NBC's coverage of the 2012 London Olympics is available on Blu-ray and DVD!

Amazon has listed both Blu-ray and DVD editions of NBC's London 2012 coverage highlights. I know I haven't written much about the London Games as they were happening, but I intend to do a write up soon. In the meantime you order one or both of these sets from the links below. I do get a small percentage of the purchase price of these sets if you do order from the links below. That money will go towards allowing me to pick up more Olympics related good and media and review it here for you all. Your support is much appreciated. Thanks!

    

Speedo unveils Fastskin3 swimwear system for London 2012 Summer Games

With the July 2009 FINA ban on the high tech LZR suits that help shatter so many swimming records in Beijing 2008 Speedo set to work on developing a new system that would further help swimmers shave off those precious milliseconds. The new concept is more of a system, which includes suit, cap, and goggles, that Speedo is calling Fastskin3. I guess we'll find out this summer in London if this system will be as successful as the LZR in giving simmers the edge they need to smash even more records.

Here are some more details provided by Speedo:

Speedo has secured full FINA (Fédération Internationale de Natation) approval for a world first concept to revolutionize the sport of swimming – a cap, goggle and suit engineered to work together as one revolutionary Racing System - offering swimmers a cohesive, hydrodynamic solution to cut through the water with maximum efficiency. 

Unveiled today during an exclusive global launch event, the Speedo FASTSKIN3 Racing System offers unrivaled benefits to swimmers, including a full body passive drag reduction of up to 16.6%, an 11% improvement in the swimmer’s oxygen economy enabling them to swim stronger for longer, and a 5.2% reduction in body active drag, to create the world’s fastest cap, goggle and suit ever. 

With a distinctive and futuristic design that considers both the physiology and psychology of the elite swimmer, the Speedo FASTSKIN3 Racing System enhances hydrodynamic efficiency and comfort, while improving the athlete’s focus to perform. 

The result is Speedo’s most advanced swimwear and equipment technology since the introduction of new FINA guidelines in January 2010, strengthening Speedo’s world class reputation as one of the most innovative brands in all of sport. 

Michael Phelps, regarded as the most accomplished swimmer of all time, has led plaudits for the concept, saying: “Speedo FASTSKIN3 makes me feel completely at one with the water. I feel confident, I feel comfortable and I feel like I am wearing the fastest.” 

While suits, caps and goggles are conventionally designed separately, Speedo has designed and engineered all three elements together to generate a unified system that works in synergy, incorporating many world firsts in swimming technology. 

The Speedo FASTSKIN3 Racing System utilises a new anatomical marking system, ‘Fit Point Markers’, at strategic points across the cap, goggles and suit, which indicate how to align the Racing System accurately on the body to achieve optimum fit for the best performance. Intuitive IQ FIT technology maximises swimming comfort while minimizing resistance and drag.

Michael Phelps: Push the Limit

I spotted this in the Best Buy ad this weekend. I had completely forgot that he signed a deal for a video game. It seems like the Kinect is the perfect fit for a game from him. I don't know how much fun this would be beyond the novelty of it though. I can't imagine there is a lot of gameplay variety, but I could be wrong.

Here is what the game's published 505 Games has to say about it:

Learn from and be inspired by the greatest – Michael Phelps has won 14 Gold Medals. He’s broken 39 world records. And now, he wants to bring his passion for swimming right into your living room.

Challenge your friends and family in fun and fast match ups – your front room becomes a giant pool for up to 8 people. Or take the world online with Xbox Live!

Control and have fun in every element of the race – With Phelps as your own personal swim coach, hype up the crowd, improve start reaction, dive, stroke, turn and finish. Compete in freestyle, backstroke, butterfly and breaststroke races over short and long distances.

Intelligent, intuitive and healthy Kinect gameplay. You are the controller - the moves you make in your front room are replicated on screen. Get off the sofa and truly dive into the game!
Cutting-edge water effects transport you to breathtaking locations around the world – including serene mountain ranges, grand cityscapes, skyscrapers, architectural wonders, and an 80000 seat outdoor sports arena.

Become a Champion in Career Mode - choose your path through the racing season, swerving or meeting rivals head on, and take part in the end of season Annual Games where glory and medals are up for grabs…and compete against Michael Phelps, himself.

You can find out more at the game's official website: www.michaelphelpsgame.com
You can also find the game on Amazon.com here: Michael Phelps - Push the limit

The 14th FINA World Championships Winners and Losers

Yahoo's Fourth-Place Medal Blog has a nice wrap up article about the The 14th FINA World Championships that just recently took place in Shanghai, China. Rather than a traditional editorial they have posted what they consider to be the "Winners and Losers" from the competition. While this commentary and their selections are not my own it's a fun and informative read nonetheless. Here is their list:

Winner: Ryan Lochte

Loser: Australia

Winner: Missy Franklin

Loser: Ian Thorpe

Winner: China

Winner: Michael Phelps

Loser: Silver medals

Click through to the original article Winners and losers from the swimming world championships to see their reasons for their picks.

