This week was the first stop of the inaugural FINA Champions Swim Series, with many of the best swimmers in the world descending on Guangzhou, China to compete in the two day meet. Check out the results from that meet and the rest of the news of the week in the week that was!
The Week That Was #5 – Recent PET Scans Clean For Nathan Adrian
Photo Courtesy: Peter H. Bick
Nathan Adrian had a positive update on his fight with testicular cancer this week, posting on social media that his recent PET scans came back clean. “Scans came back clean. Back to real life! Blood test in 2 months and more scans in 3!” wrote the Olympic gold medalist, while also sharing that the journey will require him to be “under close surveillance” by doctors for the next several years. Adrian was diagnosed with testicular cancer on January 25 and underwent surgery to remove some of his lymph nodes on January 29. Adrian quickly made a return to the weight room in early February, although it is not clear if he will be swimming in any meets in this spring or into the summer. He is still currently listed in the U.S. roster for the World Championships and the Pan American Games for this summer.
The Week That Was #4 – Gold Medalist Brittany Elmslie Announces Retirement
Photo Courtesy: Swimming Australia
Australian Olympian Brittany Elmslie announced her retirement from swimming this week on her Instagram. Elmslie was a gold medalist at the 2012 and 2016 Olympic Games as part of Australia’s 400 free relays. Elmslie also has two silvers from London and one silver from Rio for her part on Australia’s 400 medley and 800 free relays. Elmslie ends her career with several top-10 all-time performances for Australia, including 10th all-time in the 50 free (24.78), 8th all-time in the 100 free (53.54), 7th all-time in the 200 free (1:56.79), and 6th all-time inthe 50 fly (25.91). Elmslie’s final competition was the 2019 Australian Swimming Championships last month, where she finished 8th in the 100 (55.72) and 10th in the 50 (25.75). You can see Elmslie’s full Instagram post announcing her retirement here.
The Week That Was #3 – Maxime Rooney Announces He Will Be Leaving Florida
Photo Courtesy: Dan D’Addona
SEC Champion Maxime Rooney announced at the beginning of last week that he will be leaving the University of Florida after three years as a Gator. Rooney announced his decision on Twitter. Rooney was the 2019 SEC Champion in the 100 fly and was runner-up in the 200 fly, and followed that up with a fourth place finish in the 100 fly at NCAA’s. While Rooney did not explicitly state if he was transferring for his senior season, he would be a major pick-up for any program and will leave a big hole in Florida’s roster. Rooney has range from the 50 to the 100 free, and has been as fast as 48.27 and 1:47.50 in the 100 and 200 free long course. Shortly after Rooney posted his message, another Florida swimmer, sophomore Erge Gezmis, also posted on social media that he would not be returning to Florida. You can read Rooney’s full statement from Twitter here.
The Week That Was #2 – Nineteen World Records Fall At 2019 USMS Masters Nationals
Photo Courtesy: Peter H. Bick
Nearly 2,000 swimmers including Olympians Matt Grevers, Josh Davis, Rick Colella and Mike Alexandrov continued to race at the United States Masters Swimming (USMS) 2019 Masters Spring Championships April 25-29 in Mesa, Arizona. Nineteen world records fell throughout the week, with Richard Burns responsible for six world records in the 75-79 age group for the 50/100/200 back and the 50/100/200 fly. Matt Grevers, who is on the U.S. roster for this summer’s World Championships, also set a world record in the 50 back for the 30-34 age group (21.37). You can see all the recaps from the 2019 Spring Masters Championships here.
The Week That Was #1 – Inaugural FINA Champions Swim Series Kicks Off In China
Photo Courtesy: SIPA USA
The first FINA Champions Swim Series kicked off in Guangzhou, China this week. The series was the first in a planned three-stop tour that will continue in Budapest and Indianapolis later this year. The meet format includes timed finals over two days with the winner of each race earning $10,000 USD, followed by $8,000 for second, $6,000 for third, and $5,000 for fourth. There are only four swimmers invited to compete in each event, which included Olympians Sarah Sjostrom, Cate Campbell, Kelsi Dahlia, Vlad Morozov, and Katinka Hosszu, among others. China had a strong showing on their home turf, winning 10 events and even posting a couple world-leading times courtesy of Sun Yang’s 400 free (3:42.75) and Ye Shiwen in the 200 breast (2:22.53). You can see all the results from day one and day two here and here, and see all updated coverage of the FINA Champions Swim Series here.