Olympic Preview: Men's and Women's 800 Freestyle Relay

GILLETTE, New Jersey, RENANG INDONESIA - AS we creep closer to the Olympic Games in London this summer, Swimming World will produce event-by-event previews of the action set to unfold. As part of this series, we'll not only look at the leading contenders in each event, we'll also provide a historical perspective on each discipline. This approach was successful in the leadup to the Beijing Games and we hope our readership enjoys the coverage for this Olympiad.

Event: Women's 800 Freestyle Relay 

Reigning Champion: Australia.
Past Champions: United States (1996); United States (2000); United States (2004); Australia (2008).
World Record: China (Yang Yu, Zhu Qianwei, Liu Jing, Pang Jiaying) 7:42.08.
Notable: It would have been nice if this event had been added to the Olympic schedule prior to 1996, thus giving the likes of Australia's Dawn Fraser the chance at another medal to add to her storied legacy.

The Headliners: Heading into London, the United States will be the favorite for the gold medal in an event which routinely offers shifts in momentum. Coming off a victory at the World Championships last summer in Shanghai, the USA will benefit from a spectacular one-two combination: Missy Franklin and Allison Schmitt. Both women will be in the mix for individual medals in the 200 free and will be asked to unload in relay duty as well.

How the American team will be filled out won't be known until after the Olympic Trials, but Katie Hoff and Dagny Knutson did their parts on the squad that won the world title. Of course, they'll find themselves chased feverishly for those coveted relay slots. As for other nations, Australia will have a dangerous unit, paced by Kylie Palmer and Bronte Barratt. Melanie Schlanger is expected to handle another leg while Stephanie Rice did enough at the Aussie Trials in the semifinal round to warrant a position in London.

Regardless of the team it fields for the Olympic Games, China will have a foursome capable of securing a medal and, potentially, pushing for gold. Tang Yi and Pang Jiaying have been consistent performers for the Chinese. With Camille Muffat on the roster, France has a loaded gun to power its chances and Hungary has several capable women of coming together to threaten a minor medal.

On its home soil, Great Britain should be able to put together a quartet which is solid. Caitlin McClatchey and Rebecca Turner provide an immediate spark. For Canada, it will rely on the likes of Barbara Jardin.

What Else?: It will be interesting to see if the Netherlands can piece together a team capable of making a little noise in the 800 free relay. While Femke Heemskerk is an established performer in the 200 free, she's going to need significant help for the Dutch to do anything noteworthy.

Event: Men's 800 Freestyle Relay
Reigning Champion: United States.
Past Champions: Great Britain (1908); Australasia (1912); United States (1920); United States (1924); United States (1928); Japan (1932); Japan (1936); United States (1948); United States (1952); Australia (1956); United States (1960); United States (1964); United States (1968); United States (1972); United States (1976); Soviet Union (1980); United States (1984); United States (1988); Unified Team (1992); United States (1996); Australia (2000); United States (2004); United States (2008).
World Record: United States (Michael Phelps, Ricky Berens, Dave Walters, Ryan Lochte) 6:58.55.
Notable: The only two times Japan has won an Olympic relay title was in this event. The Japanese prevailed in 1932 and repeated in 1936, although Masanori Yusa was the only athlete to compete on both relays.

The Headliners: While the rest of the world has demonstrated the ability to package much-improved relays, the United States is the favorite to win a third consecutive Olympic gold medal in the 800 free relay. Why? It starts with the duo of Michael Phelps and Ryan Lochte. Phelps, of course, is the reigning Olympic champion and the fastest 200 freestyler ever in a textile suit. Meanwhile, Lochte has soared up the charts in this event and is the reigning world champion.

Whoever occupies the other two slots will certainly be fast enough, given the United States' depth. Peter Vanderkaay, a longtime staple on this relay, will undoubtedly be in the mix, along with Ricky Berens, the man who took Klete Keller's place following his retirement. The Olympic Trials will clear up a lot of questions in a little more than a month.

