 2:17.50.

16
Joanne Jackson sets a world record in the 400 metres freestyle at the British swimming championships winning the race in 4:00.66 seconds.

17
Hannah Miley of Scotland sets the European record in the women's 200m individual medley, at the national championships in Sheffield, winning in 2:09.59 seconds.

19
At the British trials in Sheffield, Ellen Gandy, 18, breaks the European record in the women’s 200m butterfly, winning in 2:04.83 seconds.

Former Olympic champion Yana Klochkova today announced her retirement from swimming. The 26-year-old Ukranian, feels she is bowing out at the top and now intends to take a new career direction.

20
At the British trials in Sheffield, Hannah Miley smashes her own European record by almost two seconds winning the women's 400m individual medley in a time of 4:31.33 seconds.

29
Swimming Federation of Bulgaria, Romania and Russia affiliate to COMEN, Confédération Méditérranéenne de Natation.

APRIL

03
Some European records set in 2008 at the Beijing Games, up to the beginning of 2009, are not ratified because of some irregularities in filling the LEN documentation. In some cases the national federations did not fill out the paperwork and send it to LEN.

04
Munoz and fellow-countryman Aschwin wildeboer set a couple of new European marks at the Spanish Nationals in Malaga. Munoz won the 100 metres butterfly in a time 50.58 seconds, shaving 0.01 off the previous mark held by Milorad Cavic of Serbia. Wildeboer, 23-year-old, won the men's 100 metres backstroke title in 52.93 seconds, to lower the previous world mark of 53.06 set by Arkady Vyatchanin last year at the Beijing Games.

06
Rafael Munoz has broken the men's 50 metres butterfly world record to spark the final day of the national championships in Malaga on Sunday. Munoz, 21, won the national title in 22.43 seconds, breaking the record of 22.96 held by Roland Schoeman of South Africa, set in Montreal at the 2005 Worlds.

07
Australian Nick D'Arcy has been excluded from the national swimming team for the 2009 Worlds in Rome. He was convicted for his attack on former swimmer Simon Cowley following the 2008 Australia Olympic trials. He received a suspended sentence of 14 months and 12 days. For the same reason he was banned from last year's Olympics.

09
Zhao Jing of China equalled a women's 50 metres backstroke world record when she clocked 27.67 seconds at a the national championships in Shaoxing. She tied the mark set by Sophie Edington of Australia in Sydney a year ago.

14
Sebastien Rousseau broke his own African record for the 200 metres butterfly by 2.52 seconds at the South African National Championships in Durban. He qualified for the final in a record time of 1:55.51.

16
Fina and Yakult Honsha have extended their partnership by an extra four years in a deal that takes the arrangement through to 2012.

18
Cameron van der Burgh broke the 50m breaststroke world record when he clocked 27.06sec in the semis at South African nationals in Durban.

Aschwin Wildeboer breaks the European short-course record in the 50m backstroke at the Spanish Cup Trophy. He finished in a time of 23.12 seconds.

19
At the Amsterdam Swim Cup, Dutch Marleen Veldhuis improves the world records in the women's 50 metres butterfly and freestyle. She won the 50 fly in 25.33 seconds, and later she powered to victory in the 50 free in 23.96.

20
Spaniard Melquiades Álvarez Caraballo set a new European record in the men's 200 metres breaststroke on a short-course at the XVIII Copa de España swim meet last Friday. The 21-year-old of the CN Sant Andreu won in a time of 2:03.46 seconds and demolished France's Hugues Duboscq mark by more than a second.

23
Alain Bernard sets a world record in the 100m freestyle at the French swimming championships in Montpellier. The Olympic champion finished in 46.94 seconds in the semifinals.

24 At the Austria-Meeting in Vienna Mirna Jukic sets a new European record of 1:07.00 seconds in the 100m breaststroke event, slicing 0.10 seconds off the previous mark set by Germany’s Sarah Poewe in Berlin last year.

The Board of Swimming Australia ruled that Nicholas "Nick" D'Arcy will be allowed to compete again following this year's world championships in Rome.

25
Mirna Jukic of Austria sets the European record in the women's 200m breaststroke at the 20th International Austria-Meeting in Vienna. In the Stadthallenbad Jukic stopped the clock at 2:22.46.

At the French Nationals in Montpellier, Spaniard Rafael Munoz sets a European record in the men's 100m butterfly of 50.46 seconds.

26
Frédérick Bousquet has set a world record in the 50 metres freestyle at the French swimming championships in Montpellier. He finished in 20.94 seconds.

Camelia Potec of France has broken the women’s 1500m freestyke European record, setting a time of 15:52.37 seconds at the national championships in Montpellier.

At the French Nationals in Montpellier, Camille Muffat won the final of the women’s 200m individual medley in a new European record. The 20-year-old from Nice improved her personal best and national record by almost two seconds touching first in 2:09.37.

27
At the Russian championships Yuliya Efimova reclaimed the European record for the women’s 100 metres breaststroke after Mirna Jukic had snatched the mark at the 20th International Austria meet in Vienna last weekend. Yesterday Efimova, 17-year-old from Grozny, won in 1:05.80, lowering the old mark of 1:07.00 set by the Austrian Olympic bronze medallist.

28
Two more world records fell at the Russian championships taking place in Moscow this afternoon. Teenager Yulia Efimova, 17, breaks the 50m breaststroke mark twice. Her times are 30.23 in the semi-final, and she lowered that again by a further 18/100ths of a second in the final in another world record time of 30.05. In the morning heats, Valentina Artemyeva set a European record for this event of 30.32. Anastasia Zueva produced an excellent performance in the 50m backstroke, clocking a new world record of 27.47 in the final.

