Michael's Blog: Post Olympics

[caption id="attachment_4155" align="alignright" width="300"] After a post - Olympic whirlwind of activities, Michael has got back into training at Bath University. He also visited Swindon Dolphins last week, who described him as a "great ambassador for our sport" :)[/caption]

Where has the time gone?! I can't believe it's been over 2 months since the Olympic Games. There have been so many exciting events in the aftermath so there’s a lot to fill you in on!

Firstly, thank you all for your messages and support over the last 12 months, especially during the trials event in March - it really has made a difference and I'm delighted we have a medal to show for it.  My whole career has been in preparation for the 2012 summer and I didn't give much thought to events taking place in the seasons following the Olympic Games but it’s already underway.

The Games were everything I hoped they would be. The atmosphere in the Olympic village, the enthusiasm from the games makers and volunteers, bumping into sporting superstars and having breakfast with them too all helped create the Olympic experience.  I felt there was a mutual respect between the athletes, all aware of the commitment and preparation that has gone before.

From a performance perspective, the British swim team didn't perform as well as we should have and I'm not too sure why. The advantage of a home crowd was a huge positive for me and a pressure that I felt comfortable and relaxed in. I love the big occasions, it's the main reason I'm in the sport and I couldn't help but smile when parading to my block pre races.  Swimming in the 100m breaststroke before the 200m was perfect preparation. I swam a sizeable best time and from then on, the nerves were outweighed by excitement.

After the semi-final of the 200m, I knew I had more in the tank and that a medal was a possibility, but I never allowed myself to think of Gold - something I regret now. Daniel Gyurta, unbeaten in 4 years, was the overwhelming favourite and I didn't believe I could beat him, until it was too late. I'd targeted 2.08.0 in 2006 as a time I was capable of swimming and one which 'should' be enough to make the podium. The final turned out to be the first race of my career where I've surprised myself.

I felt strong during the race - the years of 'one more rep' circuits, sleeping in altitude tents, living in a cardboard box sized studio room in Paris and the self-imposed alcohol bans all paying off.  Relief and happiness were closely matched after the race; I definitely had a fear of failure in the lead up to the Games, which I managed to get under control after the trials in March.

Since the Games, I had a busy but sizeable break from the water, the highlight being meeting my sporting idol, Pele, at a function in London. I was hugely honoured to meet him and to have a few words of advice about the importance of respect and self-belief.

In the past few weeks, I've gone back to the water and started training again. The challenge for me now is to look at the Olympic Games as another breakthrough. I'll have much more pressure on my performances now and any major international that doesn't result in a medal finish will be viewed as a disappointment.

I don't want the Olympic Games to be my career highlight and so have had no trouble in terms of motivation to get back to training. I'll be competing at the World short course Champs in Istanbul in December and then the British Champs as a qualifier for the World long course in Barcelona next summer.

Thanks again for all your support & hopefully we will be celebrating more medals in the coming seasons! :)

Thanks Michael - it's great to hear your personal experience of the Games! There were lots of hoarse voices around Smiths News for a few days from cheering you on so much ;)

We're all so proud of your achievements and glad to have lent our support along the way. We're looking forward to welcoming you to our Community Awards event on November 2nd.

Michael's Olympics: So Close

I thought you might like to see Michael's analysis of Saturday night's race...

High as a kite after that relay! Seeded 14th..finished 4th! Amazing swims...love racing with these guys! :)

— Michael Jamieson (@mj88live) August 4, 2012

Privileged to swim in the GOATs last ever race! So lucky to have raced 6 times in front of the crowd this week, really loved it! :) — Michael Jamieson (@mj88live) August 4, 2012

GOAT = Greatest Of All Time i.e. Michael Phelps.

And then there's this rather nice touch...

Thank you to all those who sent in questions & watched the final night of swimming I gave Pride the Lion Michael Scott to give to the team

— Clare Balding (@clarebalding1) August 4, 2012

He said he’d give Pride to Michael Jamieson so look after him @mj88live. He’s very special & those are Thorpe’s goggles twitter.com/clarebalding1/…

— Clare Balding (@clarebalding1) August 4, 2012

Michael appeared on Breakfast News this morning. As Team GB's most successful swimmer in the pool I suspect a lot of media work will follow! He's already looking forward to next year's world championships...

