Mat's Swimming Blog

Taormina won a gold medal in swimming at the 1996 Olympic Games in Atlanta, Ga. as a member of the women’s 4x200m Freestyle Relay Team (setting an Olympic record in the process with Trina Jackson, Christina Teusche and Jenny Thompson). After retiring from swimming she took up triathlon and made both the 2000 and 2004 U.S. Olympic Teams, finishing sixth and 23rd respectively in Sydney, Australia and Athens, Greece. Taormina took up the sport of modern pentathlon in June of 2005 and quickly found herself at the top of the U.S. rankings and among the top ten in the world.

The sport of modern pentathlon consists of five disciplines, three of which Taormina had never done prior to taking up the sport. Now 39 years old, Taormina had the swimming and running down from her time in her previous sports, but shooting, fencing and riding were all disciplines that she had to learn and she did so quickly. Taormina’s top finish on the Union Internationale de Pentathlon Moderne (UIPM) World Cup Circuit came in Cairo, Egypt in 2007 with a silver medal.
(Photo of Shelia Taormina by Matthew Stockman/Getty Images)

The USA duet of Christina Jones (Fremont, Calif.) and Andrea Nott (San Jose, Calif.) finished out the 2008 Olympic Synchronized Swimming Duet competition in fifth place today, with a mark of 95.500. The reigning World and Olympic Champions, Anastasia Davydova and Anastasia Ermakova took the top spot on the podium with a nearly flawless 99.833.
(Photo of Christina Jones and Andrea Nott by Jonathan Ferrey/Getty Images)

Chloe Sutton (Ladera Ranch, Calif.) placed 22nd in the first staging of the Olympic marathon 10km swim Wednesday morning at the Shunyi Rowing-Canoeing Park. Her time was 2:02:13.6, 2:45.9 behind the gold medal effort of Larisa Ilchenko of Russia with a 1:59:27.7. The silver medal went to Keri-Anne Payne of Great Britain with a 1:59:29.2, while Cassandra Patten of Great Britain won the bronze medal with a 1:59:31.0.
(Photo of Chloe Sutton by Nick Laham/Getty Images)

There is only one thing standing in the way of champion Kenyon Smith and his dreams of winning a gold medal in Beijing. In the world of Olympic synchronized swimming, boys aren't allowed. Take a look at one of our nation's most promising young athletes and the discrimination he faces on a daily basis. (Photo of Kenyon Smith by Al Bello/Getty Images)

American open water swimmers will begin competition Wednesday with the Olympic debut of the 10k marathon swim competition. Chloe Sutton (Mission Viejo, Calif.) will compete in the women's race on Wednesday, August 20, and Mark Warkentin (Santa Barbara, Calif.) will compete in the men's race on Thursday, August 21.

Sutton qualified in the women's 10K Olympic event following her win at the 10K Olympic Open Water Test Event held in Beijing, China on May 31. Warkentin qualified for an Olympic berth following his seventh place finish in the 10k event at the 2008 FINA Open Water World Championships on May 4 in Seville, Spain. Both the 28-year-old Warkentin and the 16-year-old Sutton will be competing in their first Olympics.

The swim will take place at the Shunyi Olympic Rowing-Canoeing Park in Beijing, China. Both competitions begin at 9 a.m. local time.
(Photo by Cameron Spencer/Getty Images)

The duet of Christina Jones (Fremont, Calif.) and Andrea Nott (San Jose, Calif.) concluded the preliminary duet competition in fifth place today, with a mark of 95.500. The pair performed their "Metamorphosis" themed routine in front of a packed house at the Water Cube.
(Photo of Christina Jones and Andrea Nott by Jeff Gross/Getty Images)

Brenda Villa (Commerce, CA) scored three goals late including the winner with one minute remaining to defeat Australia 9-8 and the U.S. Olympic Team for Women's Water Polo is headed back to the Gold Medal game for the first time since the 2000 Olympics in Sydney. The victory over Australia earlier today at the Ying Tung Natatorium also assures the women's team of medaling for the third consecutive Olympics something no other women's team has accomplished.

Russia's synchronized swimming duet of Davydoav and Ermakova are in the lead after Monday's duet technical routine at the 2008 Beijing Olympics. The USA synchro duet of Jones and Nott are currently in 5th. Competition resumes Tuesday with the preliminary round of the duet free routines.

The duet of Christina Jones (Fremont, Calif.) and Andrea Nott (San Jose, Calif.) finished the technical portion of the duet competition in fifth place with a score of 95.500 today. Tuesday's action will feature the duet free routine which will be combined with fifty percent of today's score to determine the 12 finalists which will advance to the free routine finals, held on Wednesday.
(Photo of Christina Jones and Andrea Nott by Cameron Spencer/Getty Images)

Jeff Powers (San Luis Obispo, Calif. ) and Adam Wright (Seal Beach, Calif.) each scored two goals and Merrill Moses (Rancho Palos Verdes, Calif ) recorded 14 saves to spark the United States to an 8-7 win in men's water polo action at the Yingdong Natatorium Monday afternoon.

The victory moved the U.S. record to 4-1. The win Monday, coupled with a 13-12 victory by Italy over Serbia earlier in the day, locked the Americans in as the top seed coming out of Group B and moves them directly into the semifinal on Thursday, August 22. That assures that the United States men will play for a medal for the first time since the 1992 Barcelona Olympic Games.
(Photo of Moses Merrill by Jonathan Ferrey/Getty Images)

After being the first athletes named to a 2008 United States Olympic Team for any sport, Christina Jones (Fremont, Calif.) and Andrea Nott (San Jose, Calif.) will make their Olympic Games debut on Monday, August 18. Synchronized swimming will kick off competition with the duet technical event beginning at 3:00 p.m. at the Water Cube. Tuesday's action will feature the duet free routine which determines the 12 duets which will advance to the free routine finals, held on Wednesday.