The latest issue of Swimming World Biweekly is now available for download in the Swimming World Vault In this issue of Swimming World Biweekly, Abrahm Devine discusses life as an elite IMer and gay athlete, USAS releases the roster for 2019 World Championships, Tritonwear reveals Swimmer of the Month, Rikako Ikee, meet the new wave of swimmers for the Tokyo 2020 Quad, and water polo family, the Harrisons of Huntington Beach. Other special features includes news of Jon Sakovich’s retirement as Head Coach of Bolles Swim Team, growth stats for high school swimming and diving, the reinstatement of the Russian Anti-Doping Agency by WADA met with mixed reactions, Dejan Udovicic talks rule changes at FINA Men’s Water Polo World Cup, and USOC votes to increase Operation Gold Awards for Paralympic athletes…by 400 percent! PHOTO COURTESY: PETER H. BICK New! 1-Year Digital Only Subscription for just $29.95 Order Now! FEATURED 010 INTRODUCING THE NEW WAVE OF SWIMMERS FOR THE TOKYO 2020 QUAD by Andy Ross There were a few swimmers who used 2018 as a coming-out party, using the Commonwealth Games, European Championships and Pan Pacs to announce they mean business as the new wave of swimmers emerges for the Tokyo 2020 quad. SW Biweekly highlights seven of those swimmers from around the world. 013 BOLLES HEAD COACH JON SAKOVICH STEPPING DOWN IN DECEMBER by James Sica News4Jax.com recently reported that Coach Jon Sakovich, who has been involved with the Bolles team since 2000 and who became the school’s head coach in 2015, will be stepping down from that position at the end of the year. 014 HIGH SCHOOL SWIMMING AND DIVING GROWS TO 138,935 PARTICIPANTS The number of participants in high school sports increased for the 29th straight year in 2017-18, according to the annual High School Athletics Participation Survey conducted by the National Federation of State High School Associations (NFHS). Swimming/diving ranks ninth among the high school sports for boys, and eighth for girls. 016 USA SWIMMING FINALIZES 46-STRONG ROSTER FOR 2019 WORLD CHAMPIONSHIPS With 18 Olympic gold medalists leading the way, 46 swimmers (24 men, 22 women) are set to represent the United States at next year’s World Championships in Gwangju, South Korea, July 12-28, 2019. 018 RUSSIAN ANTI-DOPING AGENCY REINSTATED BY WADA; SUBJECT TO STRICT CONDITIONS by Andy Ross WADA’s decision to reinstate the Russian Anti-Doping Agency, which had been suspended for nearly three years since November 2015, was met with mixed reactions throughout the world. 020 USA SWIMMING ATHLETES’ COMMITTEE RELEASES STATEMENT ON WORLD ANTI-DOPING AGENCY’S PLAN TO ACCELERATE RUSSIA’S REINSTATEMENT “It is our future, our sport and our responsibility to demand that the rules are enforced.” 022 SWIMMERS REACT NEGATIVELY TO WADA DECISION ON RUSADA REINSTATEMENT by Andy Ross 024 ABRAHM DEVINE STEPPING OUT AS ELITE IMer AND GAY SWIMMER by David Rieder In a Q&A with SW Biweekly, Stanford swimmer Abrahm DeVine talks about his experiences in swimming and his interests outside of the pool, and opens up about being a gay athlete. 027 FORGED IN THE DARK by Jamie Kolar Here are some things to keep in mind as swimmers everywhere wake up at the crack of dawn for those early morning workouts. 028 THE HARRISONS OF HUNTINGTON BEACH: A BATTLIN’ WATER POLO FAMILY by Michael Randazzo The Harrison family is an inspirational story because of their collective devotion to water polo as well as a tradition of military service that stretches back four generations. Josh, Julie and Justin Harrison talk about their family’s connection to water polo. 030 DEJAN UDOVICIC TALKS ROSTER OPTIONS, RULE CHANGES AT FINA MEN’S WATER POLO WORLD CUP by Michael Randazzo In a Q&A with SW Biweekly, U.S. head water polo coach Dejan Udovicic spoke frankly about the challenges his team faces. 034 TRITONWEAR SWIMMER OF THE MONTH—RIKAKO IKEE Each month, Swimming World will partner with TritonWear to bring you our Swimmer of the Month. This month, we feature Japan’s Rikako Ikee. 036 USOC INCREASES MEDAL PAYMENTS FOR PARALYMPIANS TO MATCH OLYMPIC PAYOUTS As part of a continued effort to direct more resources to athletes, the United States Olympic Committee board of directors voted to increase Operation Gold Awards for Paralympic athletes by as much as 400 percent. 037 PARTING SHOT |