Latest news with #HighPerformanceCentre
The Review Geek
20-06-2025
- Entertainment
- The Review Geek
Olympo – Season 1 Episode 1 'This Is Not Olympics Level' Recap & Review
This Is Not Olympics Level Episode 1 of Olympo season 1 starts with a girl working out. Her instructors remark that she is doing better than they expected. She is surpassing all her records and seems locked in. Elsewhere, two girls are also exercising together. After setting a new record, they start celebrating. A man and a woman approach them and invite them to their High Performance Centre. It is a training centre where athletes do nothing but train. Zoe is not too excited about the offer, but Yaiza is jumping for joy. To celebrate, Zoe starts smoking a blunt. They promise it is the last smoke they will have. The scene cuts to an accident scene and Zoe yelling, 'Yaiza !' Presently, we see Zoe's parents driving her to the HPC. She begs them not to leave her there, but they ignore her. They want her to take advantage of this once-in-a-lifetime opportunity. While standing there, looking lost, Zoe meets Nuria. Nuria is friendly and offers to give Zoe a tour. Zoe worries if she will get enough training since a lot of the athletes there are good-looking. All things considered, this looks like a dream training centre for most athletes. The centre has all the top-tier resources needed to train a star athlete. Nuria introduces Zoe to her best friend, Amaia. Amaia is the star of the artistic swimming team. Everyone excitedly welcomes Nuria back, and we learn she was out to treat a shoulder sprain. As the tour continues, we are introduced to Christian, Amaia's boyfriend. Christian's brother is also a former Olympo star. Christian hopes to live up to his legacy. There is Roque; he is gay and friends with both Christian and Amaia. There seems to be tension between Jennifer and Zoe. It seems they know each other since Jenifer brings up Zoe's records. Everyone seems shocked to know Zoe broke a record and might be heading to the Olympics. As they talk, people start rushing towards the windows. It turns out a few people from Olympo are at the centre to give some athletes sponsorship. They will only pick three athletes, and everyone thinks that Amaia will be their top pick. Isabel, the director, welcomes the Olympo group, and there seems to be something going on between one of the Olympos and Nuria. While the Olympo people settle in, Christian and Amaia sneak off to make out. As they get busy, Amaia's mom calls. She ignores the call, but her mom keeps calling back. In the end, she gives up and picks up the call. Her mom, a former failed athlete, advises Amaia to cut Nuria loose. She calls Nuria to lose weight and claims she is holding back Amaia. Amaia tries to defend Nuria, but her mom says the latter was on vacation. The call spoils the mood, and Nuria walks in on the couple. Amaia confronts her about the truth of where she has been for the last week. Nuria refuses to tell her, and Amaia orders her to go to the physio. Amaia refuses to team up with Nuria and looks like a fool in front of the federation. Nuria tries to convince her she is ready, but Amaia doesn't let up. Later, the coach notices Nuria is missing and sends someone to get her. In the meantime, she has Fatima do the duet with Amaia. Meanwhile, Zoe struggles to settle in and messes up during training. Her coach teams her up with Renata. Unfortunately, Renata refuses to acknowledge Zoe or even talk to her. On the football team, Roque warms up with Charlie, who is homophobic. Christian nearly gets injured, and the coach gives him the bad news that he is cut from the programme. The coach, Javier, thinks his physique and strength are an issue. All these unfold in front of the Olympo federation team. Isabel sees Nuria hugging Hugo, one of the guys from Olympo. Nuria insinuates that Amaia might be onto them, and the guy questions if it is time to come clean. Hugo later approaches Zoe after she falls while doing a high jump. Within a few minutes, everyone learns that Zoe is the first sponsorship pick. Amaia acts like she is okay, but goes to her room. Christian arrives to tell her about being cut from the team, but she jumps his bones. They end up having sex, and Amaia runs late for her training session. Unfortunately, Christian is unable to tell her that he is leaving. Amaia returns to training, and the coach warns her that Nuria was not at the physio. The coach is ready to cut Nuria off the team if she doesn't up her game. They begin practising the duet, pairing Amaia with Peque. Peque loses her breath, and Amaia loses her patience with her. Peque storms off, and Amaia shortly follows her. As Amaia tries to comfort Peque, a drug bottle falls and rolls to where she is standing. Amaia realises that Peque has been doping and confronts her. Peque begs her not to tell the coach. Against her better judgment, Amaia keeps Peque's secret, and they return to the training session. On the other side of the centre, Roque secretly hooks up with a guy and takes an afterglow selfie. Roque suggests posting it on social media, but the guy refuses and leaves. Later, Roque vents to Christian, and the latter sneakily grabs Roque's phone and posts the picture. The conversation turns to Christian's dilemma and how he is yet to talk to Amaia about leaving the centre. He leaves the next day and hopes to talk to Amaia after training. At the gym, Zoe tries to get some exercise while Renata continues to ignore her. Sebas and Charlie corner her and express their frustration with her getting the scholarship. Nuria helps Zoe out and tells her to be careful of the jealous people at the centre. Zoe can't understand why everyone is obsessed with winning and dislikes the centre. Nuria reveals that Amaia helped her a lot