Message From Jackie Jamieson: Wow!

Jackie Jamieson has been in touch asking that the following message of thanks be circulated to everyone who supported Michael...

[caption id="attachment_3904" align="alignright" width="180"] A very precious thing[/caption]

I cannot put into words how we all feel. We knew going into that Final Michael would have to pull out a spectacular performance.

He did exactly that. I honestly thought I was going to combust. The noise inside the stadium was overwhelming and when he touched the wall euphoria kicked in. He has had an absolutely amazing time at his first Olympics and I know that he's done us all proud.

The messages from everyone including staff that have since moved on in the business has been totally overwhelming. I was still reading them at 5am this [Thursday] morning...

So happy so many people were able to be a part of Michael's journey.

Thank you all so much.

Jackie, Mike and Lauren

As well as Jackie sending us a picture of Michael's medal he tweeted another photo of it yesterday, saying:

..almost! :P can't believe this is mine... Thank you for all the notes & to everyone at Parkhead*!! :) ... amazing...

Another tweeter asked him how many times he'd looked at his medal. He replied:

...I slept wearing it last night ... :)

* = Michael's race was broadcast live on the big screen at Celtic Football Club ahead of their Champions League qualifier. As Michael chose swimming over football and is a huge Celtic fan, he must be pretty chuffed!

Michael's Olympics: Awesome Silver!

What an amazing race! It took a world champion and a world record to beat Michael last night. He DID swim the race of his life, storming back in the final length to almost snatch the title from Daniel Gyurta's grasp. Gyurta is renowned for his speed over the final length, so for Michael to take half a second off him over that distance, shows what class he has.

He broke the British record again by a massive margin and was also inside the Olympic record set in Beijing. Phenomenal racing!

In the post race interview Michael said:

I was desperate to get on the podium to repay the faith and support I've had... I can't believe it, I'm so delighted.

I'm sure everyone at Smiths News is delighted too!

NB If you missed last night's race or wish to savour it again, here's the last 125 metres or so - there's a brief glimpse of Jackie Jamieson plus lots of supporters in #TeamJamieson T-shirts at the end!

And here's his post race interview :)

Michael's Olympics: Brilliant!

[caption id="attachment_3860" align="alignright" width="300"] View from the gods at the Aquatic Centre yesterday morning. Picture courtesy of Sui Kee Searle[/caption]

Yesterday was amazing. Not only did Michael Jamieson manage to break the GB record in the morning's heats, he smashed it in last night's semi finals, to qualify as fastest swimmer for tonight's final.

He needed a fast swim to ensure qualification as his semi was the slower one on paper. Well, it looks like Michael found that "other gear" he spoke about after the morning's heats and turned in a masterful performance.

Andrew Willis, his team-mate, friend and training partner qualified in the second semi as third fastest swimmer, so we have the prospect of two GB medalists from tonight's final. Don't discount the world champion Daniel Gyurta from Hungary though, he looked dangerous last night.

[caption id="attachment_3861" align="alignleft" width="375"] The line-up for tonight's final - loving the way it looks this morning!!![/caption]

After the race Sharron Davies asked Michael if he'd be going to bed dreaming of that gold medal. "We all dream", he said with a smile. I'm sure he's been dreaming of what could be all night - assuming he managed to get some sleep - but there must be huge belief there as well now.

There's just 1.11 seconds between all of tonight's finalists, with four of them under the magic 2 minutes 9 seconds, so it's now down to who has the belief and wants that gold medal the most.

It's going to be a wonderful final to watch at 7.30 tonight.

COME ON Michael, swim the race of your life!!!!!!!

Michael's Olympics: A Great Start

Michael is in great form.

Those of you who watched him over the weekend are probably wondering why I've said that because he didn't make the 100m breaststroke final. He came agonisingly close in 9th spot in a time of 59.89 seconds.

It's a massive personal best for Michael AND a Scottish record, in a time which he swam twice thus proving it's not a flash in the pan. Not bad for starters!

Michael has now proved he deserved to race in the 100m by swimming Team GB's best time at the Games. A time under the magic minute is a fantastic achievement. That medley relay spot beckons :)

I'm also impressed with Michael's demeanor. He's obviously excited to be there yet relaxed. He really wants to swim AND is loving the home crowd. The 100m has allowed him to settle into the routine of competing ahead of his main event.

