Is Federica Pellegrini the greatest Italian athlete ever? - I think so!

The only other athlete I know who exuded this much confidence and then went on to deliver is Muhammad Ali. From Universal Sports who licensed it from Reuters:

ROME (Reuters) -- Federica Pellegrini said she was the greatest Italian athlete ever after winning the 200-meter freestyle at the world swimming championships on Tuesday in a world-record time, her 10th overall.

Pellegrini, 20, clocked in at 1 minute, 52.98 seconds in winning the 200, breaking her own world record. She also was the first woman to break four minutes in the 400 when she won in 3:59.15 on Sunday.

[...] When asked if she was the greatest Italian athlete. ..."

"With today's world record, I've had 10 world records before I'm 21. I've won an Olympic gold medal, two world championship gold medals here. So, I think so," she told a news conference.

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Her dialog reminds me of an exchange between Lucky Liu and Uma Thurma in the movie Kill Bill. This dialog exchange is at 1:29.00 into the timeline for this Kill Bill Trailer: [Link]

And then this after qualifying for the 4x200 relay. From ANSA.it:

(ANSA) - Rome, July 30 - Italian double world gold medallist Federica Pellegrini is fired up for Thursday night's 4x200m freestyle relay but says her teammates must do a lot more after they scraped into the final.

''I did my bit to get us into the final,'' said Pellegrini, who anchored the relay heat in one minute 54.95 seconds as Italy came home in the eighth-fastest time.

''Of course I'm happy to be in the final but we're not going to get anywhere like this,'' Pellegrini fumed.

''I understand they may have tightened up...but we've been training like hell all year and we can't make such a sorry show''.

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'Universal Sports' has a swim gallery up called "Beneath the Surface"

I was thinking of flopping this photo of Natalie Coughlin. From that perspective it looks even more amazing. Here is a link to a very impressive photo gallery at Universal Sports: [Link]

Oh, heck why not have some fun! I flopped and duplicated the image to make this rare species of butterfly, the Coughlin Butterfly!

Here is a fun promo from Universal Sports! - Can't wait to see Phelps' new freestyle!

Charlotte will be streamed live and I am looking forward to seeing Phelps' new freestyle approach; and how about that 50 fly world record by Rafael Munoz Perez set at the Sapinish Championships? Will we have to wait for FINA World Championships to see Phelps' response?

This '2009 Swim Preview' is exceptional: Quality photos and brief resumés too!

Universal Sports has put together quite a preview for 2009. Sort of like a digital version of Topps baseball cards for swimmers. I like how thorough it is and I find the quality of the photography nears that of National Geographic.

Here are some of the bios from Universal Sports:

On Alain Bernard: Unfortunately for Bernard, he will be remembered -- at least in 2008 -- as the guy Jason Lezak overtook in the final 25 meters of the 4x100m freestyle relay in Beijing. However, the late-blooming Frenchman (Beijing was his first Olympics) will be one of the top international men this season as he looks to rebound from his relay collapse last August. He turns 26 in May.

On Britta Steffen: Steffen stifled the competition in Beijing last August, edging Dara Torres and Libby Trickett in the 50m and 100m freestyle races for her two gold medals. Now 25, Steffen has at least one more Olympic appearance left in her. And what better time to prove that than in 2009? This German should maintain her status as a splendid sprinter.

Some new kid named Ryan Lochte: After a season in which Lochte performed well at the Worlds (four gold medals) and the Olympics (two golds), he returns in 2009 at the top of his game. The 24-year-old well-rounded swimmer swam at three meets since Beijing, and has earned a total of 10 gold medals. This season, look for Lochte to make another splash at the Worlds as London draws closer.

Dozens of lesser known swimmers are mentioned too.

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Peter Marshall's things to do list: Thursday: Set world record - Friday: Set world record - Saturday: Set world record!

Originally spotted in an email alert from Lane 9 News, I zipped over to Universal Sports to go see Peter Marshall's WR; It is indeed a spectacular swim and worth a look. Then I noticed that they posted it on YouTube an hour ago and with permission I am able to post it here. Here is the YouTube description: "...2008, Berlin, Germany, FINA, Swimming World Cup, American Peter Marshall smashes his five day old record in the mens 100m backstroke, by .31 seconds. With a new time of 49.63 seconds, he chasing down Cameron Van Der Burgh for the world cup...." [Link]

So, where was this guy in Beijing? From AP News: "...Marshall, an Atlanta native who starred on the Stanford swim team, set a world record in the same event in 2004 but was denied a spot on the Athens Olympic team by a mere four-hundredths of a second ...

Believing that would be his final meet, Marshall didn't train at all for the next two months. He went camping at Yosemite National Park. He visited family in Georgia. He hung out with old friends and did a little surfing.

