2009 SU Update: Shark Suits Get Ready

Tension is rising for the swimmers here at the 25th Summer Universiade in Belgrade as the swimming competition will start tomorrow July 5th. The swimming will take place at the Sports & Recreational Center ‘Tasmajdan’ which is located in Belgrade, some 6 km from the Athletes’ Village and is equipped with an eight-lane 50m-outdoor pool for competition and an indoor pool for training. Seating capacity for the venue is 3,500.

There will be a lot of commotion in the ‘Tasmajdan’, the battlefield for the ‘shark suits’, as swimming at the Universiade vouches for new Universiade records, which has been the case at every previous event. Quite evidently, since a lot of national swimming federations see the Universiade as a perfect stepping stone for their swimmers to bigger events such as the Olympics or the World Championships. This thesis once again was confirmed today at the press conference in the Main Press Center of the Universiade. Jack Roach, National Coach of Team USA and Mladen Kapor, Sports Director of the Serbian Swimming Federation were very clear in their sayings at the 12 o’clock press conference: the calendar for swim meets is pretty full these days but the Universiade has its place in there.

Both coaches brought some of their medal hopefuls to the press conference.

Alex Vanderkaay, the captain of the USA Swimming Team who will compete on the 200 and 400 is a double NCAA National Champion and a silver medallist of the 2007 Summer Universiade in Bangkok. ‘Bangkok was my first international competition so I went out there to do what I was supposed to do. It was a great experience.’ Alex Vanderkaay told FISU Media. ‘With the FINA World Championships due, the teams are getting ready and it’s going to be a tough competition in the Serbian pool.’ Already a silver medal on his mantelpiece, the American has set his mind on bringing home a gold one this time.

Swimming in their home pool, the Serbian Team uses the home advantage to line up a bigger swimming team, bringing in more young talented athletes. Present at the press conference where Csaba Siladji and Miroslava Najdanovski who just returned from the Mediterranean Games with medals in their pockets, silver and bronze for Siladji and gold for Najdanovski. However, the home advantage could have a negative influence as both athletes confirmed to feel some pressure to deliver in the Serbian pool after coming home with the medals from Pescarra. To be continued soon …

Alex Vanderkaay (USA)

Miroslava Najdanovski (SRB)

Caba Siladji (SRB)