Great win for Jonathan Brownlee in Queensland this morning - got into a good lead group on the bike, gave himself a good 25 second lead and managed to hold it through the run. He's certainly got the better of the Spanish at the moment.
Good battle going on in the hilly time trial leg of the Tour of the Basque Country - Simon Yates is in with a chance of both the stage win and the overall!
British Swimming Championships start in London tomorrow - these will be the qualifiers for all the summer's events, including the European Youth Olympics Festival, the European Games and the World Championships.
First day of the European Gymnastics champs today starting with women's qualification. Some good results for GB. Ellie Downie & Claudia Fragapane qualified 3rd & 5th respectively for the All Around Final. GB gymnasts also qualified for all Apparatus finals - Ellie qualified for the Vault final as well as bars where she will compete alongside her sister Becky who also made the Beam final. Claudia also reached the Floor, Vault & Beam finals and Amy Tinkler qualified for the Floor final.
Mens qualification is tomorrow. Having been diagnosed with low grade glandular fever recently Max Whitlock will not be competing All Around and will just do Pommel & Floor
First day of the European Gymnastics champs today starting with women's qualification.
Lots of coverage on the BBC
Friday - BBC2 - 13:00 and Red button in the evening
Saturday - BBC1 - 13:00
Sunday - BBC2 - 13:30
And some sad news - the BOA have said they will not contest Taekwando athlete Aaron Cooke's request for transfer of nationality to Moldova - theoretically they could have held it up for several years, I think. He has actually been named in the GB Team for the European Games in Baku.
The first BMX World Cup is in Manchester, but I don't see any signs of TV coverage, there doesn't seem to be streaming on the UCI YouTube Channel or Red Bull TV
Mens qualification is tomorrow. Having been diagnosed with low grade glandular fever recently Max Whitlock will not be competing All Around and will just do Pommel & Floor
And the men emulated the women by getting all 10 competitors through to the finals.
Just a shame there has been no team competition this time.
Official BBC Times
Friday, 17 April 13:00-15:00 BST on BBC Two and 17:30-20:15 BST on Red Button.
Saturday, 18 April 13:00-15:30 BST on BBC One (14:20 in Scotland).
Sunday, 19 April 13:30-16:00 BST on BBC Two.
British Swimming Championships start in London tomorrow - these will be the qualifiers for all the summer's events, including the European Youth Olympics Festival, the European Games and the World Championships.
Peaty's record is very significant. A long course World Record. Probably the best swim by a British Man since David Wilkie in Montreal. Not probably. Definitely.
This was no flimsy short course record. A huge record in the big pool. In an Olympic event. He is peerless in this race right now. He will be a massive favourite this summer at World Championships in Russia and in all likelihood next year in Rio as well. Britain has a long legacy in Men's breaststroke. If you were to list the top 10 greatest British men of all time perhaps seven of them would be breaststrokers.
This was no flimsy short course record. A huge record in the big pool. In an Olympic event. He is peerless in this race right now. He will be a massive favourite this summer at World Championships in Russia and in all likelihood next year in Rio as well.
In Melanie Marshall he has a coach that learned (the hard way) not to peak before the global champs - she entered Athens 2004 as world leader/British record holder in 200m freestyle but didn't make the final.
I wonder what Cameron van der Burgh, Felipe França Silva et al will do in the next few months. Speaking of CvdB, his preceding WR had been set in the same lane during London 2012, for what it's worth.
Britain has a long legacy in Men's breaststroke. If you were to list the top 10 greatest British men of all time perhaps seven of them would be breaststrokers.
Also worth adding Ross Murdoch (runner-up in that astonishing race) is now ranked =11th all time after his 59.13 Scottish record. Stats can be obtained in the FINA site.
In Melanie Marshall he has a coach that learned (the hard way) not to peak before the global champs - she entered Athens 2004 as world leader/British record holder in 200m freestyle but didn't make the final.
That might be a bit unfair on her. She did have a disappointing heats swim in Athens. But whilst she could be considered one of the medal contenders she was not really the favourite. World rankings in swimming heading into Olympics are not necessarily the best form guide. So when world rankings are mentioned sometimes you have to take them with a grain of salt. You need to compare times going back more than a year. There were several women in the race that had much quicker personal bests from the previous year. Van Almsick and Pelligrini were the favourites, and another favourite, Natalie Coughlin dropped the 200 free, to focus on other events. Sometimes whilst qualifying some swimmers are not tasked with swimming a completely tapered swim to book their tickets. A world record is a world record though. And very few men ( I believe only 4) have ever been sub 59 in a textile suit in the 100 Breast. That really puts into perspective how incredible Peaty's 57 sec swim is for you.