"I didn't even touch the water unless I was on a surfboard," he said.

After the layoff, Marshall made a slight revision in the rest-of-his-life schedule. He decided to swim a handful of World Cup events in the fall before retiring. [Link]

Peter Marshall swims for TYR.

The 'FINA/Arena World Cup' is filling my mailbox with WR alerts! - Here is a link to some video!

VIDEO: Peter Marshall swims two world records

VIDEO: Watch day 2 from Stockholm

VDEO: Marshall's golden day in Stockholm


Also, Therese Alshammar has really done well. I have been rooting for her every since her blue eyes did me in! From Universal Sports: "... In the final event of the day, Swede Therese Alshammar delighted the home crowd by setting a world record in the women's 50m butterfly. Her time of 25.31 bested the old mark of 25.32 set by Australian Felicity Galvez last April. It was the fourth world record to fall at the two-day meet. ..."

Oh, Kim F. sent me a note that the world record in the backstroke was set in a TYR Tracer Rise. Berlin is going to be the final stop and it is going to totally rage! You can watch it for free at Universal Sports: [Link]

Alain Bernard, now has a pool named after him!

From Universal Sports: "...French swimmer Alain Bernard, ... honored in the town of Aubagne, France, on Oct. 18 after a pool there was named in his honor..."

Link to the photo-gallery which is worth a look: [Link]

As sprinters, Alain Bernard and Eamon Sullivan are on another plane of existence. Clinging to that plane is Stefan Nystrand and Cesar Cielo but the two aforementioned sprinters have created a sprint rivalry that rarely exists in sports. One will eventually be crowned the world's fastest swimmer and the process to find out who it will be is terrific to watch.

Now, having made my case, and though both are apparently the fastest men in the world, each of these individuals were soundly beaten by Jason Lezak in the fastest 100m swim in history of the event at the Beijing Games during the 4x100 relay. Consequently, there is plenty of room to go time wise.

Tara Kirk is back in the "lab" along with Cesar Cielo and both will be racing in Brazil - Watch it at the 'Universal Sports' website this weekend!

Tara Kirk, denied a legitimate spot on the US Olympic Swim team after Jessica Hardy tested positive for a banned substance will swim in Brazil. Looks like Tara Kirk may be swimming the 50, 100 and 200 breaststroke and you can see it all at here at the 'Universal Sports' website: [Link]

Here is another article at Universal Sports regarding Tara Kirk an her come back in Brazil and he considerations about that fiasco with the USA Swimming and Olympic Trials fiasco: "... Kirk is back racing following a tumultuous summer, where she failed to make the U.S. Olympic team at the Beijing Games by an excruciating 0.001 seconds, then entered a continuing legal battle with USA Swimming over an Olympic berth denied her in the 100-meter breaststroke after Jessica Hardy was found to have tested positive for the banned substance Clenbuterol shortly after Olympics trials in early July. "..."

The latest: "... Last week Kirk’s attorney received a letter from USA Swimming asking Kirk to pay the federation’s attorney fees. Meanwhile, other swimmers have been slow to join the fight. Kirk doesn’t blame them. She says swimmers might be afraid the federation would retaliate.

“There is always that risk, when you go against the establishment, the little guy is going to end up with the short end of the stick,” she says. “It’s hard. It’s one of those things where you burn a lot of bridges...It takes an emotional toll.”

But Kirk, who says she still mourns her lost Olympic experience, says she could not drop the issue for another reason...."

And USA Swimming, it's directors and employees have no problem ding that to an American swimmer who tried to represent her country? She has to get congress involved. She is waging to polite of an argument.

You got to go to read the article to find out. :-P [Link]

'Universal Sports' is doing an Amazing job with the 'ParaOlympics'

I am very impressed with Universal Sport's coverage of the ParaOlympics both on the net and TV - Must see, must read: [Link]

Check out this article abut 2008 South African Olympian and ParaOlympain, Natalie Du Toit: "...The South African, who won five golds and a silver in the Athens Paralympics, finished in 1 minute, 6.74 seconds — a world record for her disability class.

A swimmer with Olympic promise, Du Toit lost her left leg above the knee in a 2001 motorcycle crash. She qualified for the Beijing Olympics in the 10-kilometer swim, a race in which her cap came off as she brushed the buoy on the first turn. Du Toit struggled the rest of the way with hair in her eyes, stopping at times to fix the cap...." [Link]

Sheesh! My personal best in the 100LCM free barely beats her 100LCM butterfly time and she is missing a leg! Some amazingly inspired performances here. Please watch or read up on ParaOlympics. By doing so acknowledges such sublime accomplishments and may perhaps create more venues for the disabled.