Keeping an eye on China and Russia will be a must. While Sun Yang is a hammer for the Chinese, questions abound about its team, especially with Zhang Lin swimming poorly at his Olympic Trials. It's uncertain at this time which team will step to the blocks, but a loaded and peaking Chinese team will be difficult to handle. After all, China won bronze in the 800 free relay at the last World Championships. For Russia, it has plenty of power in Danila Izotov, Nikita Lobintsev and Evgeny Lagunov.

Coming of a silver medal at the World Champs, France will again be a factor in the medal hunt. With Yannick Agnel and Amaury Leveaux, the French look good. However, they possess depth as well, thanks to the presence of Gregory Mallet and Clement Leffert. Other pushes for the final will come from Germany, fueled by Paul Biedermann, and Australia, which will need improvement across the board to contend due to its lack of a star 200 freestyler.

What Else?: The leadoff legs of this relay could make the event partly resemble the 200 free. The likes of Michael Phelps, Yannick Agnel and Paul Biedermann were leadoff swimmers at the World Champs, adding intrigue to the race from the start. (swimmingworld)

Empat Atlet Renang Tunggu Kepastian Tampil di Olimpiade London

JAKARTA, RENANG INDONESIA - Dari 21 atlet yang dipastikan lolos ke Olimpiade London, 27 Juli-12 Agustus 2012, empat atlet masih menunggu keputusan resmi London Olympic Games Organizing Committee (LOGOC) untuk bisa bertanding di Olimpiade nanti.

Keempat atlet itu berasal dari cabang olah raga renang. Pasalnya, sejauh ini, perenang Indonesia baru lolos kualifiksi B. Keputusan resmi bisa atau tidaknya mereka tampil di London nanti, baru diputuskan oleh panpel Olimpiade setelah keluar rekap hasil peserta Olimpiade yang lolos kualifikasi A.

Maka, untuk sementara total masih 17 atlet yang baru resmi didaftarkan Satuan Pelaksana Tugas Program Indonesia Emas (Satlak Prima) ke LOGOC. Ke-17 atlet tersebut dari cabang panahan dan anggar dengan masing-masing satu orang, lalu angkat besi (6), dan bulutangkis (9).

Ketua KONI Pusat, Tono Suratman kepada wartawan di Kantor KONI Pusat, Kamis (10/5/12) menuturkan, saat ini, pihaknya masih menunggu tambahan atlet dari tinju putri, atletik, serta panahan recurve beregu putri.

"Maksimal, kita paling banyak hanya bisa menambah 4-5 atlet lagi dari tiga cabor tersebut. Kami juga menunggu kepastian dari renang, apakah lolos atas tidak keempat atlet tersebut," ujarnya. (PIKIRAN RAKYAT)

Kejurnas, Jatim Turunkan 109 Perenang

Kolam renang KONI Jatim Surabaya

SURABAYA – RENANG INDONESIA - Sebagai tuan rumah Kejurnas Renang membuat Jawa Timur akan memanfaatkannya dengan menerjunkan banyak atlet. Hingga saat ini sudah 109 atlet disiapkan PRSI Jatim menghadapi event yang akan digelar pada 18-20 Mei di kolam renang KONI Jatim.

Skuad Jatim tersebut termasuk di dalamnya anggota pemusatan latihan daerah (Puslatda) renang Jatim yang diproyeksikan ke PON 2012 di Riau. Kekuatan Jatim ini bakal bersaing dengan sejumlah perenang nasional yang kebanyakan anggota tim PON daerah lain. Tak pelak ajang ini pun jadi pemanasan bagi para perenang sebelum terjun di PON mendatang.