Olympian Annamay Pierse, University of British Columbia, has been awarded the prestigious Borden Ladner Gervais Awards as top collegiate athletes.

A couple of new records were set at Russian national championships in today’s preliminary heats. Anastasia Zueva set a world record in the women’s 50 metres backstroke with 27.48 seconds. Valentina Artemyeva set a new European record for the women’s 50 metres breaststroke in 30.32 seconds.

Two more world records fell at the Russian championships taking place in Moscow this afternoon. Teenager Yulia Efimova, 17, returned to competition in style to break the 50m breaststroke mark twice: 30.23 in the semi-final then she lowered that again by a further 18/100ths a second in the final in another world record time of 30.05.

Anastasia Zueva produced an excellent performance in the 50m backstroke, clocking a new world record of 27.47 in the final, beating her record set in the heats this morning.

MAY

01
American swimming star Amanda Beard, 27, and photographer Sacha Brown, 34, married on Wakatobi, an archipelago off Indonesia.

03
The Central American and Caribbean Confederation (CCCAN) cancels the Swimming Championships set for June 29-July 5 in Mexico City because of the outbreak of the deadly swine flu.

FINA announces an agreement with Myrtha Pools for a period of two years. Under the agreement with the world swimming organization, Myrtha will provide temporary swimming pools for the competition at this year’s Worlds in Rome and at the 2010 short-course World Swimming Championships in Dubai.

09
Felipe Alves Franca da Silva of Brazil breaks the men's 50m breaststroke world mark at the Maria Lenk Trophy winning in 26.89s. It’s the first time that a Brazilian swimmer set a world record at the meeting.

10
Japan’s Ryosuke Irie sets the men’s 200m backstroke world record at the inaugural Duel in the Pool against Australia in Canberra. Irie, 19, timed 1:52.86 but the new record couldn’t be ratified since Irie wore an Arena swimsuit which properties and buoyancy are still to be estimated by FINA.

19
A list of 202 approved swimsuits has been released by swim governing body FINA today. A second round of tests will be held later this year to create a new list of approved suits valid from Jan 1, 2010.

23
Paul Marshall, who won a bronze medal for Great Britain at the 1980 Olympics, dies at 48. He placed third at Moscow Games in the 400m medley relay.

28
Canadian breaststroker Mike Brown, announces his retirement. Brown, 25 from Perth, Ontario, won a silver medal in the 200m breast at the Montreal Worlds in 2005. In this event he also won a gold at the 2006 Commonwealth Games and a bronze in 2002.

JUNE

02
Olympic champion Rebecca has been awarded an Order of the British Empire (OBE) for her contribution to sport in the annual honours list handed out by Queen Elizabeth II at Buckingham Palace. At the Beijing Games, the 20-year-old from Mansfield won the 400 and 800 metres freestyle.

10
Auburn swimming coach Richard Quick, dies of cancer at the age of 66. During his career, he won 13 NCAA titles, one at Auburn, seven at Stanford and five at Texas, and he was the head coach U.S. teams in 1988, 1996 and 2000 Games.

14
Germany’s Paul Biedermann breaks the 200m freestyle European record, setting a time of 1:44.88s on final day of the Mare Nostrum circuit in Monte Carlo.

16
Angela Coughlan, Canadian Olympic swimmer, passes away at the age of 56 after battling cancer. Angela had a successful international career collecting a bronze at the 1968 Games and several medals at at and Commonwealth Games. She also won 23 Canadian titles and bettered one world and 13 Canadian long-course freestyle records between 1967 to 1971.

22
Fina approves high tech swimsuits. All swimsuits, including those subjected to re-examination for their excessive buoyancy, will be authorised at the world championships in Rome, FINA announced in a statement. Meanwhile, swimming’s governing body ratified 6 new world marks, 2 of them on a short-course, while Alain Bernard's 100m freestyle record set last April (when he became the first man to break the 47-second barrier) has not been approved, beacause he wore a not approved swimsuit.

25
Germany's Britta Steffen set a world record in the women's 100 metres freestyle at the national championships in Berlin, finishing in 52.85 seconds.

Daniela Samulski set a new European record of 27.85 seconds for the women's 50 metres backstroke at the German national championships in Berlin.

26
Daniela Samulski set a new women’s 50m backstroke world record at the German Nationals. But the German swimmer has just set what is likely to be declared a world record, even though her 27.61sec effort over 50m backstroke is the fourth-best time ever. The other three times, by Anastasia Zueva (RUS), include a 27.47 swum in an arena X-Glide before approval of a modified version of the suit, and a 27.56, swum in a legal arena suit but impossible to ratify because organisers of the Mare Nostrum tour in Monaco did not dope test the swimmer, believing that 27.47 was the world record and therefore no doping test was required. Then the previous best performance was 27.67sec held by Australia's Sophie Edington and China's Zhao Jing.

Federica Pellegrini of Italy has set a world record in the 400m freestyle at the Mediterranean Games in Pescara. Winning the title in 4:00.41 seconds.

Britta Steffen broke her own world record in the 100m freestyle at the German Nationals in the Landsberger Allee swimming complex. She stopped the clock at 52.56s, lowering the mark set in Thursday’s heat by 0.29s.

28
Germany's Marco Koch set a new European record in the men’s 200m breaststroke in Berlin winning the final of the German national championships with a time of 2:08.33 seconds.

Paul Biedermann improves his European record in the 200m free winning at the German Championships in Berlin with a time of 1:44.71 seconds.

30
Aschwin Wildeboer Faber of Spain wins the 100m backstroke at the Mediterranean Games in Pescara in a new European record of 52.87 seconds.