Michael Nets A Nifty Silver

Breaking news re the European Championships from the British Swimming Twitter feed late yesterday afternoon:

200m Breaststroke SILVER for @mj88live - more than 1.5 seconds off his British record as he makes podium in 2:01.43. #EuroSC

— British Swimming (@britishswimming) December 15, 2013

A new British record in this event and the 100m breaststroke earlier in the championships (in 57.89 seconds, though sadly no medal) marks a notable return to form after Michael's recent heart scare :)

Note that this is a short course (25 metre pool) championship and Michael beat his Bath team-mate Andrew Willis, who finished in the 4th place heartbreaker (albeit in a new English record).

NB British Swimming's website has a neat video of Michael discussing this week's Duel in the Pool. Look out for news of the broadcast times on Community Link-Up later this week.

Michael's Blog - Busy, Busy Busy...

Apologies for the delay in the blog – I’ve had a busy few months and plenty of news to fill you in on!

I have a wee house! I’ve managed to get myself on the property ladder in Bath with some lovely scenery and of course just a few miles from my other home - the pool. Moving house is an enjoyable but hugely stressful experience. I’ve found myself losing entire days to completing fairly trivial tasks like navigating the DVLA website to change my mailing address and deciding on which colour my cereal bowls should be.

[caption id="attachment_6882" align="alignright" width="300"] Michael with InStore's Team Pastel[/caption]

Last month I took part in the Swim Britain Bristol event; a relay challenge in teams of four in the hope of boosting participation numbers in the sport around the UK. I haven’t swum with my mum since I was a kid and I was impressed with her breaststroke skills. Watching my sister, Lauren, however was a different story and I thought at one stage I would have to jump in! I did advise her to do some training before the event ;)

The InStore team were strong too and congratulations to Laura, Lisa, Sam and Sophie for completing the event in some impressive times.

In between settling into the new house, I’ve been competing at the World Cup circuit; a series of 8 competitions in 8 different countries around the world from August – November. Most recently I competed in Moscow, Dubai & Doha with some encouraging results. It’s not often I get to stand atop the podium but I managed to do so in Dubai and Doha after collecting a few more Silvers (shock) at the earlier stage. My results there have given me a nice boost of confidence after a difficult finish to last season and things are back on track.

Singapore, Tokyo and Beijing are the last 3 destinations on the circuit which will start next week. I’m looking to build on the results from last month and continue to build confidence in the lead up to the European Championships in Denmark early December, followed by the Duel in the Pool meet – Europe vs USA just before Christmas in Glasgow.

An exciting few months of racing is lined up. Travelling is one of the great perks of the job. Visiting places like Moscow, Tokyo and Beijing is a great experience and one which I may not have had, if it wasn’t for swimming.

The World Cup circuit is acting as a tough travel and racing schedule for me in preparation for the Europeans and Duel meet. The European Champs is another opportunity for me to challenge the best in the world and another race with some great rivals including Daniel Gyurta – the Hungarian swimmer that has dominated the 200m Breaststroke in recent years.

These competitions are all key markers in the race to Glasgow 2014 – the biggest race of my career. I’m training harder than ever and doing everything I can to stay fit and healthy for the trials event next April and the Games themselves in July 2014.

Thanks for your continued support.

…if anyone is in the area, feel free to stop by for a cuppa!

Thanks for your update Michael - we were so pleased to see you strike gold in the World Cup races! Team Pastel were also thrilled to meet you at Swim Britain in Bristol :)

Good luck for the next set of World Cup competitions, the Europeans and the Duel in the Pool, your busy schedule looks set to continue!

NB Michael's too modest to mention he's a Games Ambassador for next year's Commonwealth Games in Glasgow, alongside Jessica Ennis-Hill and Nicola Adams :D

Michael Strikes Gold!

Congratulations to Michael Jamieson who won GOLD last week in the men's 200m breaststroke at the FINA Swimming World Cup in Dubai.

He also picked up a silver medal in the men's 100m breaststroke - and this comes just a week after his World Cup double silver medal winning performances in Moscow.

Leading the qualifiers, he claimed gold by almost two seconds in a time of 2.06.68 minutes. Note, this was in a short-course pool of 25 metres, so does not beat the long-course British and Commonwealth record he set at last year's Olympics.

Michael's winning form bodes well as he'll be spearheading the European Allstars challenge for the Duel in the Pool  against Team USA in Glasgow on December 20-21.

Disappointment for Michael

By now, many of you will know Michael Jamieson came fifth in Friday's 200 metres backstroke final at the World Championships in Barcelona.

