AQUATICS

ISSN 2054-1082

DECEMBER-JANUARY-FEBRUARY 2014

1/2014

www.aquaticsmedia.com

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REVIEW OF FINA/ARENA SWC 2013 REVISIT THE 2013 SWC JOURNEY FROM EINDHOVEN (NED) TO BEIJING (CHN)

TOKYO 2020 PREVIEW OF THE 32

ND OLYMPIC GAMES

DUBAI 2013 REPORT ON THE 4

TH FINA JUNIOR WORLD CHAMPIONSHIPS

AQUATICS Magazine

03 FOREWORD By the Editor 05 DUBAI 2013 (COVER) Report on the 4th FINA Junior World Swimming Championships held in Dubai after the 15th FINA World Championships, Barcelona (ESP) 15 FINA/ARENA WORLD CUP REVIEW (COVER) Take a look at the journey from Eindhoven (NED) to Beijing (CHN). Congratulations to the 2013 winners Chad LeClos (RSA) and Katinka Hosszu (HUN)

23 FINA WATER POLO WORLD LEAGUE A new season is beginning for international water polo in the form of the FINA Water Polo World League 2014. We recap the European Qualifications

27 FINA OWS WORLD CUP 2013 The FINA Open Water Swimming World Cup has finally concluded in Hong Kong (HKG)

30 TOKYO 2020 (COVER) With the Olympic Games returning to Tokyo, we explore what the decision means to the host city of the 1964 Games and what to look forward to in 2020

34 OBITUARIES We pay our respects and remember those who have shaped our sporting world 36 FINA NEWS All the latest information from the International Federation of Aquatics On the cover for the AQUATICS 1/2014 Edition: Chad Le Clos (RSA) became the overall winner of the FINA/ARENA Swimming World Cup 2013 <SWATCH GROUP PHOTOSHOOT>

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CONTENTS OFFICIAL PUBLICATION OF AQUATICS Media

DECEMBER-JANUARY-FEBRUARY 2014

AQUATICS Magazine

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AQUATICS MAGAZINE

Editor in Chief Hugo Lowell Executive Editor William Gilman Editorial Staff Ben Wormsley Robert Howat Pedro Horta-Osorio Photographers Matthias Hangst Florian Eisele Giorgio Scala Operations Director Robert Howat

CONTRIBUTIONS FINA Aquatics World Magazine; Olympic Review Magazine

IMAGES OMEGA/Chad LeClos; Nikon/Matthias Hangst, Florian Eisele; DeepBlueMedia/Giorgio Scala; Getty Images/Colõmbia; Reuters-MTI/Handout; Owen Humphreys/PA;

CONTACTS Please send all letters to: AQUATICS Media 211 Hammersmith Grove, W6 0NP, London, UK tel: +44 (0) 7718138559 email: info@aquaticsmedia.com

website: www.aquaticsmedia.com

AQUATICS Magazine is published by AQUATICS Media. The articles published in the AQUATICS Magazine do not necessarily reflect the opinion of AQUATICS Media. No articles may be reproduced without the permission of the AQUATICS Media Editorial Department.

Printed by Polestar Printing Group UK

This year, two years after the last Olympics and two years to go until the next, promises to be a

busy and significant one for all those in aquatics.

In the months ahead, many new and important decisions will be made, as the veterans in our sport

question themselves – can I get to another Olympics? Alas, already we have had four major retirements in

swimming, where both World and Olympic medallists Aya Terakawa (JPN), Rebecca Soni (USA), Britta

Steffen (GER) and Tyler McGill (USA) all took the hard decision to hang up their swimsuits.

Meanwhile, preparations for the FINA/NVC Diving World Cup, the 32nd LEN European Championships in

Berlin, the 2nd Youth Olympic Games in Nanjing and the FINA Water Polo World Leagues are already

underway, making sure both senior and junior levels in all aquatics sports will have marks to train towards

and excel further in their chosen disciplines.

Towards the end of last year, the highlights included the 4th FINA Junior World Swimming Championships

in Dubai, the FINA/ARENA Swimming World Cup 2013, the European FINA Water Polo World League

qualifications and the announcement of Tokyo as the host city of the 2020 Olympic and Paralympic Games

which brought together the aquatics community in celebration. I hope you enjoy our coverage of those

events.

Hugo Lowell

Editor in Chief AQUATICS Magazine

FOREWORD

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FOREWORD

DUBAI 4

TH FINA JUNIOR SWIMMING WORLD CHAMPIONSHIPS

DUBAI 2013

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47 Championships Records and countless new stars were born at the iconic Hamdan Sports Complex in Dubai, the site of the 4th FINA Junior Swimming World Championships. For the men, Australian Mackenzie Horton showcased his talent and ability in the four individual golds he won in the freestyle events, claiming all titles from the 200m to the 1500m. For the women, it was Lithuania’s Olympic and World Champion Ruta Meilutyte who also claimed four individual crowns, extending her senior level dominance down to the junior level, having arrived in the UAE soon after her exploits at the 15th FINA World Championships in Barcelona. Australia came out top on the medal table, ousting both Russia and the US who both won nine titles, to take the golden spot. In addition, the North American delegation won the overall Championships Trophy, having also won the boys’ and girls’ trophies. So far, the 2013 edition was deemed to be the most successful with 47 records broken in 42 events, equating to just over one record per event swum. No doubt the swimmers who excelled in Dubai will be the ones to watch at the 16th FINA World Championships in Kazan in 2015 and at the Olympics in Rio in 2016. The standard set by the organisers of the Dubai Championships was also perhaps the highest ever, a benchmark for the organisers of future championships to work towards: in Singapore (SIN) 2015 and in Budapest (HUN) 2017. Thank you Dubai, it was a great show to watch.