In both TV interviews after his swims he thanked everyone for all the messages of support, so they're making a huge difference to his confidence. Leave yours for Michael's 200m campaign - which starts tomorrow - in the Comments below.

I'll leave the last words to Michael who tweeted on Saturday:

Really happy with the times today, big PB's & a wee Scottish Record...but bit gutted to miss final! Taken big step forward after 15th in 100 at worlds last year! Looking forward to 200m on Tuesday, need to make that final!! Good night for GB all round, amazinggg atmosphere! :)

And:

Sorry for filling up the twitter feed with thank you tweets lol but I think I've replied to them all! Can't thank enough, been amazing! :)

Michael's Blog: Ready for the Games

We received Michael's latest guest post a couple of weeks ago. As he's in a more reflective mood this time, it seemed appropriate to save it for when the Games are just a few days away... 

It seems like yesterday I was celebrating the success of London’s bid to host the Olympic Games in July 2005. I was in school, huddled around the TV with my class mates and I distinctly remember thinking that 2012 would be my chance to become an Olympian!

I’ve swam up and down the black line on the bottom of the pool since then, with the thought of becoming an Olympian providing more than enough motivation for the early morning starts.

The journey has been a long one, but I wouldn’t change any of it thus far. I couldn’t have swum any longer or any harder since I made the decision to pursue this and that is proving comforting as we enter the final stretch of training before competition.

The last of my training cycle was completed in Paris over the weekend – I finished 1^st in the 200m Breaststroke, an important victory against a few swimmers who were in the World Championship Final last year. Also, if it’s any consolation, the weather is just as unpredictable in Paris – my race was delayed due to a thunder, lightning and hail storm!

From now, I have three weeks of ‘tapering’ –a gradual decrease in volume and intensity in the pool and gym, in the hope of peaking in London. It’s a great time of the year :) my main concern is how many episodes of the latest TV show I can fit in between training sessions!

I can’t change the work I’ve done in the past few weeks, months or years, it’s all in the bank now. The key for me is to stay relaxed. If I do feel like I’m losing perspective or putting too much pressure on myself, I’ll use the strategies that I’ve been working on with the psychologist.

I’ve now been selected to swim the 100m Breaststroke Individual, sadly because of withdrawal from my friend Dan Sliwinski. I had mixed feelings about this at first. I finished 3^rd at the trials in March, undeserving of a spot in this event.  I was desperately disappointed for Dan but now it’s important for me to put in a strong performance, to prove I am worthy of the Individual spot and to give me a boost in confidence before racing the 200m later in the week. Having a positive first swim settles the nerves and will be invaluable in preparation for the 200m. Racing the 100m also means I will be eligible for selection in the 4x100m Individual Medley Relay. I was part of the Relay at last year’s World Champs and loved it, we finished 6^th with a young, inexperienced team so will be looking to improve on that this year!

I’m feeling confident and relaxed in my preparation - I have nothing to lose. No-one is expecting medals from my performances, except myself.  I’ve targeted a medal since I decided to chase this Olympic spot and it’s not going to change now. There are nine swimmers ranked within 1.5 seconds of each other in my event, so making the Final will be more difficult than achieving a podium finish. The difference could be that I’m the only one with home court advantage – a man with nothing to lose and an arena full of Brits behind him is dangerous!

As always, thank you all for your continued support. Hopefully, the next blog you read will be in celebration!! :)

What a fab post! Now, Michael needs all the help he can get to ensure he gets to those all important Finals. Show your support by leaving him a Comment below and we'll make sure he gets all  your messages to help get him well ahead of his rivals.

You can also follow Michael on Twitter where he tweets as @mj88live. His supporters have already adopted the #teamjamieson hashtag and we'll be following this and Michael's twitter account to bring you news of Michael's Olympic journey.

On Friday we'll be publishing the dates and times of Michael's swims, plus details of where the best TV coverage is to be found.

So, COME ON MICHAEL!!!!!

Update - just after 10am, Michael tweeted:

Holding camp in Edinburgh finished - had a great time! Back to the village today, almost time to race!! :)

Michael's Blog: Swimming in the Sun

Hot on the heels of our news update earlier in the week, Michael Jamieson has sent his own account of how things are going in his final weeks of preparations for the Olympics...