Manajer Kejurnas Jatim, Priyo Purwoko mengatakan, ajang ini patut dimanfaatkan dengan baik oleh para perenang Jatim untuk menunjukkan kualitas mereka. “Lingkupnya kan nasional, pasti para perenang terbaik dari berbagai daerah bakal bersaing di Kejurnas nanti. Perenang Jatim juga harus menunjukkan kualitas mereka dengan menjadi yang terbaik, terlebih lagi kita main di kandang,” ujarnya Selasa (8/5).
Priyo juga mengharapkan lewat ajang Kejurnas ini punggawa Puslatda Jatim juga bisa melihat kekuatan calon rival mereka di PON mendatang, sehingga bisa mengukur sejauh mana pencapaian saat ini. kelebihan dan kekurangan apa yang perlu dibenahi lagi.

Sementara itu, Klub Renang Petrokimia Gresik (KRPG) yang terbanyak menyumbangkan atletnya di Puslatda renang Jatim, akan menurunkan 25 perenang terbaiknya dari skuad renang Jatim. “Jumlah tersebut sebenarnya lebih sedikit bila dibandingkan dengan ajang serupa sebelumnya. Dulu kita kirim 55 atlet ke Kejurnas Bandung, saat ini hanya 25 saja yang masuk tim Jatim,” ujar asisten KRPG, Dudy Priharyadi.
Nama-nama seperti Christopher Tedjobuwono, Nurul Fajar Fitriati, Dian Reza Anggraini dan Yessika KH merupakan punggawa Puslatda Jatim dari Petrokimia yang bakal turun membela Jatim. Sementara atlet-atlet berprestasi non Puslatda seperti Muhammad Auliya Akbar, Wiranto Adi Wicaksono, Krisna Bayu, Arshinar Yumarianin Putri dan Novi Sukmaningsih juga bakal menambah kekuatan Jatim nanti.

“Saat ini persiapan anak-anak sudah rutin menjalani latihan, peningkatan sprint mereka kita asah biar lebih baik dalam pencapaian waktunya, setidaknya anak-anak bisa melebihi pencapaian waktu dari ajang kejuaraan renang yang telah diikutinya sebelumnya,” tambahnya. (surabayapost)

Olympic Preview: Men's and Women's 200 Freestyle -- May 7, 2012

By John Lohn

GILLETTE, New Jersey, May 7. AS we creep closer to the Olympic Games in London this summer, Swimming World will produce event-by-event previews of the action set to unfold. As part of this series, we'll not only look at the leading contenders in each event, we'll also provide a historical perspective on each discipline. This approach was successful in the leadup to the Beijing Games and we hope our readership enjoys the coverage for this Olympiad.

Event: Women's 200 Freestyle 

Federica Pellegrina

Reigning Champion: Federica Pellegrini (Italy).
Past Champions: Debbie Meyer (1968); Shane Gould (1972), Kornelia Ender (1976); Barbara Krause (1980); Mary Wayte (1984); Heike Friedrich (1988); Nicole Haislett (1992); Claudia Poll (1996); Susie O'Neill (2000); Camelia Potec (2004); Federica Pellegrini (2008).
World Record: Federica Pellegrini (Italy) 1:52.98.
Notable: Through the 2004 Olympics, this event had been relatively stagnant, with not much development noticeable in the victorious Olympic times. However, the event has boomed dramatically, thanks to the efforts of Federica Pellegrini, and the previous performances of Laure Manaudou.

The Headliners: At one time, Italy's Federica Pellegrini was the undisputed queen of the 200 freestyle. As the defending champion and continuing to produce stellar performances, Pellegrini will be expected to defend her title admirably. However, she's going to have a navigate a mine field in order to repeat.

For starters, Pellegrini needs to only look at her home continent to find a pair of big-time contenders for her gold medal. France's Camille Muffat has been swimming tremendously and has already dipped into the 1:54 range this year. Meanwhile, Sweden's Sarah Sjostrom, a multi-event standout, has been 1:55-low and appears to have much more in her arsenal.