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DAY 1

All four finals on the opening night brought new Championship Records (CR), testament to the bar being raised at the junior level of international swimming. Mackenzie Horton (AUS) powered his way to victory in the 400m freestyle (3:47.12), bettering the mark by just over three seconds and pushing James Guy (GBR) into second place in a magnificently well fought race. The girls’ 400m IM turned out to be a US duel, where Ella Eastin and Rebecca Mann battled in lanes 3 and 4. Mann almost caught her teammate but was 0.92secs behind after the breaststroke leg, and so ending her hopes of coming out on top.

enjoying much success in the pool. All four of the boys’ finals brought Meet Records, with another being set in the women’s events and one in the mixed relay event. Apostolos Christou (GRE) set the first CR of the night in a sub-55sec swim in the boys 100m backstroke final, almost coasting to the wall while Danas Rapsys (LTU), who ultimately came second, and Grigory Tarasevich (RUS), who finished third, battled head to head in his wake. The Horton – Guy rivalry continued with same result in the 200m freestyle, where the Australian broke the CR and beat Guy by a comfortable margin. Ruta Meilutyte (LTU) could not

Australia took more than two seconds off the 4x100m freestyle relay to crush their American counterparts, clocking a 3:16.96. Russia managed to finish in the bronze medal position. For the girls’ 4x200m freestyle relay, team USA touched first in a rather convincing win over the Australians, ending the day with a level 2-2 medal count for the Aussies and the Americans. Ruta Meilutyte (LTU) broke two records in the morning in the 50m breaststroke, finishing the heats with a 31.10 and then bettering her mark in the semis with a 30. 04. DAY 2

Russia ended day two with three golds out of eight medals,

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DUBAI 2013

quite replicate the time she swam in Barcelona although still touching the wall in 29.86secs, earning her first gold of the Championships. Ilya Khomenko (RUS) beat his teammate Vsevolod Zenko into second place after taking the lead from Dmitry Balandin (KAZ) in the boys 100m breaststroke. Kohei Goto (JPN) out touched Balandin by 0.04secs, finishing third. In the girls’ 100m backstroke final, only 0.28secs separated first from fourth. Daria Ustinova (RUS) seemed to have luck on her side as she won the event 0.13secs ahead of American Kathleen Baker. Jessica Fullalove (GBR) finished third, a

Dressel (USA) brought back the Americans to third with a brilliant freestyle leg. DAY 3

Mackenzie Horton (AUS), after the third day had managed to grab three freestyle titles in the 200m, 400m and 800m events all in CR time and Evgeny Sedov (RUS) and Svetlana Chimrova (RUS) both set CRs in the morning in the 50m free and 50m back respectively. Kylie Stewart (USA) blasted the 200m backstroke to win in a new CR time of 2:09.74, enough to have placed seventh at the 15th FINA World Championships in Barcelona. Next up was Takaya Usae

further 0.09secs away. Makovich (RUS) led the boys 200m IM swimming from lane 1 although hotly pursued by Joseph Bentz (USA) who came back on a 28.20sec freestyle leg to clinch victory setting a new Championship Record. Alanna Bowles (AUS) enjoyed a near three body length lead over her competitors, seemingly coasting to the wall, missing her compatriot’s CR by 0.38secs. In the mixed medley relay, only Lithuania did not opt for the girl-boy-girl-boy line up, although they did enjoy a 5secs lead after 300m. From there on, Evgeny Sedov took over the show, shoving Lithuania down

into second place. Caleb

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JPN) who brought team Japan their first gold medal of the Championships in the form of a win in the 100m butterfly, touching 0.16secs ahead of second placer Pedro Vieira (BRA) to secure the victory. American’s Justin Lynch and Matthew Josa finished joint third, much to the excitement of the team although Josa may have had his moments of frustration: his effort from the semis would have given him the title. The girls’ 100m freestyle offered perhaps the biggest surprise of the Championships with Siobhan Bernade Haughey of Hong Kong clinching the title with well over a second between her and second place finisher Ruta Meilutyte (LTU)

and setting a CR in the process.

star scooping his third gold medal on the third day. Drama filled the air as a highly tactical mixed freestyle relay was set off, Australia eventually taking the crown although team USA’s Caleb Dressler produced another sub-49sec swim to help his team take the silver, bypassing the Russians, the Germans and the Canadians. DAY 4 Within 40 minutes, Ruta Meilutyte (LTU) claimed two more golds and two more CRs in her favourite 100m breaststroke as well as in the 200m IM, showcasing her amazing swimming ability and endurance. At just 14 years old, New Zealand’s Gabrielle Fa’ Amausili took down the CR

Her winning time would have also secured her a place at the World Championship final in Barcelona. The new CR set by Mackenzie Horton (AUS), unlike the event before his 800m freestyle was done in tremendous style, the Australian freestyle

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in the 50m backstroke in the morning session of Day 4 at the Hamdan Sports Centre. It was a good day for the Russians, as all Aleksander Palatov (200m breaststroke), Svetlana Chimrova (50m butterfly) and Grigory Tarasevich (CR in the 50m backstroke) all earned gold medals to complete a Russian hat trick finals session. Remy Fairweather (AUS) beat her compatriot Alanna Bowles (800m freestyle victor) by more than three seconds as she cruised to victory in the 400m freestyle. This was then followed by another Aussie miracle, as Luke Percy bettered the 50m freestyle CR (which was set by Evgeny Sedov in the semis) as he out-touched favourites Caleb

where Cameron Jones hit the wall first followed by the other two medalists who were all within 0.05secs of each other. Gabrielle Fa’ Amausili (NZL) was back in action again in the 50m backstroke pipping Daria Ustinova (RUS) for the crown although this time without the CR. The winner of the 400m IM turned out to be Joseph Bentz (USA) who sneaked his way into the final in lane 8 but turned up the power to get to the touchpad before any other of his peers, especially Semen Makovich (RUS), who had led for most of the race before being overwhelmed by Bentz who swam a devastating last 50m. The 39th Championship

Dressler (USA) and previous record holder Sedov. The 8th CR of the day soon followed as the British Gas team GBR hit the jackpot in the boys’ 4x200m freestyle relay giving the Land of Hope and Glory its first medal of the Championships, destroying the US after the first three legs to clinch victory. DAY 5

In the 1500m the top title went to World Championship Open Water 8th place finisher Rebecca Mann (USA) who was in a league of her own in this event, comfortably winning with a 10sec cushion over the rest of the field. The butterfly dash over 50m for the boys had a tight finish

