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Welcome to the Swimnerd newsletter where each week we highlight the most interesting stuff going on in swimming.

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• 🏊‍♂️ 2022 European Championships Top 5 Swims

• ⚔️ Duel in the Pool Review

• 🤡 Swimming Meme of the Week

• 📜 Swimming Set of the Week

🏊‍♀️ 2022 EUROPEAN CHAMPIONSHIPS 🌎

To me, European Championships was hands down the best meet of the year.

Swimming outside in Rome with the best crowd in the world creates the most electrifying atmosphere. The stands were absolutely packed with people waving their country's flags and smashing their noise makers together.

More swim meets need to emulate this environment. Make it a party like the Italians. Put it outside in the sun.

Obviously the top story was David Popovici's remarkable performances breaking the Men's 100 Free World Record and dipping under the 1:43 barrier in the 2 Free.

Brett just interviewed David LIVE on Friday. ICYMI, here is the link to that interview where he talks about how he races the 100 Free, how he got into Stoicism, his relationship with the 400 Free, and much, much more.

🏊🏼 TOP 5 SWIMS 🏊🏿‍♀️

Excluding Popovici, here are my Top 5 swims from 2022 European Championships...

Rūta Meilutytė, Lithuania, 50 Breast, 29.59

I haven't had time yet to listen to the SS interview with Ruta from a week ago but I'm very interested to hear her entire story. Teenage Olympic Champion who left the sport is now back and flirting with the 50 Breast World Record again. According to Jon Rudd, her coach as a teenager, she's an exceptional athlete and impressive kicker.

Diogo Ribeiro, Portugal, 50 Fly, 23.09

Diogo has established himself as Portugal's best swimmer ever at just 17 years old. He nearly broke the World Junior Record in the 50 Fly (23.07), missing it by just .02 of a second.

He also went PB's in the 50 Free (22.07), 100 Free (48.52), and the 100 Fly (51.61). That's one helluva meet. This kid is as fast as Brett.

FWIW, Portugal has never medaled at the Olympics in Swimming...

Lana Pudar, Bosnia & Herzegovina, 200 Fly, 2:06.80

The 16 year old Bosnian, the 2021 and 2022 European Junior Champion is now the European Junior Champion. Big time drops from Worlds to Euros makes this a breakthrough meet for her.

She also captured Bronze in the 100 Fly in 57.2 -- a PB and NR.

Lorenzo Galossi, Italy, 800 Free, 7:43.37

The Italians showed off a super strong stable of swimmers but perhaps none more exciting than Lorenzo Galossi who crushed the World Junior Record in the 800 Free with a beautiful negative split (3:52.9/3:50.4).

Galossi just turned 16 years old at the end of May. That WJR will be sub 7:40 before he ages out.

Unbelievably, he is still 11+ seconds off the World Record set in 2009 by China's Zhang Lin, who came home in 25.9 before Finke made it the cool thing to do.

Virginia Tech Spain, Men's 4x100 Free Relay, 3:13.73

Sergio de Celis (48.41)Luis Domínguez (47.89)Mario Mollà (49.30)Carles Coll (48.13)

Spain's 4x100 FR got 4th -- just missing the podium while setting a NR in the process. Sergio de Celis led off the relay (48.41) in a National Record, as well.

This is a monumental leap for Spain with all eyes on this relay come Paris in 2024.

75% of the relay swims for Sergio Lopez at Virginia Tech.

🏊🏽‍♂️ 2022 DUEL IN THE POOL 🦘

Duel in the Pool wrapped up yesterday morning in Sydney. Saturday and Sunday at 5 AM EST is 2 AM on the West Coast, making it near impossible to grab the American audience.

It also doesn't help that USA Swimming couldn't promote it less. The meet wasn't even on their calendar. Their marketing is abysmal. The athletes should be furious.

As for the gamification of swimming, which is what everyone seems to be trying to do these days, I'm still on the fence.

This meet had three "Powerups" which included "Double Dips" (an extra 50 on the Skins), "Flag Frenzy" (which is double points for the winner but doesn't include any flags), and "Power Play" which is double points for a team's relay if they win.

Plenty of gimmicks but the "Double Dip" might just be the best powerup since the Tanooki suit in Super Mario Bros 3.

This is the first time I can remember seeing American para swimmers and American able bodied swimmers swimming together. Duel in the Pool took it to the next level with everyone swimming side-by-side on the same relays. It was awesome. I wish I had Lizzi Smith's kick and Jamal Hill's pull.

Skins races are the best. It's the perfect combination of racing and conditioning. This meet had a strong practice vibe with all the broken swims. The mystery IM event seemed to be the fan favorite.

Similar to the ISL, they decided to focus mainly on the points. No live results. No event splits. No relay splits. Yes, I do want to know what David Curtiss' split was on the end of that relay. Why swimming shys away from showing all the times -- I'll never understand it.

"Give me times, or give me death." Put it on my headstone.

Due to strategery, when you get two people from the same team advance through to the final skins race, you get to watch essentially a warm down 50. So instead of watching Shayna Jack and Madi Wilson + Mollie O'Callaghan and Kaylee McKeown get after it, they just went super slow to conserve energy. Those aren't going to make it on to SportsCenter's Top 10 Plays of the Week.

I was proud to see Michael Andrew and Shaine Casas race until the bitter end in the Fly Skins, giving the crowd the show they came for. They could have easily dogged it.

The Australian commentators did a beat up job like they usually do. Kurt Hanson brought big energy. Grant Hackett is simply the best. Aaron Peirsol was also there behind the mic - providing his typical cool, calm commentary.

The way the points were set up made the meet very close the entire time. On paper, it looked like Team USA might get their teeth kicked in but we in fact ended up winning.

BRETT HAWKE CLIPS OF THE WEEK

• Meet recovery tips with James Gibson

• Swimming ankle stretches with Santi Grassi

• The true story behind the movie Pride

• Taper strategies for taper blues with Ray Looze

• The Ring Bubble Wizard

This week on INSIDE with BRETT HAWKE...

Ragga Ragnars is a 2x Olympic swimmer from Iceland. You might recognise her from the hit television show, Vikings.

📝 SET OF THE WEEK

Pierre Lafontaine Kick Set

Two weeks of kick from Pierre Lafontaine, the former CEO of Swimming Canada and Head Coach of the Australian Institute of Sport...

Monday: 20x100's Best Average with :10 sec rest

Tuesday: 10x100's All Out @ 4:00

Wednesday: Rest

Thursday: 15x100's Best Average with :10 sec rest

Friday: 7x100's All Out @ 4:00

Monday; 10x100's Best Average with :10 sec rest

Tuesday: 5x100's All Out @ 4:00

Wednesday: Rest

Thursday: 5x100's Best Average with :10 sec rest

Friday: 3x100's All Out @ 4:00

🤡 SWIMMING MEME OF THE WEEK

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