The Week That Was: Xin Xin, Haley Anderson Lead Olympic Qualifiers in 10K at World Championships

Photo Courtesy: Peter H. Bick

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The 2019 FINA World Championships have started with open water, diving, water polo and artistic swimming taking place this week in Gwangju, South Korea. China’s Xin Xin won the gold medal in the women’s 10K open water swim as she clinched her spot to swim the 10K at the Olympic Games next summer. USA’s Haley Anderson won the silver medal and also clinched a spot on her third Olympic team.

China’s Sun Yang has also been in the news recently as his doping panel was translated from Mandarin by Australia’s Sunday Telegraph.

You can read about some of the biggest news in the swimming world from this last week below.

The Week That Was #5 – Marko Djordjevic Takes Over For David Marsh at UC San Diego

Photo Courtesy: Twitter, @UCSDSwimDive

Marko Djordjevic has been named the head coach of the University of California San Diego men’s and women’s swimming and diving teams, according to Director of Athletics Earl Edwards. Djordjevic becomes the fourth head coach to lead both the men’s and women’s teams during the Division II era, replacing David Marsh, who resigned to pursue other opportunities.

The Week That Was #4 – Australia’s Shayna Jack Pulls out of World Championships

Photo Courtesy: Singapore Swimming Federation

Using her Instagram account, Australian Shayna Jack has announced her withdrawal from the World Championships, citing personal reasons. Jack posted: “It is with great sadness that I have to withdraw from World Championships due to personal reasons. I appreciate everyone’s support and patience. Thank you all.”

Jack had qualified for the Aussie team as a member of the 400 and 800 freestyle relays, and her absence will deal those relays a heavy setback. With the 400 freestyle relay still featuring Cate Campbell, Bronte Campbell and Emma McKeon, the loss of Jack will be felt more heavily on the 800 freestyle relay. Missing Jack on the 400 free relay impacts the chance of the Aussies to go under 3:30, a feat never before accomplished.

The Week That Was #3 – Sarah Bacon Wins First World Championships Medal for Team USA in 14 Years

Photo Courtesy: Peter H. Bick

Diving has officially started at the 2019 FINA Diving World Championships with women’s one-meter, men’s synchronized three-meter, and mixed synchronized ten-meter platform.

American Sarah Bacon earned silver, marking the first time in 14 years in which an American female diver claimed a medal at the World Championships. She was in sixth place after prelims. While she slowly improved her standing during finals, she did not rank as high as second until her last dive.

“I was a little nervous on my first dive,” said Bacon after prelims. “But after I did my first dive I was able to settle down and perform well the rest of the event.”

This is Bacon’s first international competition since Junior World Championships in 2014.

The Week That Was #2 – Australia’s Sunday Telegraph Publishes Sun Yang FINA Doping Panel

Extract from the FINA Doping Panel report – and the lead story in the Sunday Telegraph and Telegraph online

Sun Yang, the Chinese Olympic swimming champion heading for a Court of Arbitration ruling that could either end his career or salvage it after he contributed to the smashing of a vial of his blood during an out-of-competition test, will arrive at the World Championships in Korea this week to widespread calls from within the swimming community for him to be served a lifetime ban.

Feelings are running so high in Australia that the country’s Sunday Telegraph has had the entire 59-page report of the FINA Doping Panel hearing into the latest Sun case – and the accompanying news story and two-page spread in the print edition and online – translated into Mandarin.

Swimming World has had sight of the report in full. The following are some of the key takes from the 59-page FINA Doping Panel report:

The controversial 27-year-old Sun, the first Chinese man to win an Olympic swimming gold and claim that status in all three freestyle events from 200m (2016), 400 and 1500m (2012), had agreed to a window of between 10pm and 11pm on September 4 last year at his athlete’s villa in Zhejiang Province for independent drug testers from International Doping Tests and Management, contracted by FINA, to collect out-of-competition blood and urine samples to test for performance enhancing substances.

The Week That Was #1: Xin Xin, Haley Anderson Lead 10K Qualifiers for World Championships

Photo Courtesy: Peter H. Bick

The 2019 World Championships continued with a pivotal women’s open water race on Sunday in Gwangju, South Korea. The women’s 10K provided automatic qualification for the 2020 Olympics to the top 10 swimmers in the race.

American Haley Anderson and Ashley Twichell earned their spots on the 2020 U.S. Olympic Team — the first time two American women have qualified for the open water Olympics automatically. Anderson earned the silver medal for her first 10K world championship medal, earning her third trip to the Olympics, while Twichell placed sixth and qualified for the Olympics for the first time. China’s Xin Xin won the world championship gold medal in the event, swimming a time of 1:54.47.20.

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