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DUBAI 2013

Record was brought by the Russian 4x100m girls’ quartet: they looked strong from the start and their win was never in doubt. DAY 6

Caleb Dressler (USA) saved the best ‘till last: after having posted three sub-49sec 100m freestyle relay swims so far in Dubai, the American proved he could do it again, this time taking only 23.03secs to part the water before him on the first 50m, finishing first in splendor as Luke Percy (AUS) and Evgeny Sedov (RUS) completed the podium. Viktoriya Solnceva (UKR) headed Ukraine’s 1-2 finish in the girls’ 200m breaststroke passing Great Britain’s Molly

effort than the performance he had delivered in the Hamad Sports Complex, smashing the Championships Record. Thus making it four golds out of four individual events, the end of the Championships saw him being crowned as the best overall male swimmer. Olympic and World Champion Ruta Meilutyte showed her dominance at the junior edition of the world titles, finishing off her campaign in Dubai with a win in the 50m freestyle. Then the boys 200m butterfly final was announced and Andrew Seliskar (USA) took the top spot, putting two seconds between him and Masato Sakai (JPN), the second place finisher.

Renshaw after the first 100m. Her time of 2:23.12 would have placed her at 6th in the final at Barcelona. Next on the list was the 200m backstroke, this title being claimed by Italian Luca Mencarini who stopped the clock ahead of everyone else, having taken out USA’s Connor Green after the halfway mark. Mackenzie Horton (AUS) delivered his final gold medal of the championships in the form of victory in the 1500m freestyle. After having put a 12 second gap between him and the next place finisher, Horton dipped below the 15 minute mark, his time being fast enough to claim 6th at BCN2013 although post race he said that he expected an even better

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The 50m breaststroke which followed was set by Slovenian Peter John Stevens, powering through to be the only one finishing under 28 seconds. The girls’ 200m freestyle finished tightly but still enabled Italy to finish on a high as Diletta Carli reached out to the wall before any of her peers. After the disastrous medley relay takeover in Barcelona for the World titles, the Americans screwed up again in the relay takeovers but this time before the butterfly leg (-0.21) instead of the breaststroke. The gold went to the thoroughly deserving Japanese team, beating Russia and South Africa. In the final event of the Championships, Russia had the last laugh as they coasted comfortably to victory in the girls’ medley relay, setting a new Championships Record – the 48th of the Championships in Dubai. The key athletes in this victory were undoubtedly Svetlana Chimrova who had earlier won the gold in the 50m and 100m butterfly and Rosaliya Nasretdinova who secured Russia’s last gold of the Championships, destroying all other opposition coming home on the final freestyle leg. And that concluded the 4th FINA Junior World Championships in Dubai. For a week, we were treated to an excellent level of competition, the standard high enough to worry even the very best swimmers in the world. ■

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Chad LeClos (RSA) and Katinka Hosszu (HUN) both were unrivalled in the 2013 edition of the FINA/ARENA World Cup series, travelling through Eindhoven (NED), Berlin (GER), Moscow (RUS), Dubai (UAE), Doha (QAT), Singapore (SIN), Tokyo (JPN) and Beijing (CHN) from the 7th of August until the 14th of November. Both the South African and the Magyar proved to be the best of the best in their respective fields, dominating all other competition to win the three event clusters and becoming the overall winners, each taking home US$100, 000.

rge sum of US $ 2.218 million to the best swimmers of the World Cup, a further US $ 800,000 improvement from 2012. But in order to win, one must take part. And this was what eventual overall winners LeClos (RSA) and Hosszu (HUN) did, collecting US $100,000 for their efforts after the first cluster. But it wasn’t just the fact that both athletes raced in multiple events each stop, every time they raced they ended on the podium, with Chad LeClos taking home a total of 35 medals while Katinka Hosszu (HUN) made 55 podium appearances. To add the cherry on the cake, LeClos finished the series having won the 200m butterfly eight times, just as Hosszu won the 200m IM eight times as well, both setting a WR in their specialized events.

For the 2013 version, it seems that it was the prize money for winning overall in the three clusters which attracted the attention of the swimmers, with the athletes having an extra opportunity to pocket some cash. Until 2013, there were three main areas where the swimmers could win money: the prizes paid for each race: the bonuses for the World Records and lastly the paycheck handed out to the best overall male and female swimmer. However this year, FINA added on another incentive: cluster prizes, where Eindhoven and Berlin constituted the first cluster, Moscow, Dubai and Doha being part of the second and Singapore, Tokyo and Beijing featuring in the third. In total this amounted to the la-

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FINA/ARENA WSC FINA / ARENA SWIMMING WORLD CUP 2013

In the 2013 edition of the series, 23 new WRs and 13 new individual marks were set. For the first time in a major international swimming event, the inclusion of the mixed gender relays took place, and so a further 10 new relay marks were set over the course of the FINA Swimming World Cup. Meet 1: EINDHOVEN (NED)

The best swimmers from the ‘Planeta Agua’ (as the phrase was coined at the World Championships in Barcelona), came together again, but this time in a short course pool in the Netherlands for the first leg of the 2013 FINA/ARENA World Cup. Hosszu, still fresh from her performances at the Palau Sant Jordi was undisputedly the brightest star in Eindhoven,

were undoubtedly the sensations of Berlin, the Sportmetropole, staged from August 10 to 11. Belmonte cracked two World Records in the form of the 400m freestyle and in the 800m freestyle (where she became the first woman to dip under the 8-min mark) while Hosszu clocked a 57.45 in the 100m IM heats, setting a new World Record and beating Julia Smit (USA)’s WR in the 400m IM set in Manchester 2009. Furthermore, Hosszu made it a clean sweep of golds in the IM events and in the 200m butterfly. Olympic bronze medalist Aya Terakawa (JPN) this time struck double gold in the 50m and 100m backstrokes while sprint maestro Ranomi Kromowidjojo was the fastest in the 50m and

where she posted four new world marks in the 100m IM (twice) and in the 200m IM (twice). Altogether, Hosszu claimed a total of four gold and one silver in Denmark. Local girl Ranomi Kromiwidjojo (NED) also put on a fine show in front of a home crowd in the 50m freestyle while LeClos took the title in the 200m butterfly. World Records were set by Lauren Boyle (NZL) in the 800m freestyle, Hosszu (HUN) in the 200m IM, Gregorio Paltrinieri (ITA) in the 1500m freestyle and finally Daniel Gyurta (HUN) in the 200m breaststroke. Australia led the medal count in Eindhoven, while 22 nations were represented on the podium.