The summer competition schedule is well under way! I’m in Canet, France currently (meant to be) competing in the second leg of the Mare Nostrum circuit. This racing series comprises of three legs; Barcelona, Canet & Monaco. There are worse venues I know, and that is probably why this is one of the few occasions in the season, out with the major competition of the year, that there is a very international field present.

I had a great meet in Barcelona, finishing 1^st in the 200m Breaststroke and 2^nd in the 100m Breaststroke, both ‘in-season’ personal bests. ‘In-season’ or ‘unrested’ is a term swimmers use to categorise racing in heavy training volume. This is a good indication of whether a personal best time is just around the corner, and for me, a confidence boost going into the final weeks of preparation.

I was excited to continue the momentum gained from Barcelona into the meet in Canet but unfortunately have been hit by an illness bug causing me to withdraw from my events. It’s frustrating as I’m in good form and would have been looking to win or podium in my events again, whilst posting a couple more in-season personal bests! There is always a risk of illness in an environment with so many athletes eating together, sleeping in the same hotels etc and myself, along with a few members of the South African and Norwegian team, have fallen foul of this. I haven’t had so much as a cold in the last couple of years so I can’t really have any complaints!

The next few weeks see us travel to Mallorca for a short training camp before the National Championships mid-June, acting as the second Olympic trials. There are five of us travelling to Mallorca, two of which will be tapering for the second trials as they still have an opportunity to qualify for the Olympic Games.

I have some exciting dates in the coming few weeks – training in the sun in Mallorca and the official kit day in Loughborough at the end of June where we will be measured up for the official Team GB kit for the Games and given some freebies from the official sponsors and partners of the Games!

The kit day will also mark the last week of the intense training volume, after which, the preparation is done and the window to have any training improvements and adaptations, will be closed. From then on, the goal will be to rest and the focus switches from the daily physical challenges of training to the psychological aspects of keeping perspective, having high levels of confidence and putting faith in the work that has gone before :)

A fantastic Guest Post, thank you Michael. It's great to have terms like 'in-season' personal bests explained so clearly and to hear of your encouraging performances at Barcelona. Best wishes for a speedy recovery, so you can get the best from the sunshine in Mallorca and your final weeks of intense training.

Next month the Games will finally be here!

Michael Makes Progress

After a disappointing European championships a couple of weeks ago we now have some more encouraging news re Michael Jamieson's progress towards the Olympics.

Over the Bank Holiday weekend he competed in the Mare Nostrum series which is held on the Mediterranean cities of Barcelona, Canet and Monaco. He had a tremendous swim in Barcelona picking up silver in the 100m breaststroke and gold in the 200m breaststroke! He may compete this weekend in Canet and from there will head off to Majorca for a training camp.

Many of the British swimmers are in Majorca for warm weather training – this will be the last intensive camp before the Games.

I'm sure Michael will be much encouraged with these later performances. More from him soon.

Michael's Blog: And Breathe...

Here's the latest guest post from our Olympic hopeful, Michael Jamieson...

It’s almost time to start competing again! We have had quite a testing last six weeks in Bath since the Olympic trials, re-laying the fitness foundations before the summer kicks off. Unfortunately, due to the monsoon weather recently, I haven’t been able to continue developing my golf game. It looks like that may have to wait until the season is finished.

I’ll be heading to the European Championships at the end of May in Debrecen, Hungary. Only five British athletes have taken their place to compete, due to scheduling and logistical issues. The Europeans will be an opportunity to compete against some of the medal and final contenders for the Olympics, so I’ll be taking it very seriously. In the wake of my performances in London in March, it’s important for me to post a fast time in Debrecen, put down a marker and create some momentum for the coming months.

From Debrecen, I’ll be travelling to Barcelona, Canet and Mallorca for further racing and training. I’m thoroughly looking forward to seeing the sun; I am beginning to develop a greyish complexion thanks to the mix of seasons we’ve witnessed recently and the chlorine.