Beijing's Water Cube drawing different types of crowds

A year after the Summer Olympics, the fancifully designed aquatics center is popular with tourists and is regularly booked for weddings and galas, including an extravagant production of 'Swan Lake.'

More @ LA TIMES

Phelps tops the trash talking Cavic at the 2009 World Championships in Rome

Michael Phelps reacts after winning the men's 100m butterfly final at the World Championships in Rome. It was great to see him top Cavic after all the trash talk leading up to the swim. Phelps didn't get into a contest of words with him and decided instead to show him who's boss by shutting him down in the pool when it counts. Well played Phelps.

Michael Phelps to go for more gold at London Olympics

The 23-year-old American, who won an unprecedented eight gold medals at last summer's Beijing Olympics and six in Athens four years earlier, is serving a three-month suspension imposed by his national governing body after he was photographed apparently inhaling from a glass 'bong' at a college party in South Carolina in November.

But, after questioning whether he still had the motivation to carry on competing, Phelps insists he is now focused on 2012, when he will be aiming to extend his record as the most successful Olympian of all time. Via.

Michael Phelps Beijing Sports Illustrated Cover

This is the cover for the current issue of Sports Illustrated out on news stands now. Good luck getting your hands on a copy! We've been trying all week and it's sold out everywhere.

Phelps: LUCKY NUMBER 7!

Once again words fail to adequately describe his performance in a race.

He got his hands on the wall a hundredth of a second ahead of Cavic -- a finish so close the Serbians filed a protest and swimming's governing body had to review the tape down to the 10-thousandth of a second.

Read more at ESPN.com

USA wins Gold in men's 4x100 relay!!

What an astonishing race!!! We were on our feet cheering from here! Those guys deserve that medal. The word "amazing" is insufficient to describe the win.

ESPN says,

Before the men's 4x100 relay final, French swimmer Alain Bernard said they'd "smash" the Americans. During Monday's race, they were about to. But Jason Lezak caught Bernard at the wall to win gold by .08 seconds and give Michael Phelps his second gold of the Games as his chase to history stayed alive.

Gold medal #1 in Beijing for Phelps!!

Congrats Mr. Phelps!! And here's hoping to many more in the next few days!!

Video: Dara Torres, 41, makes Olympic history

Description from hulu.com:
After a comeback victory in the women's 100-meter freestyle, 41-year-old Dara Torres is slated to become the first American swimmer to have competed in five Olympics

Megan Romano: 200m to Gold

Yahoo has posted an interesting article on an up and coming swimmer named Megan Romano...

From Yahoo! Sports: Rivals High by Keith Niebuhr

Long before Megan Romano became a teenage phenom, a high school state champion, an athlete coveted by every elite college program and an Olympic hopeful, her mother noticed something unique.

At a young age, she had an uncanny competitive spirit.

"I knew something was up early on," Rhonda Romano said. "Her drive was crazy. She had to be the first one in the car. Had to be the first to put the seat belt on. And when we got home, she'd race everyone to the front door.

"It didn't matter what she was doing, she had to be first at everything."

Usually, in the pool, she was. "By the time I was 7 or 8, I was better than everyone else," Megan Romano said.

Almost a decade later, little has changed. Now 16 and a junior at St. Petersburg (Fla.) Northeast High, Romano is considered one of the country's top prep swimmers. Last fall, she broke a 10-year state record in the 100-yard backstroke, winning in 54.41 seconds. In the 200 freestyle, she clocked in at 1:46.70, less than a second off the national record.

More impressive is this: Romano has qualified in six events – the 50-meter free, 100 free, 200 free, 400 free, 100 back and 200 back – for the U.S. Olympic swimming trials, which take place June 29-July 6 in Omaha.

"Megan," said Romano's coach, Fred Lewis, "has a lot of natural ability."

You can read the rest of the story HERE.

Beijing unveils "Water Cube" National Aquatics Center

Visitors walk past the National Aquatics Centre in Beijing January 28, 2008. China officially unveiled its bubble-wrapped National Aquatics Centre, nicknamed the "Water Cube", on Monday, one of the two iconic venues for this year's Beijing Olympics. The imposing rectangular box, clad in a honeycomb of transparent cushions, will host the swimming, diving and synchronised swimming during the August 8-24 sporting spectacular. (REUTERS/Claro Cortes IV)

Chinese soldiers stand near the Olympic swimming pool during the inauguration ceremony of the National Aquatics Centre in Beijing January 28, 2008. (REUTERS/Claro Cortes IV)

I think it's beautiful! I think between this and the "Birds Nest" they have created some very iconic and memorable architecture.

Wikipedia: Beijing National Aquatics Centre
ESPN: Unique venue to host swimming events in Beijing

PERCEPTIONS from the deep

While not directly related to the Olympics, I came across this beautiful photograph and felt that I had to share. The photographer is Wayne Levin and from what I can tell the photograph was taken at an Iron Man competition in 2001.

You can find out more about the photographer here and here.

(Source: 3 Quarks Daily)