Meet 2: BERLIN (GER)

Hosszu and Belmonte (ESP)

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FINA/ARENA SWC 2013

100m freestyles. For the men it was Robert Hurley (AUS) who took the crowns in the 50m and 100m backstroke while in the breaststroke events Roland Schoeman (RSA) won the 50m and Fabio Scozzoli (ITA) was victorious in the 100m. in the longest breaststroke event, it was World and Olympic Champion Daniel Gyurta who was fastest to the wall once again, this time in a World Cup record of 2:01.37. Past overall WC men’s winner Kenneth To (AUS) triumphed in arguably his best event, the 200m IM and 2013 World Champion was the king in his best event, the 400m IM, setting a new World Cup record of 3:58.84. South Africa’s butterfly sensation Chad LeClos rounded off the second leg with a second gold in the 200m

Sjoestroem (SWE), as she finished her run with five gold medals from the 50m, 100m and 200m freestyles as well as from the 50m and 100m butterflies. Achieving a similar feat was Katinka Hosszu (HUN) who won three golds in the 200m butterfly and in the 200m and 400m IMs but in total walked away with 10 medals in total. Chad LeClos was far and away the best male athlete, taking out the 100m butterfly, 200m IM and the 200m butterfly, for which he earned 960 points. Local lad Vladimir Morozov won the titles in the 50m and 100m freestyles as well as in the 100m IM. Other nations which medaled in Moscow included Australia, Hungary and Poland.

butterfly. Meet 3: MOSCOW (RUS) We saw three WRs set at the Russian capital during our stay from the 12th of October to the 13th. First off the mark was World and Olympic Champion Ruta Meillutyte (LTU) who established a new world mark and a new World Cup Record in the women’s 100m breaststroke (1:02.36), which also happened to become the meet’s best performance, the Lithuanian scoring a total of 1016 points. Russia set WRs as a team at home in the mixed medley and freestyle relays, giving the home crowds much to cheer for (1:41.10 and 1:33.01 respectively). Perhaps the best performer was Sarah

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FINA/ARENA SWC 2013

Meet 4: DUBAI (UAE) FINA/ARENA WC overall winners Chad LeClos and Katinka Hosszu were the ones who stole the show from the 17th to the 18th of October in the shimmering sands of Dubai, yet it was Japan’s mixed freestyle relay WR of 1:32.52 which really captivated the crowd at the Hamdan Sports Complex. The indefatigable Magyar Hosszu took on a total of nine events over the course of the stop, winning the 200m freestyle, the 200m butterfly, the 200m and 400m IM as well as catching two silver and two bronze to top the medal table in Dubai with eight medals among the women. Alia Atkinson (JAM) took the honor of the best female performance in the 100m

won three golds and one silver. Morozov was dominant in the sprint freestyles, claiming both the 50m and 100m crowns as Robert Hurley came away with four golds and one silver medal. Meet 5: DOHA (QAT) Just past halfway through the World Cup series, Chad LeClos and Katinka Hosszu already had built up an overwhelming tally of points to take the lead over their peers. Hosszu secured 20 golds for a total of 36 medals while LeClos had taken 11 medals, six of them gold. To the cries of “Allez les bleus” the French mixed freestyle and medley relays ran away to WR times, 1:31.14 and 1:39.54 respectively.

Breaststroke, scoring 990 points for her time of 1:02.91. Spurred on by her breaststroke success, Atkinson also went on to win the 100m IM in a time of 58.45. Mireia Belmonte Garcia had a sensation swim to touch the wall first in the 800m freestyle, hitting the touchpad for a 8:14.12. For the men, Chad LeClos shone just as brightly as when he beat Michael Phelps to the wall in the 200m butterfly at the London 2012 Olympics as when he hit the wall first in Dubai, this time only 0.03secs short of his own WR he set no so long ago in Eindhoven, the first leg of the World Cup 2013. His time of 1:49.07 scored 1001 points, the meet’s top performance. In total the South African star

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The top perfromances of the meet went to Tom Shields (USA) for the men for his fantastic effort in the 100m buttefly (48.80) to claim 980 points while for the women, the title went to Katinka Hosszu for her speedy swim in the 200m IM gave her 979 points (2:05.45). Meet 6: SINGAPORE (SIN) Chad LeClos got the meet off to a flying start in Singapore from the 5th to the 6th of November as he powered his way to victory in the 200m butterfly, bettering his own WR on the first night of finals (1:48.56). He then went on to capture the 50m and 100m butterflies as well as the 200m freestyle and the 200m IM, enabling him to hang five gold medals around his neck.

butterfly. To finish off a good meet for the swimmers from Down Under, the Aussies Rob Hurley, Christian Sprenger, Alicia Coutts and Cate Campbell set a new WR in the mixed 4x50m medley relay in the prelims, bettering their own mark later on that night at finals. Meet 7: Tokyo (JPN) Organized from the 9-10 November, Tokyo saw some amazing records at the Tatsumi pool. In the land of the legendary breaststroke swimmers, World and Olympic Champion Daniel Gyurta (HUN) set a new World Cup record in the men’s 200m breaststroke in a 2:01.30. Later on that session, Alicia Coutts set the second World Cup Record

Alia Atkinson was on fire under Singapore’s blazing sun as she pushed forward to get the titles in the 50m and 100m breaststrokes and again having the women’s top meet score of 985 points (this time in the shorter distance event). Katinka Hosszu continued to display her prowess by dominating in the 100m, 200m and 400m IMs as well as winning the 100m backstroke and butterfly. Cate Campbell (AUS) won two golds in the 50m and 100m freestyle while compatriot Thomas Fraser-Holmes (AUS) won the 400m IM. Eugene Godsoe (USA) managed a hat-trick in all three backstrokes (50m, 100m and 200m) while Franziska Hentke (GER) won the women’s 200m

