Sport Shorts: Swimming to the Podium
Double Silver: The FINA World Aquatic Championship wrapped up in Shanghai Sunday, with Canadian swimmer Ryan Cochrane (Victoria, B.C.) making a statement by capturing multiple medals. Last Wednesday, the 22-year-old finished second in the men’s 800-metre freestyle, clocking in at 7:41.86 behind Yang Sun of China. The mark lowered his own Canadian record of 7:41.92, by six one-hundredths of a second. Four days later, Cochrane was at it again, winning the silver in the men’s 1,500-metre freestyle, with a time of 14:44.46.
Lucky Seven: Ryan Cochrane wasn’t the only Canadian swimmer to win a medal last week. Martha McCabe (Vancouver, B.C.) won a bronze medal in the women’s 200-metre breaststroke, finishing with a time of 2:24.81. A day earlier, Brent Hayden (Vancouver, B.C.) claimed silver in the men’s 100-metre freestyle race in 47.95 seconds, just over two seconds behind Australia’s James Magnussen. Hayden was also part of the men’s 4×100 medley relay team, which placed seventh overall, qualifying Canada for the event at next summer’s Olympic Games in London. Canada heads home from the World Aquatic Championships with seven medals – four silver and three bronze, ranking eighth overall by total medal count.
Acing the Test: Catharine Pendrel is ready for the world. The Kamloops, B.C. native was first across the finish line at the 2011 Hadleigh Farm International Olympic Test Event Sunday, an event aimed at testing the mountain bike course in Essex, Great Britain that will be used during next year’s Olympic Games. Pendrel completed the course in 1:32:04.
Lights, Camera, Action!: With Canada gearing up for the London 2012 Games, the initial broadcast team was announced last week to mark the one-year countdown. Veteran Olympic host Brian Williams returns as the fixture of the cast, which also features Olympians Catriona Le May Doan, Nathalie Lambert, Marnie McBean, Kyle Shewfelt and Alexandre Bilodeau, the first Canadian to win an Olympic gold medal on home soil. The rest of the team is made up of members of Canada’s Olympic Broadcast Media Consortium (CTV Olympics) – including sportscasters from TSN, RDS and Rogers Sportsnet.
Medals Revealed: With the official one-year countdown to London 2012 occurring last week, the medals that will be awarded next summer were officially unveiled. The front of each medal illustrates Nike, the Greek Goddess of Victory, while the backs contain five symbolic elements:
- The dished background suggests a bowl similar to the design of an amphitheatre.
- The core (London 2012) emblem is an architectural expression, a metaphor for the modern City, or as a geological metaphor as a tough crystalline growth which is deliberately jewel-like.
- The grid brings both a pulling together and sense of outreach on the design – an image of radiating energy that represents the athletes’ achievements and effort.
- The River Thames is a symbol for London and also suggests a fluttering baroque ribbon and adds a sense of celebration.
- The square is the final balancing motif of the design, opposing the overall circularity of the design and emphasising its focus on the centre and reinforcing the sense of ‘place’ as in a map inset.
The medals are also the largest ever to be awarded at an Olympic Games. To view the London 2012 medals, and learn more go to: http://www.london2012.com/news/2011/07/olympic-medals-unveiled-to-the-world.php
