Canada’s Zsofia Balazs earns Canada's first ever Olympic nomination in marathon swimming

Canada's Zsofia Balazs earns Canada's first ever Olympic nomination in marathon swimming

 

SETUBAL, Portugal – Zsofia Balazs of Toronto produced an extraordinary final lap and finished sixth in the 10 kilometre FINA Olympic Marathon Swimming Qualifier on Saturday. With the result, she earns her first career Olympic team nomination.

Balazs is also the first Canadian to gain a spot in an Olympic marathon swimming race. Canada had no entries in 2008 when marathon swimming made its Olympic debut in Beijing.

''Right now, I don't think it's hit me yet that I'm actually going to the Olympic Games,'' said Balazs, 21. ''It's something that I've wanted for so long. The biggest challenge for me this week was actually believing in myself that I could actually do it.''

The race was held in frigid waters on Setubal Bay and Balazs was exhausted as she approached the sixth and final lap. She was 13th after five laps after clocking first, fourth, fifth and fourth in the first four laps respectively.

''I didn't really know where I was,'' said the two-time world championship team member. ''I did a really good last turn though and realized there wasn't that many swimmers ahead of me.''

Haley Anderson of the U.S., won the gold medal in one hour and 44 minutes and 30.6 seconds. Eva Risztov of Hungary took second in 1:44:32.0 and her compatriot Anna Olasz was third in 1:44:36.8.

Balazs finished in 1:44:38.8. The top-nine swimmers, a limit of one per nation, earned their ticket to London.

Nadine Williams of Edmonton was 11th in 1:44:48.8. ''This was a breakthrough race for me,'' said Williams, 18, who was ahead of Balazs entering the final lap. ''My goal was a top-15 and to come here and show I can race with the best in the world is a big confidence boost.''

Pierre Lafontaine, Swimming Canada's CEO and National Coach, was thrilled with the performance.

''Led by coach Ron Jacks we've been working hard on the open water swimming program,'' said Lafontaine. The first four laps today were very tight and both our girls raced very smart.''

The men's 10-kilometre marathon swimming event is on Sunday. Canada has two entries: Richard Weinberger of Victoria and Xavier Desharnais of Sherbooke, Que.

 

 

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Richard Weinberger adds name to Olympic nomination list

 

Richard Weinberger adds name to Olympic nomination list

 

Richard Weinberger of Victoria overcame a rough start to win the silver medal on Sunday in the men's 10 kilometre race at the FINA Olympic Marathon Swimming Qualifier on Saturday. With the result, he earns a first career Olympic team nomination.

SETUBAL, Portugal – Richard Weinberger of Victoria overcame a rough start to win the silver medal on Sunday in the men's 10 kilometre race at the FINA Olympic Marathon Swimming Qualifier on Saturday. With the result, he earns a first career Olympic team nomination.

Oussama Mellouli of Tunisia won the gold medal in one hour and 45 minutes and 18.5 seconds. Weinberger, 22, followed in 1:45:30.2 and Petar Stoychev of Bulgariawas third in 1:45:34.1

Within the first 200 metres, Weinberger ripped off a bothersome cap and accidently, at the same time, lost his goggles. He was forced to stop and put on his goggles back on which put him in last place early in the race.

Weinberger's split times clearly indicate the incredible comeback he made. He was in order 49th, 23rd, 15th, eighth and fifth at the splits in the six-lap race.

''There are a lot of ups and downs in marathon swimming so we train for that,'' said Weinberger. ''I knew I would just have to chip away and rely a lot on my training. My race plan didn't really work out but I knew what I had to do to catch the field.''

Weinberger has made a name for himself in the past year winning key marathon events.

He won the Olympic test event last summer at Hyde Park, and went on to winning the Pan American Games. During the World Cup season, Weinberger collected a silver inArgentina, and bronze in Brazil.

''To know I'm going to the Olympics is just unexplainable,'' said Weinberger. ''I don,t think it has sunk in just yet.''

