Latest news with #championships
CBC
an hour ago
- Sport
- CBC
Cliff diver Molly Carlson after traumatic slip during Red Bull event
Canadian cliff diver Molly Carlson spoke to CBC Sports after a 'near-death' experience during competition in which she slipped off a 22m platform. The professional diver told host Anastasia Bucsis about the scary experience, her amazement that her body 'knew' what to do, and how excited she is to compete for Canada in high diving at the world Aquatics championships beginning July 23rd.
CTV News
12 hours ago
- Sport
- CTV News
12-year-old Yu Zidi of China takes stunning times to the world swimming championships
12-year-old Chinese swimmer Yu Zidi competes in the final of the the Women's 400m Individual Medley for the 2025 National Swimming Championships held in Shenzhen in southern China's Guangdong province, May 24, 2025. (Hebei Taihua Jinye Swimming Club via AP) Yu Zidi of China is only 12 years old and will race at the world swimming championships later this month in Singapore. That's amazing. But her age is only part of the picture. Not only is she very young, but her times in three events this year are among the best in the world. And here's the kicker. Those times would have been very close to medals in last year's Paris Olympics. Again, she's 12. That's a sixth- or seventh-grade student depending on the school system. Not yet a teenager. 'I think it's a great story. I don't know where it will lead,' Greg Meehan, the national team director for the American squad in Singapore, told The Associated Press. The world is watching As promising young swimmers do, Yu is clocking personal bests almost each time she competes. Her PBs are more than just confidence boosters, they put her in sight of records, medals and stardom. Yu has qualified in the 200- and 400-meter individual medleys, and the 200 butterfly. She could win a medal in all three. Her time of 2 minutes, 10.63 seconds in the 200 IM at the Chinese championships in May was the fastest ever by a 12-year-old swimmer — male or female — according to World Aquatics, the global governing body of the sport. That was only the start. Her time of 2:06.83 in the 200 butterfly in the same meet would have placed her fourth in last year's Paris Olympics. It was the fifth-fastest time in the world this year and would have been good enough for gold in the 2024 worlds. Again, Yu is 12 years old. To cap off the national championships she swam 4:35.53 in the 400 IM, the fifth-fastest time of the year in that event. That also would have been good for fourth place last year at the Olympics, just 0.6 behind bronze medalist Emma Weyant of the United States. Faster than McIntosh at 12 The 400 IM is dominated by 18-year-old Canadian Summer McIntosh, who holds the world record of 4:23.65 and the 200 IM mark of 2:05.70. She's a generational talent, the winner of three gold medals in Paris. By comparison, Yu at 12 is swimming roughly 15 seconds faster in the 400 IM than McIntosh did at 12, and about 12 seconds faster in the 200 IM. In a 50-meter pool, 12 to 15 seconds would be a half-lap of the pool, depending on the event. Yu is not the first young swimmer to excel, but it's how she's doing it — the stunning times and the promise of more to come. Of course there are no guarantees of success, and young swimmers can burn out. Started out as fun Yu said she began swimming at 6 in a water amusement park. 'The summer was too hot, and my dad took me to the water park,' she told China's official Xinhua News Agency. 'I enjoyed the coolness of the water and spent a lot of time in different small pools for kids. One day, a coach approached me and asked if I wanted to swim faster.' The rest is history, as they say, as she explained her event preference. 'Since I am not competitive in the sprint events, I have to choose the 400-meter individual medley and the 200-meter butterfly as my favorites,' Yu told Xinhua. 'My age is currently an advantage and I hope to grow and develop more strength in the future.' Yu trains at the Hebei Taihua Jinye Swimming Club in Hengshui City, south of Beijing in Hebei Province. Alzain Tareq of Bahrain swam in the 2015 worlds at only 10. She finished last in her event. World Aquatics now has stricter age rules than a decade ago. Swimmers must be at least 14 unless their times meet qualification standards. In effect, this means there is no age limit. Looking to LA Olympics If Yu were to win Olympic gold in three years in Los Angeles, she would be 15. But that wouldn't make her the youngest swimmer to take gold. Kyoko Iwasaki of Japan was 14 years and 6 days old when she won gold in the 200 breaststroke at the 1992 Barcelona Olympics. Swimmers tend to peak early, particularly females. The specialty publication and website SwimSwam lists seven swimmers — all women — who won Olympic gold before they turned 15. Three, including Iwasaki, did it in individual events, and four got gold in relays. American superstar Katie Ledecky was 15 years and 139 days when she won the 800 freestyle at the 2012 London Olympics — the first of her nine gold medals over four Olympics. She's still swimming and is the overwhelming favorite to win the 1,500 meters in Singapore. Ledecky has the top 23 times in history in the event, and also No. 25. For another jolting perspective, consider this. Ledecky's first gold came several months before Yu was born — Oct. 6, 2012. 'I have no idea what it's like to compete abroad,' Yu told Xinhua. 'I really want to experience the world-class competition.' The world is watching. ___ Stephen Wade, The Associated Press
Washington Post
2 days ago
- Sport
- Washington Post
Open water program at swimming world championships gets started after two delays
SINGAPORE — Open water competition at the World Swimming Championships went off Wednesday after two postponements because of water-quality problems at Sentosa, the island area on the coast. Florian Wellbrock of Germany won the men's 10-kilometer race in 1 hour, 59 minutes and 55.50 seconds. Gregorio Paltrinieri of Italy was almost four seconds behind in second place and Kyle Lee of Australia was third in 2:00.10.30.
