Today In Swimming History, October 1st: Otylia Jędrzejczak Involved In A Major Car Accident One Year After Winning Three Olympic Medals

International News…

In 2005, Otylia Jędrzejczak, a polish swimmer, was driving with her brother in bad weather conditions when she lost control of her car, crashing into a tree. Her brother, Szymon, passed away due to injuries sustained in the accident. This accident had a major affect on her career. Jędrzejczak was the world record holder in the women’s long course 200 butterfly from 2002-2006. During the 2004 Summer Olympics she won three medals.A silver medal in the 400 meter freestyle, another silver in the 100 meter butterfly, and a gold medal in the 200 meter butterfly.

Prior to the 2004 Olympics, Jędrzejczak said that if she won a gold medal in the Olympics, she would auction it off and hand the proceeds to a charity helping children suffering from leukemia. The results of the internet auction were announced on December 19, 2004 with Victoria Cymes, a Polish food company, turning out to be the highest bidder with about 82,437 US Dollars. The money was handed over to the Oncology and Haematology Clinic of Wroclaw’s Children’s Hospital.

In USA Swimming News…

USA Swimming Rule 102.9, regarding suits allowed in USA swimming sanctioned events, went into effect on October 1st, 2009. This rule stated that all suits had to meet the following criteria:

1.Swimsuits for men may not extend above the navel or below the knee and for women may not cover the neck or extend past the shoulders or below the knee;

2.No zippers or other fastening devices are allowed except for a waist tie on a brief or jammer; and

3.Suits must be of textile material and must not be made of any rubberized type of material such as polyurethane or neoprene.

USA Swimming put out a list of suits they felt would be acceptable, but stated that nothing would be officially approved for international competitions until FINA put out their list of approved suits in 2010.

Happy Birthdays!!!