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"Australia's women's waterpolo team was beaten 5-4 by world champion Hungary in a six-nation tournament.
Australia was always on the back foot, down 2-1 down at the quarter, 3-2 at halftime and trailing 5-3 heading into the last seven minutes before closing the game with a 1-0 quarter.
In a game where 2000 Olympic champion Bronwyn Smith played her 200th game for Australia, the result was not all bad news."
Read more at Aussies pipped by Hungary.
"Specially treated energy patches used by swimmers at the Olympic trials earlier this month will be sent to the U.S. Anti-Doping Agency for testing amid concerns the patches contain testosterone.
The president of the company that makes the LifeWave Energy Enhancer called the accusation ridiculous and said the patch contains only amino acids and water-based solutions.
"I can understand why coaches or athletes would have questions, because this technology is very new, very different," David Schmidt told the San Francisco Chronicle. "I think it's a very good thing for sports. It's a way for athletes to improve their performance and not endanger their health."
Officials with the anti-doping agency would not confirm they received the patches....
Six female swimmers at Stanford University wore the patches on their shoulders during the trials, held July 7-14 in Long Beach....
The patches are designed to electronically stimulate acupuncture points, inserting current into the body to help an athlete improve stamina, according to Schmidt. No substances enter the body, he said."
Read more at Treated patches on U.S. swimmers raise questions.
"Four years ago, Inge de Bruijn set three world records and won three gold medals at the Sydney Olympics. Going into the Athens games, she is a more experienced but somewhat less dominant swimmer. 'I'm not worried about setting world records. I just want to win' she says after a training session at the Tualatin Hills Swim Center.'The field is so much stronger that winning is enough. If a record happens, it happens.'
De Bruijn, who competes for the Netherlands but lives here most of the year, is set to swim in as many as five races: the 50- and 100-meter freestyle, the 100 butterfly and two relays. Her coach, Paul Bergen, who mentors swimmers through the Oregon Thunderbolts club program, says de Bruijn is still the swimmer to beat in at least two of her races.
"She hasn't had the same consistent training as she did in the four years prior to the Sydney Olympics" Bergen says. "But she's been pretty focused since October. And her times are still No. 1 in the world. If we get her best in the games, I think she can repeat. It's just going to be tougher because there are so many better swimmers these days""
Read more at Medal mettle.
"Olympians Troy Dumais and Laura Wilkinson tuned up for the Athens Games next month by winning titles Sunday at the U.S. National Diving Championships.
Dumais won the men's 3-meter springboard by almost 100 points over his nearest challenger for his third straight U.S. title in the event.
Wilkinson took the women's 10-meter platform for the third year in a row and fifth year in the last six, defeating her closest rival by more than 50 points.
Dumais was sixth in the 2000 Olympics and Wilkinson was champion in Sydney. Dumais, of Ventura, Calif., beat runner-up Mitchell Richeson 707.07 points to 610.44."
Read More at Dumais and Wilkinson win titles at U.S. diving nationals.
"Brittany Viola led qualifiers in the women's 10-meter platform Friday at the U.S. National Diving Championships, topping a pair of 2004 Olympians.
Viola finished ahead of Sara Hildebrand, who will represent the United States in the 10-meter platform synchronized event in the Olympics next month in Athens. Viola had 523.59 points to 502.95 for Hildebrand.
Laura Wilkinson, the 2000 Olympic platform champion, was third with 500.22 points after the quarterfinal and semifinal rounds. The finals are Sunday." Source - Viola Leads Qualifiers at Diving Event.
'"Rachelle Kunkel won her third straight women's 1-meter springboard title Thursday at the U.S. national diving championships.
Kunkel, of West Valley City, Utah, beat Cassandra Cardinell 295.83 points to 254.31. Though she failed to advance to the 3-meter springboard finals at the championships, she will represent the United States in that event at the Athens Olympics.
"Yesterday was a huge bummer. It was terrible," Kunkel said of the 3-meter failure. "I'm definitely going to learn from that experience."
She qualified for the 3-meter in Athens last month and the Olympics trials."' Read More at: Kunkel wins 1-meter springboard; Dumais advances in 3-meter
China's Olympic Diving Champion Tian Liang is feeling the pressure to defend his Olympic Gold in Athens.
