Streamlined News: April 12, 2012


PHOENIX, Arizona, April 12. THE Eindhoven Swim Cup started today in the Netherlands, and a few swimmers are using the competition as a tune-up to the upcoming European championships. Sarah Sjostrom battled the mighty Dutch sprinters in the 100 freestyle in semifinals today and posted a quick 53.29, the fastest time in the world so far this year, by just one hundredth of a second. Sjostrom is riding on a wave after posting the fastest 100 free in textile with a 53.09 four months ago in the same pool she's competing in today, and the Dutch are the reigning Olympic and world champions in the 400 free relay. Three of the Dutch relay swimmers — Ranomi Kromowidjojo, Marleen Veldhuis and Inge Dekker — qualified second through fourth for tomorrow's final. Femke Heemskerk, the fourth member of that Dutch relay squad, is not at the meet.

Sebastiaan Verschuren, a finalist in the 100 free at last summer's world champs, will be the top seed for tomorrow's men's 100 free final with his time of 49.15 today. Stefan Nystrand, Sweden's mainstay in sprint freestyle for at least 10 years, qualified second. Bruno Fratus from Brazil, who burst onto the world scene last summer in the 50 free, swam a 49.09 in prelims but scratched from semifinals.

Sebastien Coe, the head of London's Olympic organizing committee, announced today that he believes China will win the most medals at the Olympics, citing a broad range of ability beyond their staple sports, such as diving and gymnastics. Coe speculated that the United States and Russia will be second and third in the medal tally. China was second on the medals table when they hosted the Olympics in Beijing in 2008, winning six medals in swimming in Beijing and 11 in diving.

We had hoped there would be no more news to report for a while about wayward coaches punished for sexual relationships with swimmers after our reports yesterday on two such coaches, but late yesterday, USA Swimming announced that former Gator Swim Club Bryan Woodward was officially added to their banned for life list after he was arrested for soliciting a child for sex in January. Woodward had 30 days to appeal his addition to the list, but now that those 30 days have passed, Woodward is now forbidden from coaching or any other activities USA Swimming members participate in.

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