The first 50 metres of the race initially set up a mouth-watering prospect as Michael and his Bath team-mate Andrew Willis, raced into the lead. However, the second 50 metres saw them fall back to 5th (Willis) and 6th. They never really recovered from there despite trying to charge down the last length of the pool, and finished in 4th and 5th.

Michael's time of 2.09.14 was just one hundredth of a second behind Willis's, who in turn was an agonising 18 hundredths off snatching the bronze. Michael was well down on his qualifying time which saw him seeded number one going into the championships. Had he maintained that form, he'd be coming home with a silver medal at least.

We know from Michael's latest guest post things haven't gone that smoothly for him this season, so hopefully he will be able to get over his disappointment and learn from this race. On Saturday he tweeted the following honest appraisal of how it went for him:

"Hope interviews came across as intended. Hard to speak truth about effects of injury without sounding like I'm making excuses. I didn't perform badly, swam as well as I could at about 80% fit. 1 full week of training in past 9 took its toll in a pretty unimpressive final, but at the end of the day, injury or not, still got no medal & that's hard to take! Sorry to disappoint after so many good luck notes!"

At least Michael now has some time to recover from his injury properly without the pressure of having to race. Here's to some solid training over the next few months, to set him up for a home advantage in the Commonwealth Games next year!

See Michael's World Championships

[caption id="attachment_6230" align="alignleft" width="300"] If you have a copy of this week's Radio Times, then you should know the answer to this question in the Olympics quiz :)[/caption]

Further to Michael Jamieson's last blog in the lead up to 2013's Swimming World Championships, we now have news of both Michael's progress so far and terrestrial TV coverage!

Yesterday morning was the start of the 100 metres breaststroke event in Barcelona. This saw Michael qualify comfortably for the semi finals in 12th place in 1.00.20, just a shade behind team-mate (and fellow Glasweigian) Ross Murdoch who qualified in 9th.

Sadly Michael didn't improve on his time in the semi finals in the evening, finishing 15th in a time of 1.00.59. Whilst he must be disappointed with the result, Michael showed us on Twitter last night, that he's already taking the positives from the swim into focusing on his next race:

Struggling with that speed just now but to be expected! Slowest first 50m & fastest 2nd 50m after the heats haha so 200m should be ok! 😁🏊💨

— Michael Jamieson (@mj88live) July 28, 2013

We've seen Michael in this situation before and he has a good record in battling hard to turn disappointment into triumph. His next swims are on Thursday 1^st August in the 200m breaststroke heats and semi final.  Then the final (fingers crossed) is on Friday 2^nd August. Remember, Michael is seeded number one in this event this year :)

NB Coverage of the Championships is on BBC2 every night this week: the key programme times for Thursday and Friday are between 7 and 8pm.  Now let's all get behind Michael: show you're cheering him on by leaving a comment below!

Michael's Blog: Finding a Way to Come Through

We have a wonderful guest blog today from the newly awarded British Universities and Colleges Sports Personality of the Year! Ahead of the World Swimming Championships which start tomorrow, Michael Jamieson reflects on his preparations leading up to the event...

Where to start – there’s a lot to catch up on! I’m in Mallorca on a two-week training camp, putting the final preparations in place before the World Championships in Barcelona in around two weeks’ time.

I have finally finished my degree course at the University of Bath; I got there with eight hours sleep over five days in my final week before dissertation deadline, not recommended! This was the first period throughout my degree where I failed to balance training commitments with University and I almost paid a hefty price. My final month of University was void of sleep and my usual intricate nutrition plan and instead replaced with all – night library sessions, the odd takeaway and a period of substandard training which led to an untimely injury.

I managed to acquire a small tear in my bicep tendon during a gym session about five weeks before the trials. It was a worrying time as I was aware that I needed a strong block of training to make up for the period of late nights finishing my degree. An injury to a tendon is very different to a muscular injury. Tendons heal much more gradually and require rest, putting me in a difficult position with World Championship trials looming.

The support staff networks in Bath are a great team of individuals that guided me through the injury on a daily basis and I have them to thank for being named on the team. Just five days before my 200m Breaststroke, and my best shot at qualification, I asked my coach to pull the plug on my season and forget about racing for medals in Barcelona. I hadn’t been able to train at a high level and I was beginning to lose strength and muscle mass due to my heavily restricted gym programme to protect my shoulder. Thinking about the consequences of not competing – an opportunity of a major medal missed and loss of my UK Sport Lottery funding being the primary concerns, were causing a lot of stress.