For the United States, Missy Franklin and Allison Schmitt will be expected to shine. Franklin had the No. 1 time in the world last year while leading off the American 800 free relay. In terms of Schmitt, she's been producing fast times on a regular basis and has the talent to improve on her sixth-place finish from last year's World Championships.

Australia will turn to the tandem of Kylie Palmer and Bronte Barratt, with Palmer the reigning silver medalist in the event from the World Champs. Add in the Netherlands' Femke Heemskerk and the field gets even better. A year ago, Heemskerk was ranked No. 2 in the world.

What Else?: What kind of time will it take to stand on the podium? Put it this way: There won't be much shock if the three medalists are all under 1:55 and closer to popping times near 1:54-low.

Event: Men's 200 Freestyle
Reigning Champion: Michael Phelps (United States).
Past Champions: Fred Lane (1900); Michael Wenden (1968); Mark Spitz (1972); Bruce Furniss (1976); Sergey Kopliakov (1980); Michael Gross (1984); Duncan Armstrong (1988); Yevgeny Sadovyi (1992); Danyon Loader (1996); Pieter van den Hoogenband (2000); Ian Thorpe (2004); Michael Phelps (2008).. 

World Record: Paul Biedermann (Germany) 1:42.00.
Notable: The last three winners of this event, Pieter van den Hoogenband, Ian Thorpe and Michael Phelps, have combined for a total of 32 Olympic medals. Phelps has accounted for 16 of those medals, with Thorpe checking in at nine medals and van den Hoogenband sitting at seven.

The Headliners: The 200 freestyle could be the premier event of the London games, given the star power and depth which will be on display. For starters, the United States will offer the talents of Michael Phelps and Ryan Lochte. While Phelps is the defending champion, Lochte prevailed at last summer's World Championships. It wouldn't be surprising if the Americans earn gold and silver, but in what order?

Beyond Phelps and Lochte, the duo of South Korea's Tae Hwan Park and China's Sun Yang will be dangerous. Park was the silver medalist in the 200 free at the Beijing Olympics and finished fourth at last year's World Champs, just shy of the bronze medal. As for Sun, he's the favorite to win gold in the 1500 free, but also possesses the speed necessary to contend in the four-lap event.

After he won the 2009 world title, with the aid of a high-tech suit, Germany's Paul Biedermann was vilified in some circles as being merely a suit swimmer. However, he proved his worth at last summer's World Champs by taking the bronze medal. While Biedermann will never threaten his world record of 1:42.00, he could medal. If that scenario is to play out, Biedermann will have to deal with the likes of France's Yannick Agnel, a rising star in the freestyle events and fifth in the 200 free at the World Champs.

Several other names need to be included in the conversation, such as Japan's Takeshi Matsuda and Russian Danila Izotov. Also keep an eye on France's Amaury Leveaux and Australia's Thomas Fraser-Holmes. The semifinals of this event should be extremely quick due to the difficulty of landing a spot in the championship final.

What Else?: The longer this event is examined, the more it seems a 1:43 clocking will be needed for a medal. It doesn't seem as if anything in the 1:44 range will be good enough for the podium, unlike the scenario that unfolded at the World Champs in Shanghai. (swimmingworld)

OLIMPIADE: Belum Ada Tambahan Atlet Renang Indonesia yang Lolos

JAKARTA: RENANG INDONESIA-Tim renang Indonesia belum berhasil menambah atletnya yang lolos pada Olimpiade London 2012, meskipun berhasil keluar sebagai juara umum pada kejuaraan renang Malaysia Open, beberapa waktu lalu.

Manajer Tim Renang Pelatnas Hartadi Nurjojo, ketika dihubungi dari Semarang, Selasa, mengatakan, memang Indonesia menjadi juara umum di Malaysia, tetapi catatan waktu yang dicapai perenang Indonesia belum mampu menembus limit waktu Olimpiade.