I’ve been working with the sport psychologist again this month and it’s really helping me. Last week’s was the difference between self-belief and confidence. We came to the conclusion that self-belief is something developed from a young age, in any field, career or sport and stems from a hunger to be successful. Confidence, in my opinion, is superficial. Not many athletes possess both of these attributes. For me, confidence is difficult to develop. I take confidence from training fast and racing fast…and I think that could be it, so clearly it’s an area that requires some work!

The squad in Bath has a new recruit, a sports physiologist. One week into his post and Ben has me sleeping in an altitude chamber, which is basically a fancy tent. I am a huge fan of it and have responded well to the mountain air in previous years. The tent provides an alternative method of altitude training through living/sleeping high and training low (sea level). The tent is air tight around my bed and a generator, which sits outside the bedroom and runs a pipe through a hole in the tent, changes the composition of the air to reduce levels of oxygen, training your lungs as you sleep. I’ll be sleeping in the tent until the Games, hoping it gives me the slightest edge over my opponents and hoping I’m not evicted by my housemates before then due to the whirring sound of the generator!

Alex Dale Oen, Norwegian Breaststroker and World Champion over 100m in Shanghai in 2011, sadly passed away last week.  Alex was a friend of mine and I was in conversation with him just days before this tragic event. He lifted the World title just days after a bombing in his hometown in Norway, which killed 80 people, displaying his strength of character. Alex was a favourite for Olympic Gold this summer and at just 26 years of age, died after suffering cardiac arrest during a training camp. A stark reminder of how fragile life is. The global swimming community demonstrated its strength after his passing last week and I would urge you to watch the footage of his 100m Breaststroke victory to see the passion and patriotism he displayed. He will be sadly missed.

Michael, I was shocked to hear of Alex's death last week. My sympathy at the loss of your friend and condolences to his family. Thanks for writing such an honest post, which gives us such an insight into all aspects of competing at the highest level in sport.

Good luck in the Europeans at the end of this month - we'll be rooting for you! Here's hoping your strange new sleeping habits are worth it...

Michael's Blog: At National Squad Camp

In his latest update for Smiths News, Michael Jamieson reflects on his performance at the Olympic Trials and gives a further insight into the final preparations leading up to the Games in July...

I’m back in London this week with the rest of the Olympic qualifiers for the National Squad Camp, allowing us to train for a full week inside the Aquatic Centre and gain some more information about the coming months and the Games themselves. We only have the opportunity to train as a British team once each year and it’s great fun to train with other squad members. There’s an air of excitement and desire in the team as the realisation that we are on our way to becoming Olympians in the summer has set in!

I’ve had time to reflect on the Olympic Trials and firstly I want to say a massive thank you to everyone at Smiths News for their support during the meet. I’ve never experienced anything like the support I had during the Trials and there is absolutely no doubt in my mind that it helped me, particularly to rebound from the disappointment of the 100m and gain qualification in the 200m Breaststroke, so thank you all!

The trials was a hugely emotional week, particularly after I missed out qualification for the 100m by 0.03seconds – it set up an extremely nerve wracking few days. In the lead-up to the event, I was confident that I was dealing with the nerves and pressures well but on reflection, realised I hadn’t! It’s difficult to understate the occasion; it really was a life changing event. Eight or nine years of training and preparation for my selection to the Games, funding situation and all the choices and sacrifices made over the years, to hang in the balance of just one race. This played on my mind and as the meet got closer, I began to get more negative stress about it. I still believe coping with nerves, pressures and stresses of competition is strength of mine but the Olympic Trials was something completely different and due to the implications, isn’t something I think you can prepare for.

I didn’t have a great taper in the three weeks preceding the competition, I felt that the travel back from Australia just three weeks before the meet was a little too close and I could have rested a little more for my events, all in hindsight of course. Despite being an experienced athlete, this is all still a learning process in search of the perfect swim. The positives to take from this are that I have made the team despite not feeling my best. I know I am capable of swimming much faster in the summer. The goal is to make the final and hopefully the 17,500 thousand strong partisan crowd will play a part in helping me home on the last 50m to challenge for a medal!

Due to my performances at the Trials, I have no added pressure or expectancy to deliver medals at the Games. This clearly has its advantages and I like the idea of going in under the radar. This could be my only opportunity to swim in an Olympic Games and I intend to leave no stone unturned in the coming months in my search for a life changing Olympic medal!