My coach of almost four years, David McNulty, knows me well and knew what to say to change my mind-set and begin to get me fired up and ready to fight for my place on the team.

At the trials, I was still feeling low – something I’ve never experienced. Usually competition is the most enjoyable part of being an athlete. The possibility of remaining British number one seemed very slim and qualification seemed just as far off. Dealing with pressures and self – doubt are nothing new in athletic life but after the London Olympic Games last summer, there is a sense of expectancy and pressure on my results. Until now, this has never fazed me.

I managed to put these thoughts at bay and was ready to race aggressively for the number one spot and for qualification. I couldn’t quite believe the time after my race – 1^st in 2.07.77, just a finger away from the time I set in the final of the Olympic Games. It is the fastest time in the world this year so far and I’m going into the World Championships seeded number one. What a turn of events.

I have taken huge positives from this. I wasn’t fully fit and managed to swim my second fastest time. My coach said to me before the race, “the great athletes always find a way to come through” and I wanted to prove that last year was not a fluke.

I’m more determined than ever to deliver a medal in Barcelona after a turbulent season and I’m now full of belief. Sometimes as an athlete, your mind tries to play tricks on you, but I think I have now learned how to win these battles.

As always, thank you all for your continued support and I will do my very best to deliver in Barcelona!

Michael Jamieson  

Thanks for a great blog Michael :) I see from the schedule that you'll be swimming almost to the dates of your great swims at the Olympics last year. Once again, everyone at Smiths News is ready to cheer you on for that gold medal!

NB Michael's due to swim in the 100m breaststroke on July 28th and the 200m on August 2nd. Daily TV coverage of the championships is on Eurosport from 9am. I'll update you if there's any news of live streaming from the championships.

Michael Joins Swim Britain

It's a while since we've heard what Michael Jamieson's up to, so I thought you'd like to know a little more about a major swimming initiative he's involved with :)

Swim Britain is a relay event which takes place in August and September. The idea is to get teams of four adults (all over 16 years of age) or a family (with up to three children aged 8 to 15) together to swim a 4,000 metre relay. Each team member swims 4 x 250 metre relay legs, which makes it very achievable for most swimmers.

This is a major Olympic legacy event which aims to get half a million of us swimming more regularly.

The relays take place in 10 venues around the UK (hence the differing dates), plus there's also the chance to sample an open water swimming experience in the lake at Blenheim Palace. This latter option is for adult teams only.

As well as the swim itself, there's also the opportunity to benefit from 4 x 30 minute swimming coaching sessions at a pool local to where you live. The Swim Britain website also has a set of 20 training sessions, plus nutrition advice and other top tips designed to take you from just 400 metres of easy swimming through to being more than capable of managing 1,000 metres.

Can't swim front crawl? Don't worry, there are top tips and training for swimming either front crawl or breaststroke, or a mixture of both.

Can't get to one of the 10 nominated pools? Then there's the DIY option, which means your team completes the relay on your own at a local pool. I think this option is also adaptable for solo swimmers wishing to take part in an 'unofficial' capacity. NB this option doesn't include coaching, but you can select to receive motivational emails from your favourite swimming star.

Can't get a team together? You can still sign-up to secure a place.

Think 4,000 metres is too far? Then the Little SwimBritain 2,000 metre option is perfect for those less confident in the pool.

And at least one lucky team will get Michael as their team member! NB other Olympic or Paralympic stars and David Walliams are available ;)

Jamieson Strikes Double Gold

Michael Jamieson was back in breaststroke swimming action over the weekend at the British Gas International Meet in Leeds.

He took gold in the 100m breaststroke in a best in-season time* of 60.8 seconds and then touched ahead of Bath team-mate Andrew Willis to win the 200m in 2.10.43.

You can watch Michael's breathless evaluation of his victories straight after his events. Friday's 100m is first and Saturday's 200m is here. Note the shave down for the 200m!

Some key quotes from his 200m interview:

Observing his quickest in-season time so far Michael said, "I'm improving and moving in the right direction",  and when asked about his ambitions for the Worlds this year he added, "I want more medals...I've got 2 silvers and I'm looking to turn them into the right colour.... I'm always looking for more and always looking to improve".

Michael's still enjoying his swimming, so it looks like we have another cracking year in store!

* = You may have spotted these times are slower than last year's Olympic and World Championship times. Training is very heavy and hard at this time of the year in preparation for the major competitions later on, so he won't have tapered down for this event.