I wonder what Cameron van der Burgh, Felipe França Silva et al will do in the next few months. Speaking of CvdB, his preceding WR had been set in the same lane during London 2012, for what it's worth.
Silva, I'd imagine will be up for it at a home games. I'm not sure if Cam VDB will get under 59 again. Murdoch may actually be his closest rival if you can believe it.
Also worth adding Ross Murdoch (runner-up in that astonishing race) is now ranked =11th all time after his 59.13 Scottish record. Stats can be obtained in the FINA site.
It was a great swim for Murdoch, who was a bit disappointing in the 200 Breast. Peaty won the 200 in a bit of an upset. It will probably take a 2:07 to medal at Worlds in the 200. Hannah Miley had a great swim in the 400IM today as did Wilmott. Both are medal chances this summer in Russia. Miley will need to replicate that or go faster to have a chance but she's struggled to put it together outside Commies, Nats, and Euros. Only the Worlds in 2011 did she put together a medal swim at a global meet. Rather optimistically I'm hopeful that both Miley and Wilmott will be on the dais. Halsall, Carlin, Walker-Hebborn, and O'Connor (not 100% now) will also be medal shots along with the men's breaststrokers.
That might be a bit unfair on her. She did have a disappointing heats swim in Athens. But whilst she could be considered one of the medal contenders she was not really the favourite. World rankings in swimming heading into Olympics are not necessarily the best form guide. So when world rankings are mentioned sometimes you have to take them with a grain of salt. You need to compare times going back more than a year. There were several women in the race that had much quicker personal bests from the previous year. Van Almsick and Pelligrini were the favourites, and another favourite, Natalie Coughlin dropped the 200 free, to focus on other events. Sometimes whilst qualifying some swimmers are not tasked with swimming a completely tapered swim to book their tickets.
Fair enough. Her experiences as an professional athlete should stand Peaty in good stead.
A world record is a world record though. And very few men ( I believe only 4) have ever been sub 59 in a textile suit in the 100 Breast. That really puts into perspective how incredible Peaty's 57 sec swim is for you.
As does slashing the previous WR by over half a second! He will almost certainly be the focal point of the GB squad.
Silva, I'd imagine will be up for it at a home games. I'm not sure if Cam VDB will get under 59 again. Murdoch may actually be his closest rival if you can believe it.
If the short-course WCh in Doha was anything to go by, the home contingent could do quite well overall.
Fair enough. Her experiences as an professional athlete should stand Peaty in good stead.
It's definitely helpful to have a coach that's knows what's it's like to compete at the highest level. You hear that a lot from swimmers with coaches that were elite and swam at Olympic Games and Worlds. James Gibson seems to have helped Halsall turn the corner as well.
As does slashing the previous WR by over half a second! He will almost certainly be the focal point of the GB squad.
The British men are also great in the 200 Breast, where their depth is even better. So if Willis, Jamieson, and Murdoch can get going for Rio that event will also be one to watch. Peaty also instantly makes the British men a realistic medal threat in the Medley relay, such is his margin on the field.
If the short-course WCh in Doha was anything to go by, the home contingent could do quite well overall.
Yeah...Doha. The Short course worlds have never been a good indication of swimming strength globally. They're given less regard by athletes and most federations than indoor athletics despite FINA's attempt to promote the meet. Swimming powers Australia and the US sent very small teams with only a few noteworthy names. They finished 11th and 9th in the medals table at short course worlds. They'll likely be the top two at the Olympics. I think Brazil may do well in a few events in Rio, such as men's sprint and breast. But don't expect Doha to be indicative of Rio in terms of performance, individually or collectively. The name to watch out for though is probably not Silva, but Matheus Santana.
All around final results - Men / Women
Apparatus final results - Men / Women
In addition to the pair of all-around bronzes, GB won:
Gold - pommel horse (Smith), floor (Thomas)
Silver - uneven bars / beam (B Downie), high bar (Oldham), floor (Fragapane)
All in all, that's 8 medals without Whitlock. That's a record as far as odd-year champs are concerned; unlike the even-year champs, there are no senior team finals or junior team / individual finals to contest.
All around final results - Men / Women
Apparatus final results - Men / Women
In addition to the pair of all-around bronzes, GB won:
Gold - pommel horse (Smith), floor (Thomas)
Silver - uneven bars / beam (B Downie), high bar (Oldham), floor (Fragapane)
All in all, that's 8 medals without Whitlock. That's a record as far as odd-year champs are concerned; unlike the even-year champs, there are no senior team finals or junior team / individual finals to contest.
Great results. Had a busy weekend so wasn't able to watch any of it live. All recorded though so will catch up in the next couple of days.
Really pleased for Kristian - he's been a great team man over the years and often gets overshadowed by other team members so glad he got a bit of glory in his own right.
