Lane 1 - WSJ reads "Swim: Why We Love the Water. Taking the Plunge. Swimming is the most isolating of sports. Even long-distance runners have scenery to look at. Swimmers can (sort of) see and hear, but they are mostly in tune with their own minds and bodies. What is there to say about such a solitary and inward experience? Plenty, as it turns out. In "Swim: Why We Love the Water," Lynn Sherr, a former ABC News correspondent, provides almost too much information about swimming, but she pulls us into the subject because she wears her learning lightly and interweaves it within her version of a quest romance: Can this 60-something grandmother achieve her goal and swim the Hellespont—the legendary strait that runs between the Aegean Sea and Turkey's interior?"
Lane 2 - AFP posts "For teen star Franklin it's prom first, then Olympics. Missy Franklin will likely be one of America's top medal hopes at the London Olympics, but first the swimming superstar needs to find a dance dress suitable for her 1.85-meter frame. "I'm actually in the hunt for a prom dress right now, which is really difficult," Franklin said as she prepared for this week's Indianapolis Grand Prix, the fifth stop on USA Swimming's Olympic-year series."
Lane 3 - NZ City posts "Kiwi Olympic swim team named. A 12-strong New Zealand swimming team has been named for the London Olympics."
Lane 4 - The Telegraph posts "London 2012 Olympics diary: James Magnussen to try out Aquatics Centre – but not the pool. The fastest 100m freestyle swimmer in the world – James "The Missile" Magnussen visited London this week for some pre-Games promotions but won't get a chance to swim in the Olympic Aquatics Centre. Magnussen, an Australian, said he would don his budgie smugglers inside the centre to get a feel for what it might be like at the end of July. "I'll just strip down to the swimmers and walk up and down the side of the pool and try and get a feel for it, something like that," said Magnussen, 20."
Lane 5 - Metro posts "Swimmer David Davies to make Olympic farewell at London 2012 . British long-distance swimmer David Davies says London 2012 will 'definitely' be his last Olympic Games. The 27-year-old from Barry in South Wales, who has won silver and bronze medals at the last two Games, says he may even retire altogether after the summer. 'I'm probably 90% sure that I will finish, but there is no point planning it because you don't know what happens in sport - it's a hard decision to make,' he said."
Lane 6 - The Star posts "Olympic rings and a red Maple Leaf over his broken heart. One of Canada’s top swimmers for the past decade, Brown retired after missing a medal by 9/100ths of a second at the Beijing Games. He launched a comeback 18 months later and was regarded as a good bet to make it to London until he became completely unravelled Thursday night, finishing a distant fourth in the 200-metre breaststroke at the Olympic trials. He was completely devastated afterwards, bolting from the pool. He took about 10 minutes to compose himself before talking to the media. He then broke into tears and required another five minutes. Heck, the 28-year-old from Perth, Ont., had poured everything into his comeback, only to have it go awry at the most critical time."
Lane 7 - USA TODAY posts "Nathan Adrian beats Phelps after ripping suit on blocks. In one sense, you could say sprinter Nathan Adrian tore past Michael Phelps to win the 100-meter freestyle Thursday night at the Indianapolis Grand Prix swimming meet. Adrian's victory wasn't even the main topic of conversation - he did it after splitting his trunks on the starting blocks."
Lane 8 - Indy Star posts 'Olympics medalist Dara Torres keeps her swimming goals within reason. This comeback effort by 44-year-old mom involves only 50 freestyle. Being an inspiration? That Dara Torres can handle. It's the perspiration that is painful. For instance, at 44, she is not trying to make the U.S. Olympic team as part of the 400-meter freestyle relay, even if six spots are available. Prelims, semifinals and final at June's Olympic Trials? That is not happening. "I can't swim 100 three times in a row. My body will not do that," she said Thursday. She can swim a 50, and still do it faster than almost anyone half her age. To swim in a sixth Olympic Games, she must be in the top two at the trials."
