Sarah Sjostrom continued to dominant the 2019 FINA Champions Swim Series this weekend, winning five more individual events to lead the medal table with $53,000 earned thus far. Read about her great weekend of racing and the other biggest stories of the week below:
The Week That Was #5 – Former Cal Associate Head Coach Shares Story On Dr. Oz
Kristen Cunnane with Teri McKeever; Photo Courtesy: Peter H. Bick
Former Cal women’s Associate Head Coach Kristen Cunnane appeared on the Dr. Oz show this week to talk about being sexually abused by one of her former middle school teachers., Cunnane has documented the story of her abuse in a book, “Undoing Jane Doe: How I Put the Middle School Coach and Teacher Who Sexually Abused Me Behind Bars,” which details her relationship with the teacher. On Dr. Oz, Cunnane detailed the difficulties of trying to move on after being abused, including struggles with depression, anxiety, and suicidal thoughts. You see a book review of Cunnane’s memoir here.
The Week That Was #4 – Rikako Ikee Launches New Website To Document Leukemia Battle
Rikako Ikee at 2017 Junior Worlds; Photo Courtesy: Peter H. Bick
Japanese Olympian Rikako Ikee has started a website to document her battle against leukemia. The website includes a letter of appreciation to her fans for the support they have offered during her treatment. Ikee shared her leukemia diagnosis back in February following a medical emergency at a training camp in Australia. The diagnosis and the start of necessary treatment prevented Ikee from competing in Japan’s qualifying meet for the 2019 World Championships in South Korea. According to a translated version of Ikee’s letter, the 18-year old’s treatment has been “going smoothly” despite the long period of hospitalization that has been required to fight the disease. In the subsequent months since her diagnosis, Ikee has mainly been updating fans via her Twitter account and has said she has not given up on the possibility of competing at the 2020 Tokyo Olympic Games. Rikako Ikee is the national record holder in the 50, 100, and 200 free and 50 and 100 fly, and was named the MVP of the 2018 Asian Games after winning six gold medals, all in record time. You can visit Ikee’s website here.
The Week That Was #3 – Nathan Adrian Makes His Return To Racing At Bloomington TYR Pro Swim Series
Nathan Adrian at the 2018 Santa Clara Pro Swim Series; Photo Courtesy: Becca Wyant
The psych sheets for the 2019 TYR Pro Swim Series in Bloomington were posted this week, with Nathan Adrian slated to be in attendance. This is Adrian’s first return to competition since being diagnosed with testicular cancer back in January. Adrian began treatment shortly thereafter and has been keeping fans updated via social media throughout the process. Adrian’s most recent PET scans came back clean on April 22, although it was not clear when he would be returning to competition. Adrian is listed on the roster for the World Championships team this summer as well as the Pan American Games and plans to make both trips. There will be other big names in attendance, including Indiana pros Lilly King, Cody Miller and Blake Pieroni. The Stanford pros will also be bringing a good group of swimmers to the meet including Katie Ledecky, Simone Manuel, Abrahm DeVine and Ella Eastin. You can see the full psych sheet for the Bloomington Pro Swim Series here.
The Week That Was #2 – Australians, Japanese Highlight First-Ever 2019 Sydney Open
Cate Campbell off the blocks at the 2019 Sydney Open; Photo Courtesy: Swimming NSW
The first-ever Sydney Open started in Australia on Friday at the Sydney Olympic Park, with Cate Campbell lighting up the pool once again with a strong performance in the women’s 100 free. The meet, hosted by Swimming New South Wales, is a 3-day competition about one month out from Australian World Championship Trials, giving Australia’s best an opportunity to sharpen their racing habits before vying for a chance to represent their country in South Korea in July. Cate Campbell was back in the pool before heading to training camp, winning the 50 (24.38) and 100 free (52.96). Other notable swims included Kaylee McKeown in the 200 back (2:07.10), Yui Ohashi in the 400 IM (4:36.54), Rika Omoto in the 200 IM (2:08.64). Japan’s Daiya Seto also recorded new personal bests in the 200 and 400 free and 100 fly. You can catch up on all of the new from the 2019 Sydney Open here.
The Week That Was #1 – Sarah Sjostrom Wins Five Events At The FINA Champions Swim Series in Budapest
Sarah Sjostrom at the 2017 World Championships; Photo Courtesy: SIPA USA
The second stop of the 2019 FINA Champions Swim Series kicked off this weekend in Budapest, Hungary, with Sarah Sjostrom continuing a strong weekend of racing. The Swedish world record holder won 5 individual events in Budapest, taking gold in the 50 free (23.97), 100 free (53.03), 200 free (1:56.58), 50 fly (25.32), and 100 fly (56.78). Hungarian Katinka Hosszu also won three individual events on her home soil, including posting the top time in the world in the 200 fly (2:06.62) and strong time in the 200 IM (2:08.81) that was just off her own #1 ranked time in the world for 2019. Other world leaders from the meet included Yulia Efimova in the three breaststroke events, Kristof Milak in the 200 fly, and Nicholas Santos in the 50 fly. You can see the full recaps of both days of the 2019 FINA Champions Swim Series here.
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