Good for Louis to finally win a major individual gold. He's making noises about wanting to go to Rio but I think that's a long shot still. I think GB regard him as a luxury pick now when there are team honours at stake.
It's a bit of a mixture. Our less high-profile Olympic sports like Fencing, Judo, Taekwando, Canoeing etc are taking pretty much full-strength teams in the look-out for Olympic qualifying points. The more mainstream sports like Swimming, Gymnastics, Triathlon are going with mostly junior/development squads. There are also a few non-Olympic events.
Triathlon World Series week 4 from Cape Town. Live on BBC Red Button and ESPN/BT Sport at 14:00 on Saturday and Sunday. Alastair Brownlee returns for this first race of the season in the Men's and Helen Jenkins in the Women's. Jonathon Brownlee looks to continue to beat the Spanish challengers in the overall, while USA's Gwen Jorgensen looks untouchable the women's field.
Sailing World Cup from Hyeres, France. Doesn't look like there is any live coverage, but you can follow the computer graphics. It's a qualifying event for the World Cup final in October/November
Table Tennis World Championships from Suzhou, China start on Sunday 26th through to 3rd May. Live Eurosport coverage starts next weekend, by which time there will be no Brits left, of course.
It's a bit of a mixture. Our less high-profile Olympic sports like Fencing, Judo, Taekwando, Canoeing etc are taking pretty much full-strength teams in the look-out for Olympic qualifying points. The more mainstream sports like Swimming, Gymnastics, Triathlon are going with mostly junior/development squads. There are also a few non-Olympic events.
Looking at the list there are also a handful who are using it as part of their comeback from injury. I see Helen Jenkins is competing there as well as her World Triathlon series. In Gymnastics Nile Wilson is competing there for the first time since his Wrist Injury and also great to see Rebecca Tunney back, her last major competition was the European Chaps last year.
Comments
http://www.swimming.org/britishswimming/britishgaschamps/
http://www.british-gymnastics.org/news-and-events/news/latest-news/4711-ellie-downie-leads-gbr-to-ten-finals
Mens qualification is tomorrow. Having been diagnosed with low grade glandular fever recently Max Whitlock will not be competing All Around and will just do Pommel & Floor
Lots of coverage on the BBC
Friday - BBC2 - 13:00 and Red button in the evening
Saturday - BBC1 - 13:00
Sunday - BBC2 - 13:30
And some sad news - the BOA have said they will not contest Taekwando athlete Aaron Cooke's request for transfer of nationality to Moldova - theoretically they could have held it up for several years, I think. He has actually been named in the GB Team for the European Games in Baku.
http://www.teamgb.com/news/aaron-cook-requests-change-sporting-nationality
Other sports this weekend
The first BMX World Cup is in Manchester, but I don't see any signs of TV coverage, there doesn't seem to be streaming on the UCI YouTube Channel or Red Bull TV
And the men emulated the women by getting all 10 competitors through to the finals.
http://www.teamgb.com/news/purvis-has-medals-his-sights-european-championships
http://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/0/gymnastics/32339167
Just a shame there has been no team competition this time.
Official BBC Times
Friday, 17 April 13:00-15:00 BST on BBC Two and 17:30-20:15 BST on Red Button.
Saturday, 18 April 13:00-15:30 BST on BBC One (14:20 in Scotland).
Sunday, 19 April 13:30-16:00 BST on BBC Two.
http://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/0/gymnastics/32356008
Radio 5 just interrupted football for a swimming commentary......and British swimmer Adam Peaty has just smashed a world record......:o
Peaty's 57.92 in the 100m breaststroke isn't bad either. ;-)
Good effort.
This was no flimsy short course record. A huge record in the big pool. In an Olympic event. He is peerless in this race right now. He will be a massive favourite this summer at World Championships in Russia and in all likelihood next year in Rio as well. Britain has a long legacy in Men's breaststroke. If you were to list the top 10 greatest British men of all time perhaps seven of them would be breaststrokers.
http://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/0/gymnastics/32356008
Surely more medals to come over the weekend.
I wonder what Cameron van der Burgh, Felipe França Silva et al will do in the next few months. Speaking of CvdB, his preceding WR had been set in the same lane during London 2012, for what it's worth. Also worth adding Ross Murdoch (runner-up in that astonishing race) is now ranked =11th all time after his 59.13 Scottish record. Stats can be obtained in the FINA site.
That might be a bit unfair on her. She did have a disappointing heats swim in Athens. But whilst she could be considered one of the medal contenders she was not really the favourite. World rankings in swimming heading into Olympics are not necessarily the best form guide. So when world rankings are mentioned sometimes you have to take them with a grain of salt. You need to compare times going back more than a year. There were several women in the race that had much quicker personal bests from the previous year. Van Almsick and Pelligrini were the favourites, and another favourite, Natalie Coughlin dropped the 200 free, to focus on other events. Sometimes whilst qualifying some swimmers are not tasked with swimming a completely tapered swim to book their tickets. A world record is a world record though. And very few men ( I believe only 4) have ever been sub 59 in a textile suit in the 100 Breast. That really puts into perspective how incredible Peaty's 57 sec swim is for you.
