If the cap fits: The swim cap worn by Michael Phelps in the medley relay that delivered his eighth Olympic gold medal in Beijing is to be sold at auction in London. The signed cap, together with a letter of authenticity, is expected to fetch up to £6,000 at Graham Budd Auctions in Hammersmith Road on November 11. Phelps stopped off in London for 2012 promotional work and private visits on his way home from China. Superfish gave the historic swimming cap to the security guard who looked after him during his stay, which included sightseeing trips and a visit to the All England Tennis Club at Wimbledon.
Australia: Stephanie Rice's name was up in lights in Beijing. Now the triple gold-medal-winner from Australia will light up a military sky: in her honour, the Australian Defence Force's AP-3C Orion, from RAAF Edinburgh's Number 11 Squadron, will now be known as 'Stephanie'. The craft will be deployed over the Middle East. Rice and the newly-deployed Orion aircraft were destined for success, crew member Corporal Andrew Summers told AAP: "The long, smooth figure and design is built for speed and manoeuvrability whilst maintaining its sense of gracefulness," said Corporal Summers of the plane."
Linehan's legend: Kim Linehan (USA), former freestyle world champion and record holder, is to be inducted into The University of Texas Women's Athletics Hall of Honor. "I'm really excited," Linehan said. "I didn't realize how cool it was and what it meant until Jill [Sterkel] explained it to me." You can read more on that and Kim Linehan at Texas Longhorns.
Nigeria: The concluding statements of an International Olympic Committee (IOC) Swimming Coaches Training Course held in conjunction with the Swimming Federation of Nigeria in Abuja includes an assertion that the African nation will be a "force to reckon with" in the pool. Alhaji Haruna Bako, who carries a very grand title indeed for a country that is some way off producing a world-class athlete - first vice-president of the Swimming Federation of Nigeria - said that he was optimistic that Nigeria would become a force to reckon with in swimming "in the near future". Success does indeed rely on self-belief, though Nigeria would appear to have a steep curve to travel in order to compete with the best 30 swimming nations in the world. Coach education is a good place to start, and the president of the swim federation, Chamberlain Dunkwu, described the IOC course as the tip of the iceberg in the nation's development programme, which will further educational forums for coaches at home and abroad from now on.
