Monday's Swim Report - J'eah Hardcore

Lane 1 - Daily Record posts " Olympic champion David Davies calls time on his swimming career.  HE WON bronze and silver at two Olympic games and now the 27-year-old Welshman has decided to call it a day after ten years representing Great Britain.  OLYMPIAN David Davies, who claimed two medals in Greece and in China during a decade of representing Great Britain, has called time on his swimming career.  Davies won a 1500m freestyle bronze medal in Athens in 2004 and followed up with an open water silver in Beijing four years later."

Lane 2 - SwimOutlet.com posts via youtube "Ryan Lochte Hardcore Work Out DVD."

Lane 3 - The Guardian posts "Ian Thorpe: 'I was surrounded by people but had this intense loneliness'.  Following the return of a former great sportsman is always poignant but, with the Australian Ian Thorpe, there is a sense that swimming also provides a refuge from depression.  The 30-year-old's attempt to swim for Australia at this summer's London Olympics ended in disappointment. Yet set against his depression, which he has revealed for the first time in his stark but powerful new book, Thorpe's return assumes fresh meaning. "In terms of making the Olympics it was a complete failure," Thorpe concedes, as he reflects on his non-selection, "but I've rediscovered what I loved about my sport when I walked away from it, loathing it. I find such beauty in the repetition of training – in its rhythms and rituals. I had lost that. But, even if I prefer training to racing, part of me wants performance. It's less about winning than turning in a performance that matches my preparation."  BBC posts (w/video) "Ian Thorpe: My suicidal thoughts, depression and drinking.  He tells HARDtalk's Stephen Sackur about having suicidal thoughts, drinking too much and how he hid his despair from those closest to him."

Lane 4 - Limerick Leader posts "Champion swimmer Leo hopes to make a splash at Mr World .  A LIMERICK model who has represented Ireland on the world stage in swimming is hoping to make a splash in the international world of fashion.  Leo, who is a model with the Holman Lee Agency, moved to Limerick five years ago from Dublin and resides in Castletroy. “I moved down for the high performance centre,” explained the handsome model, who is an accomplished swimmer and has represented Ireland on the world stage since the age of 15. He also played junior cup rugby.  “Swimming brought me all over the world. I have competed in European Championships. I’m delighted to be back swimming in the UL Arena to keep up the fitness,” he added."

Lane 5 - The Gleaner posts "Four-year gov't support for Atkinson.  OLYMPIAN ALIA Atkinson is to benefit from government support over the next four years.  Prime Minister Portia Simpson Miller, while not naming the swimmer, said the assistance is a fulfilment of a promise made during the Olympic Games.  The money is being taken from the PetroCaribe Development Fund.  The swimmer had pleaded for help, following a fourth place and national record-shattering performance in the 100m breaststroke at the London Olympics."

Lane 6 - The Minaret posts "UT Swim Team’s Homecoming Strip Increases School Spirit.  Sun-kissed and perfectly toned bodies of the men’s swim team stole the entire show. From the swimmers first stripping away a piece of clothing every time the volleyball team scored a point to running down the bleachers onto the court after the first match in celebration of UT’s first and only win of the night, it was an exhilarating scene. Oh, and they were only wearing itty bitty Speedos."  (video from 2006)

Lane 7 - Huffington Post has "Finding The Champion Within.  Wendy Boglioli is a 1976 Olympic gold and bronze medalist in swimming who continues to pursue a life of health, fitness and performance at the age of 57. Here, Huff/Post50's newest blogger shares her insights on being a champion in your everyday life."

Lane 8 - Outsports posts "Ryan Lochte back in swim competition in a pink-accented Speedo.  What caught my eye was Lochte’s swimsuit for the meet (see photo below): A stylish black Speedo with an arty pink band that left little to the imagination (he accented it with a black Gator swimcap in honor of the University of Florida)."