July 2005 archives


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19 July 2005

The World Championships continue in Montreal. The duet and team preliminaries are complete, and the solo event is happening today. Finals begin on Thursday. Currently, the US team is in a solid 4th place in team, and 5th in duet.

China has moved into 4th place in duet after placing 7th at the 2004 Olympic Games. Also moving up in the rankings is the duet from Spain, currently in 3rd place. The duets from China, Spain, and Russia (currently in first place) are the same athletes that competed in Athens, which is a significant advantage for any country. Sara Lowe and Stephanie Nesbitt are the only remaining 2004 Olympic bronze medalists on the US team, and placed 10th at the 2002 World Cup event.

In the team event, Spain is moving up the rankings and is now tied for 2nd with Japan. This might very well be the highest Spain has ever placed in a world event. Look for the US to try to close the gap with Japan and Spain in the finals on Saturday.


17 July 2005

The FINA World Championships began last night in Montreal, Canada. Elite swimmers, divers, synchronized swimmers, and water polo athletes will compete over the next several days. The synchronized swimming event begins today with the duet technical and free routine competitions.

The US National Team will be looking to medal in this first major event since the 2004 Athens Olympics. Only two US 2004 Olympians remain to help the team reach the podium. The US team has two new coaches, Sue Nesbitt and Tammy McGregor (1996 Olympic gold medalist and 2000 Olympian). Sue and Tammy, both previous athletes, have coached many National teams leading up to this year's appointment.


synchronized swimming insights from an olympic gold medalist