Great post, thank you Michael! Note the above photo shows him posing in his Team GB kit - how cool is that? You'll find the same photo and a little bit more about Michael on his page on the Team GB website :)

A Note of Thanks

My sincere thanks and appreciation to each and every member of staff who shared in Michael’s journey to qualify for the Olympics (I’m still getting goose bumps when I say that).

The messages of support after he missed out the 100m really helped him to stay focussed.

The 200m was his main event and prior to his race he sent a brief text message to his sister Lauren to say ‘I’m ready for this’.

I feel as though I took every stroke of that race with him, to see his time flash up on the scoreboard and announce that he had made the qualifying time was absolutely amazing.

Immediately afterwards the messages from friends and fellow colleagues came rolling in and I hope I managed to respond to everyone.

Michael has declined the option of a week’s holiday – he’s gone straight back to training this morning to work on his next race at the Olympics.

I cannot thank everyone enough for the kind wishes of support and messages of congratulations.

Jackie

Update: Since I scheduled Jackie's note to go up this morning, Michael added a comment to last week's Michael's In! post as follows:

Thanks everyone for all the amazing messages, they made such a difference last week – especially after missing out on selection in the 100m!
I’m so relieved to have made it, I didn’t realise how nervous I was until the last few days but it’s now sinking in and I feel like a huge weight has been lifted from my shoulders!
I didn’t swim as fast as I was expecting/hoping and it was tough to lose both titles but there is definitely more in the tank and I’m thoroughly looking forward to the next few months!
Hope to do you all proud, thanks again for all the messages of support, really appreciate them all!

Michael's In!

We have a new Olympian on the block :D

In an exciting 200m breastroke final last night, Michael Jamieson led the race for the first 150 metres just shy of GB record pace, but was pipped to the post down the final length by Bath team mate Andrew Willis. Both qualified to make Team GB in the world's two fastest times this year (2.09.33 and 2.09.84 respectively). They're astonishingly good times which bodes well for The Olympics in July.

Congratulations, Michael from everyone at Smiths News. Now go for the big one!

I'll leave it to Michael to have the last word:

What a relief! I'm going to the Olympic Games!!

— Michael Jamieson (@mj88live) March 7, 2012

Really really appreciate all the messages I've had this week. Was a massive help!! Thanks a lot!! :)

— Michael Jamieson (@mj88live) March 7, 2012

Add your congratulations in the Comments below and I'll make sure Michael sees them.

After Michael's Race

I've mentioned Michael tweets a couple of times - via @mj88live. On Sunday evening I was so glad he does, because his reaction to the 100m breastroke race is an object lesson on how to take defeat in the right way.

This is what he had to say (in 4 tweets):

Hard one to swallow tonight, just don't have the speed on the front end. Sometimes have to hold your hands up & say wasn't quite good enough. Congrats @dsliwinski90 great swim & deserved after all injury problems in last few years. Smashing swim by Benson too, just a young lad & stepped up to the plate tonight. Need to get over this and come out swinging on the 200m on Tuesday! All the messages have been amazing.. really appreciate it, keep em coming :) thanks again.

And here's a mere fraction of the response he's had:

From the winner Daniel Sliwinski:

Thanks @mj88live great sportsman and I'm behind you all the way in 200 big man! #tearitup #greatsportsman #goodfriend

From swimming coach Ian Wright:

Well done @mj88live on your swim tonight. I know you were gutted but your interview was immense sportsmanship and you will blaze the 200.

From fellow swimmer Andrew Mayor:

@mj88live what a true sporting legend, your tweets tonight have been humbling, and inspiring, believe in you for the 200!#innerstrength

From sports enthusiast Elaine Vaughan:

@mj88live credit to your sport & family with your attitude. Good luck for the rest of the week!

From Rebecca Adlington, fresh from her awesome swim in the 400m freestyle final:

@mj88live well done tonight, you have the best attitude. I can't wait to see you in the 200. You're amazing and we all know it :-)

And finally from his sister:

Don't get many guys like @mj88live !! Such an inspiration and role model. So proud to say he's my brother!!!!

So come on everyone, let's all cheer him on for the 200! The heats and semi finals are today and the final tomorrow. I'll make sure any comments you leave below are passed onto Michael.