' "I think my mentality has changed a little bit after I won the Olympic and world titles because there are so much expectations from my fans and people I care," Tian said.
Making his Olympic debut with a fourth-place finish in Atlanta in 1996, Tian took the individual platform title four years later in Sydney where he also bagged a silver in the synchronized event with teammate Hu Jia.
He claimed two world titles from 1998 and 2001 World Swimming Championships before losing to Canadian Alexandre Despatie to settle for a bronze partly due to toe injury during the Barcelona Worlds last year.
"People have been used to my winning every event. They will be extremely disappointed if I lose," the 24-year-old Tian said.'
Eurosport has a good Introduction to Synchronized swimming.
"Surprisingly, the first synchronized swimmers were men. At the end of the 19th century actors transferred their dance performances into the water....
There will be 104 athletes competing in Athens: 8 teams of nine swimmers, which will also include 8 duets, and 16 additional duets.
The qualification took place at the Olympic Qualifying Tournament held in Athens in April 2004.
The 24 duets qualified for the 2004 Olympic Games are:
Australia, Belarus, Brazil, Bulgaria, Canada, China, Czech Republic, Egypt, Spain, France, Great Britain, Greece, Israel, Italy, Japan, Kazakhstan, Korea, Mexico, Netherlands, Russia, Switzerland, Slovakia, Ukraine, USA.
The eight teams qualified for the 2004 Olympic Games are:
Canada, China, Spain, Greece, Italy, Japan, Russia, USA"
Keep up to date with the latest Athens Swimming - Diving - Synchronized Swimming - Water Polo News.
In Aquatics at the Athens Olympics there are four disciplines - Swimming, Diving, Synchronized Swimming and Water Polo - (Get the latest Olympic News on Each of these disciplines by clicking on these links).
These events will be held between August 14 to 29 at the Olympic Aquatic Centre.
There are 23 Gold, Silver and Bronze Medals on offer in Men's Events and 24 Gold, Silver and Bronze Medals on offer in Women's Events. Results will be added to this site as they happen - you will find links to each event's results page below as they are added to the site.
All eyes will be on American Michael Phelps and Ian Thorpe of Australia. Phelps hopes to take a run at Mark Spitz's record of seven gold medals at 1972 Munich Games. The teenager will be in five individual events and hopes to swim all three relays, as well. Thorpe won three golds and two silvers in Sydney, but nearly missed the 400m freestyle - his signature event - after an embarrassing DQ in Australian trials. A teammate gave up his spot so Thorpe could compete. Natalie Coughlin and Amanda Beard lead the American women, while 10-time medalist Jenny Thompson is back for her fourth - and final - Olympics. The Americans hope to do even better than their remarkable performance four years ago, when the United States won 14 golds - the most in a non-boycotted Olympics since 1972 - and 33 medals overall.
The first team sport at the modern Olympics, water polo was introduced in 1900. Women competed for the first time in 2000. Hungary, the defending Olympic and world champion, has dominated the Olympic competition with seven gold medals. The men's competition comprises two groups of six nations, followed by quarterfinals, semifinals and final. The Hungarians are grouped with the United States, Serbia-Montenegro, 2000 silver medalist Russia, Croatia and Kazakhstan. Wolf Wigo, returning for a third Olympics, will captain the U.S. men's team. Australia won the first women's gold medal in Sydney, edging the United States 4-3 in the final. The Americans won the world championships in 2003 and have seven returning Olympians. The United States is in Group B with Russia, Hungary and Canada. In the other four-nation group, Australia plays against Greece, Italy and Kazakhstan.
The Chinese are the sport's dominant country, winning a record five gold medals in Sydney. The only non-Chinese winner was American Laura Wilkinson, who pulled off a stunning upset in platform and is back to defend her title. The top U.S. male is Troy Dumais, who will compete in springboard and team up with brother Justin in synchronized.
Russia swept both events in Sydney while Americans didn't win any medals for the first time since this often-maligned sport joined the Olympics in 1984. Sure to draw plenty of attention is Tammy Crow, allowed to compete by the U.S. Olympic Committee despite pleading no-contest to vehicular manslaughter charges in a crash that killed her boyfriend and a 12-year-old boy.
