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Anita Lonsbrough
The Amateur Swimming Federation of Great Britain has shown interest in hosting the second European Short Course Championships in 1998, but under its conditions. The Federation wants LEN to pay to get the top swimmers to take part. It wants prize money for top swimmers, not just money for record breakers, to be on offer.
If you want a fairy story to read, then pick up
Gold by Cathal Derva, the biography of Michelle Smith, the triple
Olympic gold medallist from Ireland. Nowhere does Michelle Smith explain
her vast improvement over the past three years nor the training methods
that helped her achieve her remarkable success at the Atlanta Olympics.
Of the drug allegations, she brushes over these. She does try to put the
blame on what she calls the nasty Americans who made accusations against
her. She claims she was fully supported by the Britain, Irish, and other
European media.
If this were true, then why did the swimming media not get invited to the launch of her book in Dublin? Those invited were not those who covered the sport of swimming.
The first ever university swimming centre has opened
in Bath. The scheme will use the university's 50-metre pool, due to be open
early February, and all its medical and testing facilities. The centre is
open to university students and those not studying but who want to be full-time
sportsmen and sportswomen.
Ian Turner, coach of Paul Palmer, the Olympic silver medallist, has been appointed as chief coach. He took up his position in early December. With him went Paul and Mark Foster, and initially they are using the four-lane 25-metre pool. Joining as assistant coach in January is Dave Lyle, coach of Jaime King. Jaime represented Great Britain in the breaststroke events at the 1992 and 1996 Olympic Games.