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of the day in the 100m butterfly (55.30). Australia improved their WR in the mixed medley relay, swimming 1:37.84, slightly faster than their effort in Singapore (1:38.02) on the 5th of November. Chad LeClos continued in fine form once again bagging three golds in the men’s 50m backstroke, 200m butterfly, 400m IM as Katinka Hosszu clocked 2:04.52 in the 200m IM to earn the title of most valuable performance. When Day 2 rolled around, Yulia Efimova set a new WR in the 50m breaststroke of 28.71, eradicating Jessica Hardy‘s (USA) shiny suit WR with a 28.80 which had stood since September 2009. The Aussies really seemed to

Meet 8: BEIJING (CHN) The Water Cube celebrated both the last 2013 FINA/ARENA World Cup stop as well as the 25th anniversary of the actual World Cup series, which had been launched back in 1989. Eugene Godsoe (USA) made a clean sweep in the men’s’ backstroke events as Thomas Fraser-Holmes (AUS) took the titles in the 200m and 400m IMs as well as the 400m freestyle while Daniel Gyurta finished a great summer in the breaststroke events, picking up both golds in the 100m and 200m breaststrokes. Mireia Belmonte also scored a hat trick by bagging three golds in the 800m freestyle, 400m IM and the 200m butterfly. The rest of the female stars included Alia Atkinson who

have to worked the new mixed relay combinations as they set another WR, this time in the 4x50m freestyle mixed relay in the heats, setting it at 1:31.13 before breaking it again hours later at finals later on that evening with a 1:29.61. The loudest cheering that night was for Kosuke Hagino as the home crowd erupted in joy as the ‘next Michael Phelps’ (named because of his multi-event medal winning performances at the 15th FINA Worlds) touched first in the 200m IM setting a new World Cup record of 1:51.50. Australia’s Coutts and Hosszu ended the meet sharing the meet’s best performance after they touched simultaneously in the 100m IM, which earned them both 1010 points.

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FINA/ARENA SWC 2013

FINA/ARENA SWC 2013

Finished up her season by winning the 100m and 200m breaststroke events and taking a silver in the 100m IM; Alicia Coutts meanwhile scooped two golds in the 100m IM and 100m butterfly and one silver in the 200m IM. Vladimir Morozov (RUS) was the top scorer in Beijing thanks to his 50.97 performance in the 100m IM (984 points) as Katinka Hosszu was the top scorer among the women with her 200m IM performance of 2:05.07 which got her 988 points. In the 2013 series, 32 WRs were broken in total over the eight stops, one of the best series overall performances to date. Racing in virtually every leg, Chad LeClos and Katinka Hosszu were the overall victors. ■

OVERALL RESULTS CLASSIFICATION: MEN 1. Chad LeClos (RSA) 574 pts $100,000 2. Vladimir Morozov (RUS) 414 pts $50,000 3. Robert Hurley (AUS) 285 pts $30,000 CLASSIFICATION: WOMEN 1. Katinka Hosszu (HUN) 840 pts $100,000 2. Alia Atkinson (JAM) 288 pts $50,000 3. Mireia Belmonte (ESP) 280 pts $30,000 TOP PERFORMERS MEN Chad LeClos (RSA) 200m Fly 1:48.56 Singapore (SIN) 1015 pts Daniel Gyurta (HUN) 200m Brst 2:01.30 Tokyo (JPN) 984 pts Vladimir Morozov (RUS) 100m IM 50.97 Beijing (CHN) 984 pts WOMEN Katinka Hosszu (HUN) 200m IM 2:03.20 Eindhoven (NED) 1034 pts Ruta Meilutyte (LTU) 100m Brst 1:02.36 Moscow (RUS) 1016 pts Mireia Belmonte (ESP) 800m Free 7:59.34 Berlin (GER) 1010 pts

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After the conclusion of the 15th FINA World Championships, the European water polo players returned to the pool in November to play out their European preliminary phase. For many teams, these matches marked their first matches since the FINA Worlds in the summer. For the men’s qualification, it seems that Russia is now very much up and coming in the world of international water polo, crushing Romania 15-5 and dominating in the 3rd quarter, scoring seven goals to Romania’s one shot. In addition, captain Sergey Lisunov rounded off their first round match by earning top scoring honors after hitting home with a double brace. In the Montenegrin city of Budva, Montenegro showed their class as the runner up world champions, facing off Budapest 2014 qualifiers in a tighter match, winning 13-11. Antonio Petrovic, Drasko Brguljan and Aleksander Radovic each claimed a hat trick for the home team. Germany, after a disappointing run at BCN2013 where they failed to progress past the Round of 16, continued to have a tough time against Italy, who, despite having to play catch up in the first quarter after Germany led with two goals, came back to win 12 goals to 7. The Hungarians, back on top as world champions secured a comfortable win over Greece in its season’s first FINA World League match. Although Christos Afroudakis played smoothly and netted two, after having dropped 4-1 in the second quarter, the Greeks could not quite beat the home side, losing to the Magyars 8-5. On match day 2, the Serbians, led by Dejan Savic, ran away to an 18-6