Yahoo
2 days ago
- Sport
- Yahoo
Swindon powerlifters achieve national success at championships
Swindon powerlifters have achieved national success at recent championships after facing off against competitors from across the country. Swindon Barbell head coach Charlie Marillier competed at the British Masters Classic Powerlifting championships last month in the -84kg ladies M1 (40 to 49-year-olds) category, facing fierce competition from long-term rival and good friend Hira Tierney. Advertisement Following a surprising call from the judges to overturn her second and third squats to a fail, Charlie went into the bench press section knocked by the decision but then broke the British M1 bench record of 100kg. In the deadlifts, Charlie managed 190kg while Hira went on to deadlift 218kg, securing herself a new deadlift and total record, while Charlie went home happily with a silver medal. Recommended reading A week later, Swindon Barbell travelled to Chelmsford in Essex to support Steph Roderick at the English Classic Powerlifting championships. Steph, competing as a Junior (18 to 23-year-olds) is only 21 years old and felt quietly confident and determined to hit her personal targets, including the Swindon Barbell ladies' all-time squat record of 170kg. Advertisement After achieving a personal best of 160kg, Steph passed the club's record with ease and then managed 175kg. A tricky bench press section saw a mix of success and failure before Steph completed the final section on deadlifts. She only needed her opener to win the gold, but she also wanted to hit her kilogram target of 175kg – and did so with a smooth and certain pull. After jumping off the platform with joy and giving coach Charlie a big hug, she was awarded a gold medal and the English title. She said: ''I cannot believe how much I've improved in the past six months, it's all been down to the amazing training from Charlie I've loved every second of this journey.' Advertisement Charlie said: 'Steph has been completely dedicated to her own development, listening and taking on board everything that has been said to her, she has turned up even when she hasn't wanted to, she has followed her training and listened to guidance on nutrition and recovery. 'Steph is a beacon of maturity and consistency in her training and the end result is Gold medal and achieving everything she set out to. Everyone has the potential, but Steph is able to actualise that potential. We are so proud of her.' The club will focus on joining forces with another Wiltshire-based powerlifting gym, Crazy Strength in Amesbury, for an inter-team competition at the gym on October 4.
Malay Mail
2 days ago
- Sport
- Malay Mail
Swimmers left waiting: World championships in Singapore postponed over poor water quality
SINGAPORE, July 16 — Open water races at the world swimming championships in Singapore were postponed for a second time because of poor water quality, governing body World Aquatics said today. The women's 10km race had already been pushed back a day to this morning, but organisers said it would now take place this afternoon 'subject to acceptable test results'. The men's 10km race was also postponed from its original Wednesday morning slot to Wednesday afternoon. World Aquatics said tests of the water at the Sentosa Island course found that quality levels had improved but were still 'exceeding acceptable thresholds'. The governing body said a review of further tests would take place this morning. 'Regular water quality monitoring and testing continues throughout the competition period to ensure athlete safety, with the health and safety of all participants continuing to guide all competition-related decisions,' World Aquatics said in a statement. The governing body said all tickets would remain valid for the postponed sessions and refunds would be available. Water quality was an issue for events held in the River Seine at last year's Paris Olympics. Of 11 days of events and training scheduled in its murky waters, only five got the green light. The river remained dogged by pollution problems despite a €1.4 billion (RM6.92 billion) upgrade to improve the Paris sewerage and water treatment system. — AFP