when she came to the centre. Nuria urges Zoe to find her person at the centre. This triggers Zoe, and she packs her things and announces to Renata that she is leaving. She doesn't get far before Hugo finds her and brings up the ongoing court battle after the accident. He insists that Zoe is heading for the Olympics, and Olympo wants to help her. He advises her to sign the sponsorship contract quickly and return to the centre. He doesn't even give her time to read the contract. He simply assures her that there is nothing to worry about. At the centre, Fatima talks to Nuria about the ongoing duet practice. Amaia is having everyone but Nuria try out for the duet. Zoe arrives to find Nuria getting into the water to challenge Amaia. However, Amaia is not pleased when Nuria pulls off the set. She demands that she do ten extra spins. Of course, Amaia thinks Nuria can't do it. Nuria accepts the challenge and does ten flying leg spins. Sadly, she goes unconscious and starts dropping towards the swimming pool floor. Amaia and Zoe jump into the pool to save her. The Episode Review This sports drama barely manages to grab our attention from the first episode, and a lot is going on with each character. Roque is sleeping with a closeted guy, but that doesn't excuse what he and Christian did. By posting that picture, they undoubtedly outed the guy. This guy may be a piece of work, but there is never an excuse to out someone, especially after they told you they don't feel comfortable coming out of the closet. We have Christian, who is preparing to leave the centre since he doesn't meet the qualifications. It is a pity that he won't be able to honour his brother's legacy. However, Christian is also worried about the future of his relationship with Amaia once he leaves. Speaking of Amaia, she comes off as obsessed with winning in this episode. We don't know much about her background, but she seems to take Nuria's secret personally. From the opening scene, we know that Nuria was training and not on medical leave. Hugo might be behind this, and they are keeping the truth from Amaia. Unfortunately, Nuria had an accident, and her fate remains unclear. Of course, we can't help but wonder whether Amaia pushed her too hard or if there is something else at play here. This episode also touched on doping and the pressure athletes have to perform well every time. Perhaps this is what Zoe finds overwhelming. Everyone is out to win, disregarding everything else. Zoe lost her fighting spirit after the accident with her friend. What happened to her friend, and why is Zoe facing a court charge? Hugo made her sign the contract too quickly, and it might bite her in the future. There is something off about Hugo. Lastly, now that Zoe is at the centre, will she find her competitive spirit again?
Global News
08-06-2025
- Sport
- Global News
Summer McIntosh sets world record in 400M freestyle at Canadian Swimming Trials
Swimming star Summer McIntosh of Toronto set a world record in the 400-metre freestyle event on Saturday while competing in the Bell Canadian Swimming Trials in Victoria. McIntosh posted a time of three minutes, 54.18 seconds at Commonwealth Place to establish the new mark. She trimmed 1.20 seconds off the 2023 record set by Australia's Ariarne Titmus. She beat the other swimmers in Victoria by more than 13 seconds. The Toronto teenager celebrated her fourth career long-course world record by slapping the water twice with her right hand then pumping her fist. It was an unusual show of emotion from the usually stoic 18-year-old. 'You can see my outburst of emotion because I was really not expecting that time,' said McIntosh. Story continues below advertisement The 400 free was her first-ever world record when she swam 3:56.08 at the 2023 Trials, but Titmus lowered the mark to 3:55.38 at world championships later that year. McIntosh finished behind Titmus for silver at last summer's Paris Olympics to go with the gold medals she won in the 200 and 400 individual medley and 200 butterfly. 'Just seeing the time, after two years of really pushing my hardest every day and training, not seeing the results. It is just all that energy and anger, blood, sweat and tears built up. Having an amazing swim is just really satisfying,' McIntosh said. She also holds the 400 IM world record, plus the 400 free, 200 butterfly and 400 IM in the short course pool. Get daily National news Get the day's top news, political, economic, and current affairs headlines, delivered to your inbox once a day. Sign up for daily National newsletter Sign Up By providing your email address, you have read and agree to Global News' Terms and Conditions and Privacy Policy 'I knew my training has been really strong these past couple of months,' said McIntosh, who won the Northern Star Award as Canada's Athlete of the Year for 2024. 'I knew I was able to do something special.' Story continues below advertisement Ella Jansen of Burlington, Ont., finished second in 4:07.36, under the AQUA A qualifying time of 4:10.23, good enough to be selected to Team Canada for the World Aquatics Championships July 26-Aug. 3 in Singapore. It was also a big night for Calgary native Cole Pratt, who trains at the High Performance Centre in Vancouver. After battling through years of injuries the 22-year-old returned to the top of the podium, winning the men's 100-metre backstroke in 54.27. That was below the Swimming Canada secondary standard of 54.48, earning him selection to his first national team since 2021. 'That was a really long time coming,' said Pratt, who competed at the Tokyo 2020 Games but missed qualifying for Paris due to shoulder, neck and back injuries. 