…Thursday will begin the Sette Colli (Seven Hills) Trophy in Rome, which will be one of the final major tuneups on the European schedule. The purse will award 500 Euros for a win, 300 for 2nd, and 200 for 3rd, plus a bonus of 500 Euros for records totalling a prize purse of 40,000 Euros. Points can also be accumulated toward the Trophy Mario Aini – with a point system rewarding the top 6 finishers.
Aside from the Italians, the big international competitors will be Cesar Cielo, the Dutch Female Sprinters, Poland’s Otylia Jedrzejczak, Jeanette Ottesen and Lotte Friis from Denmark, France’s Camille Lacourt, 100 backstroke World Leader Anastasia Zueva, Sweden’s Sarah Sjostrom, South Africa’s Cameron van der Burgh, Brazil’s Thiago Pereira, and Sophie Edington from Australia. The lists go far deeper than that, however, and have as much (if not more) fire power than the European Championships with Japanese, German, and the whole of the South African Olympic Team on the docket as well. Results will be here, and start lists are here. Races of the meet are Sjostrom-Heemskerk-Pellegrini in the 200 free, who all could be 1:55’s in this race…
…The Illinois High School Association has announced that it will extend post-season opportunities for student-athletes with disabilities, according to this press release. This is a huge move spurred on by a swimmer named Mary Kate Callahan who was forced in Illinois High School swimming to compete as an exhibition participant because the state wouldn’t establish athletic competition standards for athletes with disabilities. After gaining a strong ally in the form of the state’s Attorney General, who sued the organization, Illinois has decided that they will pilot separate, high-profile events for students with disabilities in the 2012-2013 season. This is a huge “win” for the inclusive core of sports….
…The British Olympic Association has announced their 12 divers that will compete at the London Olympics. The full list can be seen here, but includes Tom Daley, the now 18-year old who in 2009 shocked the world by winning the 10 meter World Championship. He’s had an up-and-down four years, but should be ready for the Olympics…
One thing that impresses me is how fast the sprints are, especially the women’s. At the US Grand Prix meets, you almost never see anyone break :25 in the 50. Oftentimes the winning times are in the 25-mids. This meet had four women break :25 in the 50 free, including a winning time of :24.21. They’re definitely doing something right over there with regards to sprinting.
This meet is crazy exciting