FINA WATER POLO WORLD LEAGUE

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triumph over the Romanians on home soil in Belgrade. The Serbians ruthlessly exploited the man up situations and in gaining multiple advantages with minor fouls, crushed their Romanian counterparts from the start, never losing a single quarter (3-0, 5-3, 5-2, 5-1). Montenegro got the ball rolling again in Kotor, getting closer to that Super Final, proving to be superior in speed and skill, winning 11-8. Canottieri-Napoli forward Darko Brguljan’s shots never seemed to stop coming at the Italian goalkeeper’s face, scoring a total of four goals for his side. For Greece, things were looking up after a long penalty shootout which saw them win 5-4 against a strong Croatian side, causing perhaps the biggest upset of

the pool, kicking off with a game in Chelyabinsk, where world champions Spain battled the Russians in a fierce match. Unfortunately for the home side, Spain had proved just too strong in the 3rd and 4th quarters led by veterans Maica Garcia and Jennifer Pareja, extending their lead to ultimately win 13-11. Meanwhile in Piraeus, two former world champions were dueling to see who could get the upper hand. Italian 2004 Olympic Champion Tania Di Mario and local girl Christina Tsoukala both scored four goals each but the strength of the Italians were just too much for the Greeks. In the last quarter, the endurance of the guests were clear (3-1 to Italy) and they went on to win 12-9. If Russia was the one who is up

the qualifications. It was ultimately Peter Muslim’s miss for Croatia which decided the final outcome of the match, the guests walking away from Zagreb with a lighter step in their stride. Germany had their first win of the qualifiers in Hamburg over Slovakia, turning the tables with 3:45 to go and 2 goals down to ultimately clinch victory with a 10-9, much to the delight of the home crowd in the new water polo specific Wilhelmsburg pool. The Australian and American qualifications will be held later in 2014, culminating with the Super Final in Dubai. A week after the men’s qualification commenced, the women’s teams were back in

FINA WATER POLO WORLD LEAGUE

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and coming in the men’s teams, it is Great Britain who would fill that role for the women’s. In Manchester, the Brits, with only eight minutes to go were still only trailing with one goal as the scores stood at 8-7 to the guests. A win in the last quarter would have ensured a GB victory, but as the Russian girls rammed home 4-2, the chance of victory slid from their hands. Russia won 12-9. With Mount Etna erupting in the background, Italy continued their winning streak to top world bronze streak to top world bronze medalists Hungary in Catania. In the opening quarter,

Italy pushed forward with a whopping 7-3, eager to take the early lead. Hungary showed their discipline and consistency by netting multiple shots per quarter to claw back seven points but it was not enough to take the win, the Magyars losing 9-7, even though the Italians managed to score no goals in the 3rd quarter. ■ * Our coverage of the FINA Water polo World League will continue through 2014, as the standard of water polo gets higher as the teams get closer to the Super Final.

FINA WATER POLO WORLD LEAGUE

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FINA OWS WORLD CUP FINA OPEN WATER SWIMMING WORLD CUP 2013

FINA OWS WORLD CUP 2013

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FINA OWS WORLD CUP 2013

The FINA Open Water Swimming World Cup 2013 culminated with the completion of the eighth and final race which took place in the choppy waters of Hong Kong (HKG). For the men, Germany’s Thomas Lurz topped off a great year after his victory in the open water swimming at the 15th FINA World Championships led him onto becoming the overall champion in the 2013 series of the FINA OWS World Cup. For the women it was American Emily Brunemann who won the overall titles in the 2013 edition of the World Cup. Although finishing the race in seventh place, Lurz had managed to accumulate enough points (100) over the eight stops the Cup tour had made to claim the golden crown over France’s Romain Beraud (86 points) and Brazil’s Allan de Carmo (78 points). While Beraud had won the first two stops, Lurz had won the races in Lac Mégantic (CAN) and in Shantou (CHN) as well as accumulating two silvers, making the 2013 triumph his third – he previously won the series in 2009 and in 2011. It was a bittersweet series for Allan de Carmo, who has never clinched victory in the World Cup, having previously come second in 2009 and third in 2010 and 2012. Favourite in the women’s classification was Emily Brunemann, and despite her 10th place finish in Hong Kong, she lived up to the hype and the expectation, claiming the overall title, finishing with 107 points. Martina Grimaldi (ITA) was second with 98 points while Ana Marcela Cunha from Brazil placed third with 96 points to conclude the 2013 edition of the FINA OWS World Cup.

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2013 25km World Champion Grimaldi got her first podium in the competition while Brunemann, after winning two golds at the opening legs, clinched victory in her first series. Marcela Cunha incidentally had won the series in 2010 and 2012 although in 2013, she settled for the third position in the overall rankings. ■

FINA OWS WORLD CUP 2013

FINAL 2013 RANKINGS

CLASSIFICATION: MEN

1. Thomas LURZ (GER) – 100 points 2. Romain BERAUD (FRA) – 86 points 3. Allan do CARMO (BRA) – 78 points

CLASSIFICATION: WOMEN

1. Emily BRUNEMANN (USA) – 107 points 2. Martina GRIMALDI (ITA) – 98 points 3. Ana Marcela CUNHA (BRA) – 96 points

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TOKYO 2020 DISCOVER TOMORROW AT TOKYO 2020

Celebrations erupted all over the country in September when outgoing IOC President Jaques Rogge announced Tokyo as the host city for the 2020 Summer Olympic Games. The announcement was made in the early hours of the morning in Japan, but the media quickly caught up on the outcome of events in Buenos Aires and the news spread like a wildfire. Newspapers printed special editions, television stations made special programmes and the word was spread to all around the nation. Previous generations would also recall the Games of 1964 which also coincided with the launch of the first Bullet Train.

Tokyo’s victory was the culmination of many years of hard work, dedication and the lessons learnt from previous failed attempts – Nagoya in 1988, Osaka in 2008 and Tokyo in 2016. The final triumph had now come for 2020 Bid CEO Masato Mizuno and Japan Olympic Committee President Tsunekazu Takeda who spearheaded the 2020 Bid Team through all those bitter struggles. One of Tokyo’s strongest bid points was the overall compactness, where 75 per cent of the competition venues will be located within 8km of the Olympic Village on the calm Harumi waterfront area in the Tokyo bay. Furthermore, twenty-two of the 37 venues will be constructed specifically for the use of the 2020 Games and the majority of the events will be held in Tokyo.

