Open Water Wednesday - Winning Olympic Gold

SwimNetwork posted an article on how Maarten van der Weijden captured the Olympic 10K Marathon Swim gold medal despite having slower pool times than some of his competitors - and what it will take to win in Rome at the 2009 world championships.

Photo of Maarten van der Weijden in Beijing by SwimNetwork.

Women Win Round The Statue Of Liberty

Rondi Davies (first overall in 18:16), Margie Pedder (second overall in 18:24) and Maeve Russell (fourth overall in 20:53) represented women well at the first 1.2K Liberty Island Swim. The always innovative NYC Swim's latest swim is presented here:

Core Body Temperature - Open Water Swimming Word Of The Day

Core body temperature (noun): The operating temperature of a human, specifically in the deep structures of the body such as the liver, in comparison to the temperature of peripheral tissues.

This optimum temperature is 36.8°C (98.2°F) through it varies regularly as controlled by one's circadian rhythms.

Temperature examination in the rectum is the traditional standard measurement used to estimate core temperature. The swimmer finished the race, but her core body temperature had dropped significantly and she was experiencing hypothermia. Synonyms: core temperature, normal human body temperature.

Excerpt from the Open Water Swimming Dictionary (2009 English edition).

Photo of Pavel Kuznetsov after his English Channel crossing.

Open Water Swimming Hero Of The Day - Des Renford

Des Renford of Australia was inducted in the International Marathon Swimming Hall of Fame in 1978

Des was King of the Channel® between 1975 and 1979 with 19 successful crossings (out of 19 attempts) of the English Channel that included 10 records. He was the first person complete three crossings in a year. He was also King of the Channel® briefly in 1980 after he achieved his eighteenth crossing.

Des swam the 22.5K (13.9-mile) Sydney Harbour swim from Luna Park to Manly and back in Australia. He won a 60K (37.2-mile) race down the Murray River from Mindook Creek to Mildura in Australia in 1969 in 19 hours. He swam a 36.6K (22.7-mile) race across Queensland's Moreton Bay in Australia in 1973. He completed a 90K (55.9-mile) ocean swim from Watsons Bay to Wollongong in 27 hours and 30 minutes in 1974. He set a record for a swim around Alcatraz Island in 1977.

Excerpt from 10Kswim.com.