Update: Since yesterday's post I've also found out the twitter hashtag #champschat is being used by the championship organisers to flash twitter support messages around the Aquatic Centre during the competition. I'll be tweeting Michael with this to see if we can get a big cheer for him from Smiths News onto the message board :)

Olympic Trials: Michael's Progress

[caption id="attachment_2163" align="alignleft" width="197" caption="Getting ready..."][/caption]

The Olympic Trials are well under way and the brand new Aquatics Centre at the Olympic Park is proving to be a popular venue with GB swimmers.

On Saturday the 100m breastroke semi-finals saw Michael qualifying fastest to take the coveted Lane 4 spot and gain a psychological edge over his rivals. At the turn he was just 2 hundredths of a second (a mere fingertip!) ahead of his friend Kristopher Gilchrist, but then finished strongly and well ahead in a time of  1 minute and 66 hundredths of a second (1.00.66).

With just over a second separating the eight fastest swimmers, there was all to play for in Sunday's final...

After the race Michael tweeted:

Needed that to settle the nerves! Game on tomorrow! Atmosphere was awesome, thanks to everyone coming to watch!! :) #champschat

In yesterday's final, British record holder Daniel Sliwinski showed he was the swimmer most eager to get the race over and done with, storming over the first 50m in 27.78 seconds. His commanding lead proved to be unassailable and Daniel easily made the first qualification spot for the Olympics. But who was to join him in second?

Michael's turn at the 50m mark showed him down in 7th place in a time of 28.79 seconds. But he dug deep over the second length, clawing back the lead from his other rivals. 7th, 6th, 5th, 4th... come on Michael!!!! The race finished in a blur but had Michael done enough?

The scoreboard said it all. Michael had indeed made the qualification time of 1.00.50 required for the second Team GB spot. He'd swum a Personal Best time, BUT 17 year-old Craig Benson swam the race of his life to finish just ahead at the touch in a time of 1.00.47.

Michael looked very disappointed at the medal ceremony and I hope he can recover from this moment and take forward the positives from his race. 200m breastroke is Michael's better event, so last night was an excellent platform to build on ready for Tuesday's and Wednesday's 200m races.

I've tweeted the following message to Michael on behalf of Smiths News:

...take the positives from today ready for your next race. Me and all of #smithsnews are still cheering for you!!!

Now let's all get behind Michael and cheer him onto his next race.

On the Eve of the Olympic Trials

On the eve of the Olympic Trials this weekend, Michael Jamieson updates us on what's been happening since he got back from Australia... 

Since the last blog from our camp on the Gold Coast, we have been resting and preparing for next week’s competition. After three weeks of reduced volume and intensity, it feels great to get up the stairs at home without gasping for air or grimacing from the burning sensation in my legs!

Every tapering phase is different from the last and although I mentioned in the last blog about the importance of staying calm and putting faith in the training that has been done, it’s easier said than done. The body adapts and repairs through taper at different rates and the feeling in the water can change on a daily basis. Logic would suggest that you can swim faster and more consistently when you rest, but unfortunately it’s not as simple as that, it takes time, and at the moment, I’m waiting for my ‘taper blues’ to subside.

I was inspired last week by Sir Chris Hoy’s performances at the Cycling World Cup event in London. It seemed that Sir Chris was sending a message to his competitors ahead of the Olympic Games this summer, he seemed determined to make his mark on the velodrome in front of a very noisy home crowd. What a great spectacle of sport and fantastic to see Great Britain performing so well. I briefly let myself drift past the Trials next week and thought about walking out at the Games and hearing the roar of the crowd before my race. At the moment, that’s still a long way off but I’m desperate to be a part of that atmosphere.

It’s been a long road to get to this stage and the nerves are definitely playing a role already but from now I need to remind myself to enjoy the event next week and focus on my own performance. I have swum at so many competitions over the years and this is just another one.

The psychologist I’ve been working with this year asked me recently, “when are you going to stop training to prepare and just say you’re ready now”. That was a bit of a light bulb moment for me and I’ll be repeating it in my head over and over again in the next week.

My first event is on Saturday 3^rd March – the 100m Breaststroke. The event will be shown live on BBC via the Red Button so tune in!

Thank you for all the well wishes and I hope the next blog is reflecting on a successful week.