"Kita masih memiliki satu kesempatan menambah perenang yang lolos ke Olimpiade melalui kejuaraan Akuatik Asia Tenggara di Singapura, 16-18 Mei 2012," kata Hartadi, yang juga Ketua Harian Pengprov PRSI Jawa Tengah tersebut.

Menurut dia, kejuaraan di Singapura tersebut merupakan ajang terakhir babak kualifikasi Olimpiade 2012. "Kita tidak ikut kejuaraan renang di Portugal karena waktunya hampir bersamaan dengan di Singapura," katanya.

Ia mengatakan, kalau untuk Asia Tenggara, kualifikasi terakhir di Singapura, sedangkan di belahan Eropa yaitu di Portugal. "Kami sudah diperintahkan PB PRSI agar titik puncak perenang Indonesia ada pada kejuaraan di Singapura mendatang," katanya.

Indonesia sudah meloloskan empat perenangnya ke Olimpiade mendatang, yaitu Glenn Victor (100 meter gaya kupu) dan Triadi Fauzi (200 meter gaya kupu) melalui kejuaraan renang Singapura Open 2012, kemudian I Gede Siman Sudartawa (100 dan 200 meter gaya punggung) dan Indra Gunawan (100 meter gaya dada) melalui SEA Games XXVI/2011.

Seperti diketahui, tim renang Indonesia menjadi juara umum pada kejuaraan renang Malaysia Open di Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, 3-6 Mei 2012.

Indonesia menjadi juara umum dengan mengumpulkan 14 medali emas, 13 medali perak, dan tujuh medali perunggu, diikuti India dengan enam medali emas, dua perak, dan empat perunggu, sedangkan Singapura menempati peringkat ketiga dengan empat medali emas, dua perak, dan tiga perunggu.

Tim renang Hong Kong menempati peringkat keempat dengan empat medali emas, satu perak, dan lima perunggu, diikuti Sabah Asa dengan tiga emas dan satu perak, Pra Kuala Lumpur menempati peringkat keenam dengan dua medali emas, satu perak, dan tiga perunggu.

Tim renang Federasi Australia menempati peringkat ketujuh dengan satu emas, tiga perak, serta tiga perunggu, dan lain sebagainya. (Suara Karya)

Perolehan Medali:

1.      Indonesia Swimming Federation (14-13-7)

2.      India Swimming Federation (6-2-4)

3.      Singapore SA (4-2-3)

4.      Hong Kong Swimmingteam (4-1-5)

5.      Sabah Asa (3-1-0)

6.      Pra Kuala Lumpur (2-1-3)

7.      Australia Swimming Federation (2-1-2)

8.      Pra Perak (2-0-0)

9.      Pra Selangor (1-5-7)

10.  Sarawak Amateur Swimming Assoc (1-3-3)

11.  Pra Negeri Sembilan (1-2-0)

12.  Iran Swimming Federation (0-4-0)

13.  Sri Lanka Sports Union (0-1-1)

14.  Pra Pahang (0-1-0)

15.  Pra Johor (0-0-2 )

Olimpiade 2012, Satlak Prima Daftarkan 17 Atlet ke KOI

Sebanyak 17 atlet Indonesia resmi didaftarkan Satuan Pelaksana Program Indonesia Emas (Satlak Prima) ke Komite Olimpiade Indonesia (KOI) untuk diterjunkan dalam Olimpiade London, Inggris, 27 Juli-12 Agustus mendatang. Mereka berasal dari cabang olahraga bulu tangkis, angkat besi, anggar dan panahan.

Menurut Ketua Satlak Prima, Aslizar Tanjung, sebenarnya terdapat 22 atlet yang dimungkinkan lolos kualifikasi Olimpiade. Namun, lima orang di antaranya masih menunggu pengumuman dan hasil penghitungan yang dilakukan masing-masing federasi internasional. Lima atlet yang menunggu tersebut, empat orang dari cabang renang dan satu dari judo.

