The Week That Was: Para World Records Fall Despite IPC Champs Postponement

Sophie Pascoe during the Swimming NZ Open Championships, Owen G Glenn National Aquatic Centre, Auckland, New Zealand, Monday 3 April 2017. Photo: Simon Watts/www.bwmedia.co.nz
Photo Courtesy: Simon Watts, BW Media Photography

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The postponement of the IPC World Champs in Mexico City this week didn’t stop para swimmers around the world from fast swimming, with records falling in Canada and New Zealand. Get updated on all the records that fell this week and all the news from the week in The Week That Was.

The Week That Was #5 – Brazilian Olympic Committee Suspended, Nuzman Sanctioned

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Photo Courtesy: Rob Schumacher-USA TODAY Sports

This week was filled with news that was related to allegations of vote buying controversy surrounding the awarding of the 2016 Olympic Games to Rio de Janeiro. Early in the week Carlos Nuzman, the former President of the Brazilian Olympic Committee, was arrested along with Leonardo Gryner. The two were indicted for “corruption, money laundering and criminal organization.” It is alleged that Nuzman was involved in a vote-buying scheme involving the awarding of the 2016 Olympics to Rio. Following the arrest, the International Olympic Committee (IOC) released a statement that explained Nuzman would be stripped of his IOC Honorary Member privileges and removed from the Tokyo 2020 Coordination Commission. Additionally, the IOC suspended the Brazilian Olympic Committee, although Brazil will be still be allowed to field a team at the 2018 Winter Olympics. You can read the full IOC statement here.

The Week That Was #4 – USA Swimming Announces TYR Pro Swim Series

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Photo Courtesy: USA Swimming

USA Swimming announced a new title sponsor for the six-meet pro series schedule. The newly christened 2018 TYR Pro Series will feature some significant changes to the long-time pro series meets. Changes include the addition of 50-meter events for each of the strokes that culminates in a “shootout-style final,” an 800 freestyle for men and 1500 free for women, a mixed 400 medley relay, and a 200 “mystery” individual medley final in which stroke order will be determined immediately prior to the event. Those changes will only be in place at half of the meets, in Austin, Mesa and Santa Clara, and those three meets will only have A and B finals. You can see the full list of the meet sites for the 2018 schedule and all new format changes here.

The Week That Was #3 – New Jersey, South Carolina Restrict Age Group Tech Suit Use

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Photo Courtesy: Taylor Brien

New Jersey swimming has banned technical suits for 12-and-under swimmers at all New Jersey Swimming, Inc. sanctioned meets. The ban defines a tech suit as “a suit that has bonded seams, kinetic tape or meshed seams and/or has the FINA approved tag verifying the suit,” and New Jersey also included a list of prohibited suits. The policy will start being enforced on November 1, 2017. Over the weekend, South Carolina became the latest LSC to restrict tech suit usage among 10-and-unders. This comes shortly after New England Swimming put similar restrictions on tech suit for 10-and-unders, and as USA Swimming is looking at the broader impact of tech suits on youth swimmers. It is worth noting, however, that New Jersey is the only LSC thus far to restrict use of tech suits for swimmers aged 11-12.

The Week That Was #2 – Second Cluster of 2017 World Cup Closes In Doha

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Photo Courtesy: SIPA USA

The last stop of the second cluster of the 2017 FINA World Cup was this week in Doha, with Sarah Sjostrom and Chad Le Clos racking up multiple wins to continue leading the women and men respectively. Sjostrom took five wins in the 50 free (23.28), 100 free (51.62), 200 free (1:52.00), 50 fly (24.76), and 100 fly (55.55), while Le Clos won four: the 200 free (1:44.40), 50 fly (22.45), 100 (50.17), and 200 fly (1:49.59). While no world records were broken during the Doha stop, China’s Wang Jianjiahe set the first World Junior Record in the women’s 800 free, recording a time of 8:15.35 to win. You can see all of the event coverage from the FINA World Cup here.

The Week That Was #1 – Para World Records Fall In New Zealand, Canada

Sophie Pascoe during the Swimming NZ Open Championships, Owen G Glenn National Aquatic Centre, Auckland, New Zealand, Monday 3 April 2017. Photo: Simon Watts/www.bwmedia.co.nz

Photo Courtesy: Simon Watts, BW Media Photography

With the IPC World Championships postponed due the earthquake in Mexico City, Para swimmers around the world didn’t let that stop them from setting world records around the world this week. Sophie Pascoe was one of those swimmers who was planning to be in Mexico City for the World Champs and instead was competing at the New Zealand Short Course Championships, setting S10 world records in six different events: the 100 IM (1:05.01), 200 IM (2:21.45), 50 free (27.22), 200 free (2:06.58), 50 fly (28.42), and 100 fly (1:03.03). Records also fell at the Canadian Open, an event set up after the postponement of the IPC World Champs. Shelby Newkirk broke an S7 world record in the 100 back (1:21.43), while Canadian swimmers totaled 10 national records over the course of the meet.

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