Thanks Michael for a most insightful post.  Now let's see if all our good wishes can push you through the water even faster! I'm looking forward to reporting some very good news in Dispatches next week.

Michael's blog

Following yesterday's blog post about Michael Jamieson's upcoming Olympic Trials, he's just sent us his own account of how training's been going...

We are now coming to the end of our training camp on the Gold Coast, Australia. It doesn’t feel like we have been here for seven weeks but it’s been a great trip and a very productive training block.

A few weeks ago, we travelled to Melbourne for a competition. The meet was the last before the National Champs next month so it was important to fine tune any technical aspects. I posted my fastest in season times which hopefully means I’m heading towards some personal best times when it counts in March.

Post competition, we had a day of training and sightseeing before flying back to the Gold Coast, which we made the most of! I and a few of my teammates went to the Australia Open for the day! It has definitely been my highlight of the camp, the atmosphere inside the grounds was amazing and there was some great tennis to boot!

The end of the camp signals the start of our taper* and resting period for the Olympic Trials next month in London. As a swimmer, the taper is the most exciting part of the season. Due to the high aerobic, conditioning nature of the sport, swimmers only taper twice throughout the year. This would generally be for the National Championships in March and then the major meet of the calendar in the summer. The tapering period is three – four weeks long, a steady decrease in volume and intensity, aimed at peaking on the day of my main events at the National Champs.

The taper is also seen as a period where an athlete doesn’t make many physiological improvements, the training and conditioning is done and the focus is now on the psychological aspects. I feel like I have some experience in pressured situations like this after the past few seasons and hopefully this will help me through the next few weeks.

In order to qualify for the Olympic Games, I would need to finish in the top two places. I will be going for qualification in the 100m and 200m Breaststroke. This year has always been the target for me; eight of nine years of training will come down to two races over five days. The preparation has been done and I can’t wait to race!

A fantastic post Michael - it's great to have your personal account of what's been happening, especially during what must be a very busy time for you. We wish you every success at the Olympic Trials next month.

* = tapering is part of the final preparations for a major championships, where the volume of training is reduced significantly to allow the body to recover from its training workload so peak performance can be achieved on competition day. Endurance athletics and swimming are two of the key sports where this is practised. The above link takes you to more information if you're interested.

In his blog post above, Michael talks about his training switching from physical to psychological preparation during this time. There's also quite a change in diet - as this very telling tweet from him on Monday said:

Taper diet has started - no bread...or midget gems allowed! :(

Here's hoping the lack of midget gems makes all the difference ;)

We'll be catching up with Michael again after the Olympic Trials. Don't forget, we'll be passing on any messages of support for him you leave in the Comments below.

Jamieson Eyes Next Month's Olympic Trials

[caption id="attachment_2050" align="alignright" width="300" caption="Michael wins bronze in the 200m breastroke final at last year's European Short Course Championships "][/caption]

In less than three weeks Michael Jamieson faces the next major milestone in his quest for Olympic glory this summer.

He faces a tough challenge at the British Gas Swimming Championships next month which double up as the Team GB selection event for London 2012. Michael may be the defending British 100 and 200m breastroke champion, but he has two other world top 10 GB swimmers hard on his heels for the 2 team places up for grabs for each event. Good swims at the stunning new Aquatic Centre in London will not only secure his place on the team, they will also be perfect preparation for the 'big one' this summer.

The championships take place from March 3 - 10th.  Tickets are already sold out for the finals, though some are still available for the heats during the week. You can leave a message of support for Michael here or in the comments below. We'll make sure your comments are passed on to him.

The key dates are:

• Sat 3rd - 100m breastroke heats and semi-finals


• Sun 4th - 100m breastroke final


• Tue 6th - 200m breastroke heats and semi-finals


• Wed 7th - 200m breastroke final

Go Michael, GO!

We'll be catching up with Michael in Dispatches tomorrow. In the meantime you might like to read this article from December's Metro. There's also a profile of Michael on The Guardian's website, but be warned this is a video rather than print (and there's an advert first). It's one worth watching at home if you have the time and shows him in action at Bath University's Intensive Training Centre.

Smiths News are sponsoring Michael - son of Instore's Jackie Jamieson - in his training up to the Olympic games. You can also follow him on Twitter - you'll see his profile mentions #SmithsNews!