Xavier Desharnais of Sherbrooke, Que., was 20th. ''It was a very difficult race,'' he said. ''The dynamics were much different. I'm disappointed with the result but it was a valuable experience.''

The top-nine finishers –with a limit of one per country – earned an Olympic nomination.

Canada has two marathon swimmign nominees for the Olympics. On Saturday, Zsofia Balazs of Toronto earned her spot with a sixth place finish in the women's 10 kilometre.

Canada had no entries in 2008.

''This was a very successful four years for us in marathon swimming,'' said Swimming Canada's CEO and national coach Pierre Lafontaine. ''We worked very hard to improve the program and the athletes are gaining confidence.''

 

 

 

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Feature Product

Mini version of our classic Voyager Jnr Goggle with the endorsement of Kids Alive and Laurie Lawrence.

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Sized to fit kids 18 months-6 years

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• Shatter resistant lens with an Anti-fog coating

Available in clear and tinted lens.

 

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Vorgee's number 1 selling racing goggle, with a 'cult' following amongst Club swimmers.

Designed for racing and training, the Missile offers superior quality, comfort and allows the swimmer to move through the water with less resistance.

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VORGEE IN THE COMMUNITY

 

Saturday, June 2nd Vorgee sponsored the first annual Royal Glenora Duel Meet at the Royal Glenora pool in Edmonton.  Great to see the youngsters in action!

 

Visit us at the GetWet Swim Shop for a great selection of Vorgee, TYR, Speedo, Nike & Finis product.  www.getwetswimshop.com

 

 

 

Attack Glare Face On

CANADA’S FIRST POLARISED SWIMMING GOGGLES: THE VORGEE OSPREY AND ECLIPSE ARE THE PERFECT GOGGLES FOR SWIMMING OUTDOORS.

Vorgee’s Osprey and new Eclipse goggles use the same type of polarizing lens found in leading brands of sunglasses. Vorgee introduced the Osprey goggle in 2009 when we kept hearing complaints from open water swimmers and triathletes about the problems they were having with reflective glare off the water and its affect on their vision and performance. The Vorgee design team began its research by looking at the kinds of polarizing lenses worn by other sports people – cyclists, skiers, sailors – who needed to perform at a high level in glary, reflective environments. These findings were then applied to swimming goggle technology and the Vorgee Osprey was born.
Following on from the success of the Osprey, the smaller framed Eclipse goggle was created.
Both the Osprey and Eclipse goggles feature polarised, UV protected, anti-fog coated lenses that provide zero distortion and optimum viewing clarity, no matter what the conditions. Combine these features with a single piece lens, a frame design that enhances comfort and sight lines and a quick fit strap system, and you have the perfect goggle for swimming outdoors.

 Visit www.Vorgee.com for product details

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Aussies take on the Channel

Vorgee is proud to be supporting four young men and their coach from Western Australia, who this year will be attempting to make the fastest crossing of the English Channel. The team comprises of Tim Quinlan, Dan Green, Blair Redfern and Rory Pilgrim.

The crossing of the English Channel is a gruelling swim through tough conditions, with expected water temperatures of 14°C – 17°C.

To prepare for the swim the boys will be training in water temperatures of 15° throughout the Australian winter. Then, just prior to the swim they will head over to Dover where they will train daily in Dover Harbour. On event day, the team will leave from Shakespeare Beach and aim to reach Cap Gris Nez in France. The total distance is approximately 21 land miles.

The Vorgee team look forward to supporting these four determined young men as they aim to cross the English Channel in a world record breaking time.

Some interesting facts about the English Channel crossing:
• Solo crossings only have a 10% success rate (Teams tend to have greater success)
• Less people swim the English Channel than climb Mt Everest.
• Generally, Australia has the fastest channel crossing, from around the world.

Visit us at the GetWet Swim Shop for a great selection of Vorgee, TYR, Speedo, Nike & Finis product.  www.getwetswimshop.com