swimming

National

Ali Truwit swims to Paralympic silver a year after losing her leg in a shark attack

10:14am September 06, 2024

Ali Truwit's lower leg was amputated after a shark bit her during a post-graduation trip last May. This week, the 24-year-old won two Paralympic medals and set two new American records.

Sports

Here’s how you can keep finding new sports to love between now and the next Olympics

12:56pm August 13, 2024

by Christopher Dean Hopkins

One of the joys of watching the Olympics is getting sucked into sports you’ve barely heard of. If you still need that feeling in your life, these sports are out beyond the Olympic fringe.

Denise Elliott in Nassau Bahamas at the home where her family was staying.jpg

National

She was floundering in the ocean. Then a young boy came to her rescue

5:00am August 12, 2024

by Laura Kwerel

Nearly 60 years ago, when she was 16, Denise Elliott brought a friend to the Bahamas for a vacation. What happened has stayed with her ever since.

Is the Paris pool slow and shallow? Experts say it’s not only about depth

2:30pm August 02, 2024

by Bill Chappell

Why have the Paris Olympics brought so many exciting swimming events — but not so many world records? It turns out that the pool's depth is just one possible reason.

Will the Seine be clean enough to swim in by the Olympics? Not even the experts know

2:49am July 16, 2024

by The Associated Press

Triathlon and marathon swimming are to take place in the Seine, where it has been illegal to swim for more than a century. The water has tested unsafe in recent weeks, and cleaner on other days.

Katie Ledecky reacts after setting a world record and winning the Woman's 1500m Final at the FINA Swimming World Cup in 2022.

Katie Ledecky tells NPR about her plans for the Paris Olympics — and L.A. in 2028

5:13pm May 03, 2024

Katie Ledecky is used to getting medals, having earned 10 at the Olympics. But on Friday she received the Presidential Medal of Freedom, the highest award a civilian can get from the U.S. government.

People swim and sunbathe on a reopened beach at the Black Sea on Aug. 22 in Odesa. When missiles and drone attacks first hit the city — and Russian naval vessels started laying explosive sea mines around the port — the beaches were closed. Warning signs urged people to keep their distance.

World News

Odesa beaches reopen, offering Ukrainians a respite from war

5:01am August 31, 2023

by Brian Mann

Beaches on the Black Sea that closed after Russia's invasion have reopened. People say swimming and sunbathing are ways to find a taste of normal life, even while under threat from Moscow.

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Katie Ledecky of the U.S. competes during the women's 800m freestyle final at the World Swimming Championships in Fukuoka, Japan, on Saturday.

Sports

Katie Ledecky passes Michael Phelps for most individual golds at world championships

2:26pm July 29, 2023

by The Associated Press

The 26-year-old American won the 800-meter freestyle on Saturday at the world championships to become the first swimmer to win six golds in the same event at worlds.

First Strokes is a New York-based organization working to get teens in the water safely — and to try to remove the barriers to learning. Above, a First Strokes class at Hill Regional Career High School in New Haven, Conn.

Many teens don't know how to swim. A grassroots organization is trying to change that

4:43pm June 09, 2023

by Anastasia Tsioulcas

First Strokes, a nonprofit based in New York City, is helping students learn water safety skills and how to swim. They offer free swimming lessons for teens — taught by other teens.

Scalloped hammerhead sharks can dive to depths of more than 2,600 ft (800 m) to hunt for squid and other food.

Science

Hammerhead sharks 'hold their breath' in deeper, colder waters, research shows

4:29pm May 11, 2023

Sharks are ectotherms and their internal body temperatures usually reflect the waters they swim in. Holding their breath helps them function in the frigid deep.

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