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Interestingly, some of the venues from the 1964 Olympics will feature again, such as Tokyo’s national Stadium which hosted the Opening and Closing Ceremonies some 54 years back will be refurbished and be given a retractable roof with an 80,000 spectator capacity. It will be completed by 2019 and will stage the Rugby World Cup final in the same year. The 2020 Games are seen as a chance to reinforce core sporting values in Japan and in a country with an ageing population, it is hoped that the return of the Olympics will help spark a revival amongst the younger generations and produce many long lasting legacies for years to come. It has in London – now why not for Tokyo? ■

What will be the legacy of the Olympic Games in your city? We recognize today is a challenging and fast-changing era for sport. Against this backdrop, our vision is to deliver an outstanding Games which help to promote the Olympic Values for new generations, benefiting young people in Tokyo, across Japan and throughout the world. Tokyo 2020 is a vivid demonstration of the power of sport and will be dynamic celebration like never before, with a legacy of a new sports and entertainment district on the city’s stunning waterfront. What would you say the

athletes would appreciate most about the Games in your city? Our plan places athletes at the heart of the Games to ensure they can perform to their very best, benefitting from an ultra-compact Games-plan where 85% of venues are within 8km of their village. What was your most memorable moment of the London 2012 Olympics? London hosted wonderful Games. Our plans take the very best of London and look to go even further. The Olympic spirit of the city was unforgettable, with fans wonderfully symbolizing the Olympic values…to the world.

Q&A: TSUNEKAZU TAKEDA

BID LEADER TOKYO 2020

TOKYO 2020

OBITUARIES

BERTHOLD BEITZ

FORMER IOC VICE-PRESIDENT & EXECUTIVE BOARD MEMBER IOC Honorary Member Berthold Beitz has died at the age of 99. Being a great sportsman in the field of sailing, shooting and rowing, Beitz forged strong ties with the IOC & the Olympic Movement. Being an IOC Member for 16 years, he afterwards became an IOC Honorary Member, IOC Vice-President, Executive Board Member and a member of several Commissions including Finance, New Sources of Financing, Olympic Movement, Preparation of the XII Olympic Congress, and Council of the Olympic Order. He was also an Honorary Chairman of the Olympic Museum Foundation from 1989 as well as being the Board Member of the West German NOC from 1972 to 1988.

DEZSÖ

GYARMATI

LEGENDARY HUNGARIAN WATER POLO PLAYER

One of the most legendary figures in Water Polo who was both a player and a coach, Dezsö Gyarmati, has passed away at the age of 85. He remains the only water polo player to have won five Olympic medals during his career, making him the sport’s most decorated player of all time, having won three gold, one silver and one bronze. Gyarmati went on to become the coach of the Hungarian national team, adding three more Olympic medals to his record tally (gold in 1976, silver in 1972 and bronze in 1980).

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NEXT ISSUE In the next issue of the AQUATICS Magazine, look out for all the speedy pikes from the FINA / NVC Diving World Series as we take you on an epic diving journey through Europe, plunging into pools from Madrid to London.

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SHIPPING COST

SHIPPING COST

FINA CALENDER: 2014 14 FEBRUARY 2014 – FINA DIVING GRAND PRIX NO. 1 – MADRID (ESP) 21 FEBRUARY 2014 - FINA DIVING GRAND PRIX NO. 2 – ROSTOCK (GER) 28 FEBRUARY 2014 – YOG DIVING QULIFICATION EVENT – GUADALAJARA (MEX) 14 MARCH 2014 - FINA DIVING WORLD SERIES NO. 1 – BEIJING (CHN) 20 MARCH 2014 - FINA DIVING WORLD SERIES NO. 2 – DUBAI (UAE) 25 APRIL 2014 - FINA DIVING WORLD SERIES NO. 3 – LONDON (GBR) 1 MAY 2014 - FINA DIVING WORLD SERIES NO. 3 – GATINEAU (CAN) 2 MAY 2014 - FINA DIVING WORLD SERIES NO. 4 – MOSCOW (RUS) 8 MAY 2014 - FINA DIVING WORLD SERIES NO. 4 – SAN JUAN (PUR) 16 MAY 2014 - FINA DIVING WORLD SERIES NO. 5 – city to confirm (MEX) 30 MAY 2014 - FINA DIVING WORLD SERIES NO. 5 – WINDSOR (CAN) 6 JUNE 2014 - FINA DIVING WORLD SERIES NO. 6 – MONTERREY (MEX) 10 JUNE 2014 – FINA WP WORLD LEAGUE SUPER FINAL, WOMEN – BEIJING (CHN) 16 JUNE 2014 – FINA WP WORLD LEAGUE SUPER FINAL, MEN – DUBAI (UAE) 15 JULY 2014 – FINA DIVING WORLD CUP – SHANGHAI (CHN) 23 JULY 2014 – COMMONWEALTH GAMES – GLASGOW (SCO) 27 JULY 2014 – FINA WORLD MASTERS CHAMPIONSHIPS – MONTREAL (CAN) 1 AUG 2014 – FINA DIVING GRAND PRIX NO. 6 – BOLZANO (ITA) 2 AUG 2014 – 2ND FINA WORLD MEN’S YOUTH WP CHAMPIONSHIPS (18 & U) – ISTANBUL (TUR) 12 AUGUST 2014 – 16TH FINA WOMEN’S WATER POLO WORLD CUP – KAZAN (RUS) 13 AUGUST 2014 – 32ND LEN EUROPEAN CHAMPIONSHIPS (SW, DV, SY, OW) – BERLIN (GER) tbc AUGUST 2014 – PAN PACIFIC CHAMPIONSHIPS – QUEENSLAND (AUS) tbc 2014 – 13TH FINA SYNCHRO SW. WORLD CUP – QUEBEC CITY (CAN) 16 AUGUST 2014 – 2nd YOUTH OLYMPIC GAMES – NANJING (CHN) 19 AUGUST 2014 – 25TH MEN’S WATER POLO WORLD CUP – ALMATY (KAZ) 25 AUGUST 2014 – 2ND FINA WORLD WOMEN’S YOUTH WP CHAMPIONSHIPS – MADRID (ESP) 28 AUGUST 2014 – 2nd FINA WORLD JUNIOR OWS CHAMPIONSHIPS – EILAT (ISR) 9 SEPTEMBER 2014 – 20th FINA JUIOR DIVING CHAMPIONSHIPS – PENZA (RUS) 19 SEPTEMBER 2014 – ASIAN GAMES – INCHEON (KOR) 17 OCTOBER 2014 – FINA DIVING GRAND PRIX NO. 7 – SINGAPORE (SIN) 22 OCTOBER 2014 – 14th FINA WORLD JUNIOR SYNCHRO CHAMPIONSHIPS – TAMPERE (FIN) 24 OCTOBER 2014 – FINA DIVING GRAND PRIX NO. 7 – KUALA LUMPUR (MAS) 29 NOVEMBER 2014 – 3RD FINA AQUATICS WORLD CONVENTION – DOHA (QAT) 3 DECEMBER 2014 – 12th FINA SC WORLD SWIMMING CHAMPIONSHIPS – DOHA (QAT) tbc 2014 – FINA SYNCHRO WORLD TROPHY – city to confirm (CHN)