Michael's Blog: Life at Altitude

Our latest guest post from Michael Jamieson, sees his life scaling new heights...

I’m currently in Sierra Nevada – a mountain range in Andalusia in the south of Spain. This is the final block of training before a short rest period and competition at the British Open Champs next month.  There are 10 swimmers here, with a support team, training at 2,300m above sea level. It’s a popular training centre for swimmers and is busy at the moment. My former coach, Fred Vergnoux, is here with his group from Barcelona as well as teams from Slovenia, Ukraine and Italy. Sierra Nevada is a popular ski resort, unfortunately not something I can engage in due to the injury risk…sledging will have to suffice! :)

Training at altitude helps promote an accelerated production of red blood cells in your system due to the smaller concentration of oxygen in the air. Basically, it means that the most trivial of tasks, including brushing your teeth, can leave you out of breath! Its tough going but I’m a big believer in hypoxic training and the positive effect it can have on your fitness levels and this is a continuation of my training after sleeping in an altitude tent in the lead up to the Olympic Games.

Training camps are one of the best parts of an athlete’s life. It provides the opportunity to do some high intensity training with the time to recover and concentrate on areas of weakness etc…and there’s plenty of time to catch up on tv shows, movies, reading…and sledging!

I spent my weekend off sledging and walking to the mountain top, 3,000m above sea level! The weather changes are surreal and the snow must be four feet deep – you’re never too old for a snowball fight!

I’ve just recently met with my coach about the plan for the coming months, identify areas of my program that need improvement/maintained etc and the camps and competitions that we’ll do in the lead up to the Trials and (hopefully) the World Championships in July this year. It looks great and I’m confident about producing some good results this season, although the competition is greater than ever. There are a number of young Brits closing the gap and there’s no doubt I’ll have to improve on my times from last season in order to firstly qualify, and then go on to challenge for honours in Barcelona in the summer. I still have the same emotional responses to these challenges this year as I did last, which is comforting as it shows my motivation is still as strong as ever. My life has changed since the Games and I owe a huge part of that to the people reading this, but I’m still the same athlete and I want to add to last year’s success.

Time to relax now; get ready for a tough session tomorrow morning and console my roommate after his team (Arsenal) were just beaten in the Champions League…I think I can see some tears!! :)

Thank you for your continued support :)

And thank you Michael for your latest guest blog! It's seems incredible that this time last year we were gearing up to watch you swim in the Team GB Olympic trials. I'm sure you'll continue to do us all proud here at Smiths News in the coming months :)

A New Year Message From Michael Jamieson

I hope you all had an enjoyable break over Christmas and New Year and very best of luck in 2013!

I haven’t written a blog in a few months so this is a bit of a summary of 2012 – what a year it was! It’s undoubtedly been the most rewarding and enjoyable year of my sporting career thus far.

Back in 2002 I remember sitting down with my coach with a list of career goals and an accurate timeline to match. Each season for the next ten years showed target times and selection to the international stage along the way. I was behind on this schedule from 2002 until 2010.

Like any person, athlete or not, I can vividly recount some experiences along the way that I knew were important, character building chapters.

One of the biggest challenges of my career was the move to Paris after falling a mile short of Olympic qualification in 2008. The move was a gamble, the last throw of the dice. I was 19 going on 20, not fast enough to qualify for Lottery funding, with one international cap, contemplating early retirement and in desperate need of a sizeable personal best.

Due to the fact my parents were my main financial sponsors and on a budget, I moved into an attic room in the city which wasn’t much wider than my wingspan. It was very basic. The small shower cubicle doubled up as a wardrobe, there was one hob to cook on, a communal toilet and no elevator – 123 stairs to the top. I had no TV and was without a washing machine, having to carry a suitcase full of washing every fortnight to the local launderette and wait four hours with a book of Sudoku until it finished – I couldn’t bear to climb the stairs on a Sunday, my day off!

I immersed myself in a new culture and attempted to learn a new language. Surprisingly, the Glaswegian accent was very helpful, rolling R’s and pronouncing accents wasn’t much of a problem however it became a very lonely place at times and maintaining motivation was difficult. I knew this was a key season in my career.

In the end the move proved to be the right decision, I made some huge improvements and although my parents were close to financial meltdown, I was back on track!

I’ve had some incredible opportunities and experiences since the Games which I’m hugely thankful for - meeting Pele, a true sporting legend and a half time parade at Celtic Park being the highlights.