Silva, I'd imagine will be up for it at a home games. I'm not sure if Cam VDB will get under 59 again. Murdoch may actually be his closest rival if you can believe it.
It was a great swim for Murdoch, who was a bit disappointing in the 200 Breast. Peaty won the 200 in a bit of an upset. It will probably take a 2:07 to medal at Worlds in the 200. Hannah Miley had a great swim in the 400IM today as did Wilmott. Both are medal chances this summer in Russia. Miley will need to replicate that or go faster to have a chance but she's struggled to put it together outside Commies, Nats, and Euros. Only the Worlds in 2011 did she put together a medal swim at a global meet. Rather optimistically I'm hopeful that both Miley and Wilmott will be on the dais. Halsall, Carlin, Walker-Hebborn, and O'Connor (not 100% now) will also be medal shots along with the men's breaststrokers.
It's definitely helpful to have a coach that's knows what's it's like to compete at the highest level. You hear that a lot from swimmers with coaches that were elite and swam at Olympic Games and Worlds. James Gibson seems to have helped Halsall turn the corner as well.
The British men are also great in the 200 Breast, where their depth is even better. So if Willis, Jamieson, and Murdoch can get going for Rio that event will also be one to watch. Peaty also instantly makes the British men a realistic medal threat in the Medley relay, such is his margin on the field.
Yeah...Doha. The Short course worlds have never been a good indication of swimming strength globally. They're given less regard by athletes and most federations than indoor athletics despite FINA's attempt to promote the meet. Swimming powers Australia and the US sent very small teams with only a few noteworthy names. They finished 11th and 9th in the medals table at short course worlds. They'll likely be the top two at the Olympics. I think Brazil may do well in a few events in Rio, such as men's sprint and breast. But don't expect Doha to be indicative of Rio in terms of performance, individually or collectively. The name to watch out for though is probably not Silva, but Matheus Santana.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kVkzN_4p8jM#t=114
All around final results - Men / Women
Apparatus final results - Men / Women
In addition to the pair of all-around bronzes, GB won:
Gold - pommel horse (Smith), floor (Thomas)
Silver - uneven bars / beam (B Downie), high bar (Oldham), floor (Fragapane)
All in all, that's 8 medals without Whitlock. That's a record as far as odd-year champs are concerned; unlike the even-year champs, there are no senior team finals or junior team / individual finals to contest.
Great results. Had a busy weekend so wasn't able to watch any of it live. All recorded though so will catch up in the next couple of days.
Really pleased for Kristian - he's been a great team man over the years and often gets overshadowed by other team members so glad he got a bit of glory in his own right.
Good for Louis to finally win a major individual gold. He's making noises about wanting to go to Rio but I think that's a long shot still. I think GB regard him as a luxury pick now when there are team honours at stake.
http://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/0/olympics/32425870
http://www.teamgb.com/news/baku-2015-meet-team-gb
It's a bit of a mixture. Our less high-profile Olympic sports like Fencing, Judo, Taekwando, Canoeing etc are taking pretty much full-strength teams in the look-out for Olympic qualifying points. The more mainstream sports like Swimming, Gymnastics, Triathlon are going with mostly junior/development squads. There are also a few non-Olympic events.
Triathlon World Series week 4 from Cape Town. Live on BBC Red Button and ESPN/BT Sport at 14:00 on Saturday and Sunday. Alastair Brownlee returns for this first race of the season in the Men's and Helen Jenkins in the Women's. Jonathon Brownlee looks to continue to beat the Spanish challengers in the overall, while USA's Gwen Jorgensen looks untouchable the women's field.
Sailing World Cup from Hyeres, France. Doesn't look like there is any live coverage, but you can follow the computer graphics. It's a qualifying event for the World Cup final in October/November
http://www.sailing.org/news/40082.php
Table Tennis World Championships from Suzhou, China start on Sunday 26th through to 3rd May. Live Eurosport coverage starts next weekend, by which time there will be no Brits left, of course.
Streaming on the ITTF YouTube Channel.
https://www.youtube.com/user/ittfchannel
Looking at the list there are also a handful who are using it as part of their comeback from injury. I see Helen Jenkins is competing there as well as her World Triathlon series. In Gymnastics Nile Wilson is competing there for the first time since his Wrist Injury and also great to see Rebecca Tunney back, her last major competition was the European Chaps last year.
Streaming live on FINA TV.