2015 19 JULY 2015 – 16th FINA LC WORLD CHAMPIONSHIPS – KAZAN (RUS) tbc 2015 – FINA WORLD AQUATICS CONVENTION – WINDSOR (CAN) tbc 2015 – 5TH FINA WORLD SWIMMING CHAMPIONSHIPS (25m) – WINDSOR (CAN)

DOPING OFFENCES: Igor AKHLUSTIN (RUS): June 18 2013, tested positive to substance Methylhexaneamine (Class S.86.b Specified Stimulants) following a doping test conducted at the Russian National Swimming Championships in Moscow (RUS). Starting July 3 2013, the athlete has a period of 2 years’ ineligibility.

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Jakub JONCZYK (POL): June 15 2013, tested positive to substance Methylhexaneamine (Class S.86.b Specified Stimulants) following a doping test at the Polish Championships in Olsztyn (POL). Starting June 15 2013, the athlete had a period of 2 years ineligibility which, following an appeal, has now been reduced to 1 year ineligibility. Lisa Ferreira (FRA): June 29 2013, tested positive to substance Terbutaline (Class S.3 Beta-2-Agonists) following a doping test conducted at the Swimming Championships in Mulhouse (FRA). The athlete has received a warning from the French Swimming Federation. Alexander Nikolov (BUL): March 23 2013, tested positive to substance Stanozolol (Class S.1.1.a Exogenous Anabolic Androgenic Steroids) following a doping test conducted at the National Championships in Sofia (BUL). The athlete had a period of 2 years’ ineligibility which has, following an appeal by the athlete, has been annulled due to an infringement of the doping control procedure by the Bulgarian Swimming Federation. Calum Timms (AUS): January 13 2013, tested positive to substances Methylhexaneamine, N. Alphadiethylbenzeneethanamine and 1-Phenylbutan-2-amine (Class S.6.b Specified Stimulants) following a doping test at the Swimming Victoria Open Championships in Victoria (AUS). Starting July 29 2013, the athlete has a period of 2 years’ ineligibility. Frans Johannessen (DEN): March 28 2013, tested positive to substance Terbutaline (Class S.3 Beta-2-Agonists) following a doping test conducted at the Danish Open in Copenhagen (DEN). Starting May 12 2013 the athlete has a period of 3 months ineligibility. Alexandra Radu (ROU): June 21 2013, tested positive to substance Dehydroclormethylteststerone (Class S.1.1.a Exogenous Anabolic Androgenic Steroids) following a doping test conducted at the National Championships of Juniors & Seniors in Bucharest (ROU). Starting July 22 2013, the athlete has a period of 2 years’ ineligibility. Arjun MURALIDHARAN (IND): March 25 2013, tested positive to substance Methylhexaneamine (Class S.86.b Specified Stimulants) following a doping test at the All India Police Aquatics Championships. Starting October 25 2013, the athlete has a period of 2 years ineligibility. Dimitry Shulga (CAN): February 16 2013, tested positive to substances N-etyl1-1-phenyl-2-butanamine and 1-phenyl-2-butanamine (Class S.86.b Specified Stimulants) following a doping test at the SNC’s Speedo Eastern Canadian Championships (CAN). Starting April 7 2013, the athlete has a period of 11 months ineligibility.

BIDS FOR 2015/2016 FINA EVENTS: FOR THE FOLLOWING EVENTS, BIDS MUST BE PRESENTED NO LATER THAN 31 JANUARY 2014. 11TH FINA WORLD WOMEN’S JUNIOR WATER POLO CHAMPIONSHIPS (20 & U) – 2015 FINA SYNCHRO SW. WORLD TROPHY – 2015 5TH FINA MEN’S WP DEVELOPMENT TROPHY – 2015 21ST FINA WORLD JUNIOR DIVING CHAMPIONSHIPS – 2016 15TH FINA WORLD JUNIOR SYNCHRO SW. CHAMPIONSHIPS – 2016

FINA STRUCTURE: FINA BUREAU 2013 -2017 President: Dr Julio C. Maglione (URU) jmaglione.fina@adinet.com.uy

Honorary Secretary: Paolo Barelli (ITA) presidenza@federnuoto.it Honorary Treasurer: Pipat Paniangvait (THA) pipat.p@mama.co.th Vice Presidents: Husain Al Musallam (KUW), Tamas Gyarfas (HUN), Dennis Miller (FIJ), Dale Neuberger (USA), Sam Ramsamy (RSA) Members: Fernando Carpena (ESP), Errol Clarke (BAR), Dimitris Diathesopoulos (GRE), Dr. Mohamed Diop (SEN), Matthew Dunn (AUS). Ben Ekumbo (KEN). Erik van Heijningen (NED), Andrey Kryulov (KAZ), Lino Candido Lourenco (ANG), Eugenio Martinez (CUB), Jesus Mena (MEX), Dr. Margo Mountjoy (CAN), Coaracy Nunes Fihlo (BRA), Vladimir Salnikov (RUS), Kazuo Sano (JPN), Qiuping Zhang (CHN). Honorary Life President: Mustapha Larfaoui (ALG) larfaouimustapha@yahoo.fr Honorary Members: Gennady Aleshin (RUS), Rafael Blanco (ESP), Bartolo Consolo (ITA), Eldon C. Godfrey (CAN), Nory Kruchten (LUX), Francis Lyuce (FRA), Guillermo Martinez (CUB), Chief Olatokumbo Thomas (NGR), Gunnar Werner (SWE). Executive Director: Cornel Marculescu * For information on the structures of the FINA Technical Committees, please visit fina.org

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