These events have only increased my hunger and motivation for the coming seasons. My journey to this stage has been a long one but it has more than paid off in the experiences I’ve had. The Olympic Games and an Olympic medal have changed my life but it has not changed my personality. I finished second, which was a great result but we have now started a new four year cycle with World Championships, Commonwealth Games in Glasgow in 2014 and Rio 2016 Olympic Games on the horizon.  It’s taken ten years to reach the standard I want to be at and I want to stay there for as long as possible, enjoying the journey along the way! :)

Thanks Michael - it's always great to hear from you! You always provide such a great insight into life as a top sportsman. I wonder how many of us would be prepared to go another country and live in less than ideal circumstances in the pursuit of a dream. It helps having parents like Jackie and Michael too.

Like the rest of 'Team Jamieson', we're all looking forward to seeing how you get on in 2013 and cheering you on along the way!

Superstars: The Result

Loving gym test! Runner-up again eh?! Haha one day folks! Great tv, thanks for all the tweets! Taking pelters for kayak/run from my old man! :)

— Michael Jamieson (@mj88live) December 29, 2012

Michael Jamieson proved he's a top sporting all-rounder by finishing runner-up to boxing's Anthony Joshua in last night's entertaining Superstars programme. Michael was leading at one point having equalled the programme's record score for archery with 46 out of 50. He seemed shocked to have shot so well!

He then proved he's more comfortable IN the water than on it by promptly capsizing his kayak (hence the teasing from his dad) in the pool. A supplementary swimming match featuring Michael, Rebecca Adlington and commentator Iwan Thomas was another highlight.

Good-ish performances on the track and cycling saw Michael in fifth spot going into the final event, the dreaded gym tests. Here he showed his tweets about good sessions in the gym during his Olympic training weren't idle talk. Anthony Joshua was surprised to find Michael had beaten him to the winning score to secure a commendable second spot.

In other news, Michael's 200m breaststroke performance merited 49th place in the Top 50 Olympic Moments shown over Christmas. There's another chance to see this programme tomorrow night (31st December) at 8.30pm on BBC3.

Going forward, Michael has been appointed a British Gas Ambassador. His new role involves helping to promote swimming at all levels of the sport. British Gas Brand director Susie Plume said:

“It was fantastic to see his great performance in London this summer and his swim in Istanbul reinforced his status as a great role model and ambassador for the sport.”

Michael Bags Another Silver

On Friday evening at the World Short Championships in Istanbul, Michael Jamieson again showed he can dig deep to produce the goods when under pressure.

After admitting to some 'ropey swims' earlier in the week, Michael qualified as an 'outside smoker' in lane 8 for the final of the 200m breaststroke. A slow reaction time off the blocks and 6th place at the first 50 metre split were perhaps not quite what Michael had in mind for his last race of the championships.

However, a strong second 50 metres saw him gain three places into third spot at the 100 metre turn and a further gain into 2nd at the 150 metre mark. After that, it was deja vu with Michael trying to catch his Olympic nemesis Daniel Gyurta down the final 50 metres.

Gyurta won again, but Michael can take much away from these championships in addition to a new British record (2:03:00). As in the Olympic trials, he's proved he can overcome earlier performances that don't match his exacting standards. He's also proved he's not a 'one hit wonder' and can handle the pressure that the fame and fortune of being an Olympic medallist brings.

With his Bath team-mate Andrew Willis finishing in 5th, these two can continue to work off each other in training to target Daniel Gyurta the next time they meet. I'm looking forward to reporting a golden hued result soon :)

Overall, there was a good improvement in performance by Team GB with one gold, two silvers and three bronze medals won during the competition.

Back from Istanbul, there was plenty of opportunity to spot Michael on TV last night during Sports Personality of the Year as he was seated just behind Lord Coe. If you missed him, then you'll find he's shown in the Superstars lineup featured in the double Christmas/New Year issue of Radio times on page 11. Superstars will be broadcast on BBC1 on December 29th at 6.45pm.

Michael's Next Target

We've news just in that Michael Jamieson's arrived in Istanbul for the World Short Course Championships which are due to start tomorrow. Olympians aren't allowed to rest on their laurels for long!

Short Course means the competition's held in a 25 metre pool, so accurate starts and turns have a much bigger part to play than they did in the lung bursting 50 metre length pool of the Olympics. We don't yet have details of which events Michael will be swimming in, but I see from the schedule there's 50, 100 and 200 metre breaststroke events this time around.

We'll keep you posted with any further news. NB Michael's heading back to the UK in time for Sunday's Sports Personality of the Year, so keep your eyes peeled for him appearing on the show!

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.