It's a late nite report here on the east coast but the day got the best of me. But with so so much swim news I had to do a swim report late or not...
Lane 1 - ESPN posts "Janet Evans takes next step in comeback bid. The amateur video shot last summer shows a woman swimming all alone in a 50-meter pool. Her freestyle stroke is as distinctive as a fingerprint: stiff-armed, her head bobbing up and slightly forward before turning sideways to breathe. She looks more like she's lunging toward a life raft than racing the clock, but her biomechanics are still deadly efficient underwater. When she touches the wall after 800 meters, she has set a Masters world record for her age group. That swimmer was quadruple Olympic gold medalist Janet Evans, who clocked 8:59.06 last June in the Janet Evans Invitational at the Janet Evans Swim Complex in Fullerton, Calif., an icon literally immersed in reminders of her past success." Also from ESPN "Q&A: Janet Evans on training, trials and the inevitable doping questions. Here are excerpts from our conversation with four-time Olympic gold medalist Janet Evans, who will make her return to elite competition after a 15-year absence this weekend at the Austin Grand Prix." USA Swimming posts "Janet Evans after making the Olympic Trials cut in the 400m free."
UPDATE: from ESPN "Janet Evans qualifies for Olympic trials. Just as she did in the old days, Janet Evans pulled away from the field, won a race and achieved a goal. At 40 years of age, the four-time Olympic gold medalist has qualified to swim at the U.S. Olympic trials in June, clocking 4 minutes, 17.27 seconds in a preliminary heat of the 400-meter freestyle at the Austin Grand Prix on Friday. That easily brought her in under the qualifying standard of 4:19.39 for the Olympic trials."
Lane 2 - YNN posts "Former Horns, current Olympians in town to swim. In a little more than six months, the torch will be lit and the London Olympics will begin. In Austin this weekend, a sneak preview of what may be to come in the pool in London. Some of the very best swimmers in town for the Austin Grand Prix. Former Longhorn Brendan Hansen trained Thursday, and while he may not swim this weekend, he did mention there is a chance he could race on Sunday. One guy who will swim, 14-time Olympic Gold Medalist Michael Phelps. He will be racing all weekend, along with big names like Phelps' fellow Olympians Ryan Lochte and Natalie Coughlin."
Lane 3 - AMFM Studios posts "GOLD MEDAL MEDIA. Mel Stewart was a prominent
200m butterfly swimmer of his era. After the Olympics, he became a screenwriter and met his wife Tiffany, a producer, in Los Angeles. Together Mel and Tiffany have a production company that serves (no shock here) the Olympic market. He moved his wife and daughter Bayley to Austin, Texas after the 2008 Olympics to take advantage of the collaborative vibe of the creative community, and hasn’t looked back"
Lane 4 - Eamon Sullivan blogs at Eamon Eats "Lamb and macadamia salad. What’s for dinner tonight? Try my new recipe for Lamb and Macadamia Summer Salad. A scrumptious blend of flavours and texture!"
Lane 5 - Baltimore Sun posts "Student-athletes can drink milk, earn a scholarships
Drink milk campaign rewards student athletes. The 2012 SAMMY scholarship recognizes 25 student-athletes who excel in academics, athletics, community service, leadership and who fuel their daily success with milk. Milk Mustache celebrity judges, Dara Torres and Chauncey Billups, will help select 25 winners from across the country who will receive a $7,500 college scholarship. An awards ceremony will be held at Walt Disney World and the winners will have an opportunity to appear in their own special Milk Mustache ad."
Lane 6 - The Sydney Morning Herald posts "Thorpe finds the lack of time a trial in his Olympic bid. IT HAS been the topic of hot debate for months, but yesterday even Ian Thorpe conceded that he may have left his attempt to qualify for the London Olympic Games too late after the swimming great produced another disappointing performance in missing the 100 metres freestyle final at the Victorian championships. The five-time Olympic champion finished seventh in his morning heat at the Melbourne Sports and Aquatic Centre, behind winner Matt Targett, who finished in 48.86 seconds, and, despite saying he felt better than he had in recent swims, he looked flat and could not produce even a hint of a second-lap surge. He trailed fellow returning veteran Michael Klim, who finished fourth in 50.15 and qualified for last night's final. Thorpe swam 51.05."
The Telegraph posts "Ian Thorpe admits time is against him in London Olympics bid. IAN Thorpe has conceded he may have left his run to the London Olympic trials in March too late.
His comeback bid suffered another reality check yesterday when he bombed out in the 100m freestyle at the Victorian championships. With less than two months before Australia's top swimmers fight for a place on the team for London, Thorpe yesterday went backwards with his 100m time, failing to qualify for the final. The five-time Olympic gold medallist finished 13th overall in the morning heats with a time of 51.05sec, slower than the 50.84sec he produced at the Italian Winter Open in Riccione last month. In his first race in Australia in six years, Thorpe was more than two seconds off the pace of the fastest qualifier, Beijing finalist Matt Targett (48.86sec)." Meanwhile the Lying, Liars that Lie over at Sky News (Newscorp) posts "Ian Thorpe has a second chance to prove his comeback is on track at the Victorian state swimming championships on Saturday. After failing to even make the final of the 100m freestyle at the titles on Friday, Thorpe steps up to his stronger event, the 200m freestyle, on Saturday. The five-time Olympic gold medallist and holder of 13 world records conceded time may be running out in his bid to get to this year's London Games after his disappointing 13th in the 100m. But with two months to go to Australia's Olympic selection trials, Thorpe acknowledges his best chance of returning to the Games six years after he retired is a berth in the 4x200m relay team."
Lane 7 - NY Times posts "French Swimmer’s Fire Resurfaces in Alabama. To find the athlete known as the French Mermaid, follow the trail of painted orange tiger paw prints. In this Southern college town, far from her French roots, Laure Manaudou, a triple medalist at the 2004 Summer Olympics, has rediscovered her passion for swimming. After nearly two years away from the sport, during which she gave birth to her first child, Manaudou, 25, is training under Brett Hawke, the Auburn men’s and women’s coach, with the goal of competing in the London Olympics."
Lane 8 - The Age posts "New Trickett getting back to old form. NATIONAL head coach Leigh Nugent said he saw a bit of the old Libby Trickett yesterday at the Victorian state titles but the former multiple world champion and world record holder prefers to think that she is developing into an improved model."