"Untuk judo, kami masih menunggu penghitungan terakhir dari International Judo Federation (IJF) yang akan dirilis pada 10 Mei 2012. Atlet kita yang dimungkinkan lolos adalah I Putu Desta Wiradanungga dari Bali," kata Tanjung kepada Bola.net.

Sementara itu, empat atlet renang yang memiliki peluang adalah Glenn Victor(100 m gaya kupu-kupu), Indra Gunawan dan Triadi Fayzi (200 m gaya kupu-kupu), serta I Gede Siman (100 m dan 200 m gaya punggung).

Menurut Aslizar Tanjung, empat perenang tersebut baru dinyatakan lolos kualifikasi B. Mereka masih menunggu sisa kuota di kualifikasi A untuk memastikan status keberadaannya di Olimpiade London.

"Untuk kuota kualifikasi A berjumlah 900 perenang. Kami optimis empat atlet tersebut bakal lolos. Sebab, yang lolos kualifikasi A tak mungkin mencapai 900 perenang," ungkapnya.

Selain itu, sembilan pebulu tangkis yang didaftarkan adalah Simon Santoso, Taufik Hidayat, Maria Febe atau Adriana Firdasari, Mohammad Ahsan/Bona Septano, Tontowi Ahmad/Lilyana Natsir dan Greysia Polli/Meilani Jauhari. Lalu, enam atlet angkat besi di antaranya Jadi Setiadi(kelas 56 kg), Eko Yuli Irawan (62 kg), M Hasdi (62 kg), Triyatno (69 kg),Denny (69 kg) dan satu putri yang belum ditentukan namanya. Disusul kemudian satu atlet anggar Diah Permatasari kelas sabel perorangan putri dan satu atlet panahan Ika Yuliana. (Bola.net)

Akbar Nasution Berlatih untuk PON di Singapura

M Akbar Nasution

Jakarta - RENANG INDONESIA - Perenang nasional yang dipersiapkan mengikuti Pekan Olahraga Nasional di Riau, 9-20 September 2012, M Akbar Nasution, sekarang sedang berlatih di Singapura hingga menjelang keberangkatan menuju pesta olahraga empat tahunan mendatang.

Berlatihnya atlet andalan Sumatera Selatan ke luar negeri itu karena bila latihan di Indonesia peluangnya untuk mendapatkan medali sangat kecil, kata Kepala Bidang Pembinaan Prestasi KONI Sumsel, Djumadin Syafril di Palembang, Selasa.

Pesaingnya di Indonesia cukup ketat sehingga atlet tersebut harus berlatih ke luar negeri supaya prestasinya semakin bagus.

Sehubungan itu, pihaknya mengirimkan atlet tersebut berlatih ke luar negeri supaya peluangnya untuk mendapatkan medali emas terpenuhi, katanya.

Pada PON mendatang, M Akbar direncanakan turun di nomor 400 meter dan 1.500 meter gaya bebas, dan kedua nomor tersebut peluang mendapat emas sangat besar.

Mengenai latihan ke luar negeri, kata dia, semua atlet diberikan kesempatan terutama bila mereka pernah juara nasional.

Selain itu, atlet yang berlatih ke luar negeri sangat besar peluang mendapatkan medali pada pesta olahraga akbar mendatang, sehingga pihaknya memprioritaskan.

Ketika ditanya target cabang olahraga renang untuk mendapatkan medali di PON, dia mengatakan, pihaknya menargetkan lima emas.

Hal ini karena atlet yang dipersiapkan mengikuti PON sudah berpengalaman, dan bedasarkan evaluasi dalam latihan selama ini prestasinya terus meningkat, kata dia.

Berdasarkan data atlet renang Sumsel yang ikut PON sebanyak lima orang yakni M Akbar Nasution, Bily Afrianto, Armeini Yusita, Feriansyah dan Meilina Sari.[ INILAH.COM /antara)