'Coming back to this was really hard. I'd be lying if I said I didn't want to quit every day. I stuck with it and now I'm here.' Para swimmer Nicholas Bennett showed he had collected no dust after taking a break from the sport. The S14 swimmer with the Red Deer Catlina Swim Club won the men's 100-metre multi-class breaststroke in 1:05.13. 'I took a little bit of a mental health break, so we're just working on getting our strength back,' said the native of Parksville, B.C., who won three medals at the Paris Paralympics and was named co-flag-bearer for the closing ceremony. Story continues below advertisement In other races, Kylie Masse of Lasalle, Ont., an Olympic medallist and world champion, cruised to victory in the women's 100-metre backstroke in 58.18 seconds. Finishing on her heels was Taylor Ruck of Kelowna, B.C., in 58.93. Masse was surprised with her time, which was faster than the 58.29 she swam at the Paris Olympics where she was fourth in the 100. 'I haven't really processed it but I'm really happy,' said Masse, who has a chance to continue her streak of winning at least one medal at every major international championships and Games since 2015. 'This year has been different, just taking a little bit of a step back but at the same time still putting in the work. I just feel like I have a different perspective on the sport. I'm really grateful to be here.' Ruck posted the third-best 100 back time of her career and her fastest in six years. 'I had no expectations,' said the three-time Olympian. 'I touched, looked at the time and was very excited and happy with what I saw.' Two-time Olympian Mary-Sophie Harvey of Trois-Rivières, Que., experienced a first when she won the women's 200-metre breaststroke in 2:23.40. Paris Olympian Sophie Angus, who trains at the High Performance Centre in Ontario, was second in 2:24.84. Both swimmers were under the AQUA A qualifying time of 2:25.91. Story continues below advertisement For Harvey, who trains with CAMO in Montreal, it was her first victory at a trials since she started attending the events in 2012. 'It's kind of crazy,' she said. 'I never thought that would be the first one. I'm pretty pleased with how I am feeling in the water right now, considering I'm not fully rested for this week.' Meanwhile, Ethan Ekk earned selection to his first-ever senior national team, winning a close men's 400 free in 3:49.57. That was just 0.06 seconds ahead of Jordi Vilchez of the Barrie Trojans, and under the Swimming Canada secondary standard. 'That was a very hard race, I can't lie. That last 50 was a battle for all of us,' said Ekk, 18, a Tallahassee, Fla., native whose parents are from Vancouver. 'I was aware of them the whole race. It wasn't until that last 50 I just put my head down and didn't know where anybody was at. I kind of just closed my eyes and tried to move as fast as I could,' Ekk said. 'I heard the announcer say 'Ethan Ekk,' and I was like 'Yes!' I was so pumped and excited and I'm so happy to represent Canada.' Oliver Dawson of the Grande Prairie Piranhas won the men's 200-m breaststroke in 2:11.25. The 17-year-old set a national age group record and earned selection to the world championships team by being under the Swimming Canada secondary standard. Story continues below advertisement In other Para swimming events, Ali Diehl, an S9 swimmer who trains with the Prince Albert Sharks, won the women's multiclass 100-m breaststroke in 1:24.44. Aly Van Wyck-Smart of Toronto, who trains with Whitby Swimming, took the women's 50-metres S2 event in 1:47.31.
Borneo Post
18-05-2025
- Sport
- Borneo Post
Sarawak govt mulls aquatic facility in Bau for community use
Abdul Karim (second left) poses for a group photo with other distinguished guests during the event in Bau. BAU (May 18): The Sarawak government is exploring the possibility of developing a small-scale aquatic centre here to encourage greater community participation in swimming and water-based activities. Youth, Sports and Entrepreneur Development Minister Dato Sri Abdul Karim Rahman Hamzah said the ministry is open to evaluating the proposal if an official request is submitted for the construction of the facility in Bau. Speaking at a press conference after officiating the Bau Sports Carnival 2025 at Bau Mini Stadium yesterday, he noted that such a facility could provide local residents with an opportunity to take up swimming as a sport or enjoy recreational water activities. 'We will look into it. Bau is not far from Kuching and can be considered part of Greater Kuching. 'If the existing facilities in Kuching are already sufficient, there may be no need for too many other facilities. We must assess the practicality of the idea, including financial considerations. 'However, we can consider building a small aquatic centre, or at least a modest swimming pool in Bau for family use, so that residents can be exposed to swimming or aquatic sports,' he said. Abdul Karim, who is also Tourism, Creative Industry and Performing Arts Minister, added that Sarawak is currently strategising the development of high-performance sports by identifying suitable focus sports for different districts. He explained that this initiative would be implemented through the state's existing network of sports complexes, with selected talents to be further nurtured at the High Performance Centre (HPC) in Kuching. 'Sarawak is already known for its strength in aquatic sports such as diving and swimming. For swimming, we are focusing on Sibu due to its strong contributions in the past. For diving, we are looking at Bau,' he said. Also present were Deputy Minister of Transport (Maritime and Riverine) Dato Henry Harry Jinep, who is also Tasik Biru assemblyman; Puncak Borneo MP Datuk Willie Mongin; Kuching Division Resident Dayang Hajah Joanita Azizah Abang Morshidi; and Bau District Officer Eddy Nayoi. Abdul Karim Rahman Hamzah aquatic centre Bau lead
