Slovakia: Olympic medallist Martina Moravcova, 35, has given birth to her first child, a daughter by the name of Karolina. Congrats to swimmer, dad and the new champ to be.
Quote of the weekend: at German nationals, Paul Biedermann, world champion and record holder over 200 and 400m freestyle, gave this appraisal of life without poly suits: "It's like you turned the turbo off on a car. You kill yourself, you give it your best, and then you look up at the scoreboard and you think to yourself: I don't believe it."
France: Alain Bernard, Olympic champion in the 100m free, is training in Liguria, Italy, this week, returning to Savona, a town he visited for a short period of training before Beijing and the world champs in Rome last year. Meanwhile, his would-be teammate Alexianne Castel, 19, has withdrawn from the European Championships in Budapest in August. A medal hope over 200m backstroke, she agreed with hr coach that she will take a break this summer in order to rest before a big campaign towards London 2012.
Russia: from one of Europe's swimming powerhouses comes the sad news from Russia's emergency ministry that nearly 300 people drowned in the country last week trying to beat high temperatures. At least 285 people drowned in waterways across Russia as temperatures topped a record-breaking 37 degrees in some regions, the ministry reported. Authorities say 63 people died in one day alone as they swam in rivers, lakes and reservoirs. Alcohol was cited as one of the leading causes of drowning, while an inability to handle currents and tides also played a part. Last year, it is believed, more than 3,000 people drowned in swimming accidents in Russia.
