2008 Olympic gold medalist in the 10km marathon swim Maarten van der Weijden has improved upon the old World Record for distance swum in a 25m pool in 24 hours.

The 36-year old Dutchman swam 102.8km (63.8 miles) in 24 hours – that comes after last year, where a 99.5km (61.8 miles) effort came up just short of the record.

The old record was set in 1989 by Swede Anders Forvass of Sweden when he raced 101.9km (63.3 miles). Van der Weijden’s record has not been officially ratified by Guinness yet.

As incredible as the swim was, it was just the beginning for van der Weijden. After a short break to do some interviews and have some food, he continued on for another 12 hour swim – all in preparation for a planned 200km swim along side the track of the Elfstedentocht – a speedskating marathon in the province of Friesland.

His 200km swim is a fundraiser for cancer research. Van der Weijden, himself a survivor of leukemia, will allow the public to swim with him for a period of time during his swim for 11 euros.

For those wondering, swimming 102.8km in 24 hours is the same as holding an average pace of 1:24.05 (with rounding).</s>It has been a very long wait, but the highly-anticipated swimming pool at Sherford could be built within two years.

The Sherford Consortium has announced work is "expected to commence" by 2020 for the new leisure centre, on the edge of Plymouth.

For decades the Plymstock community has been campaigning for its own pool, but an appropriate site was never found for development.

Now a campaign group set up to achieve just that, the Plymouth and District Public Swimming Pool Association (PDPSPA), has put a call out for new committee members as momentum builds at the Sherford construction site.

The PDPSPA says it is after fresh faces who can help support the existing committee in "achieving for the residents of Plymstock their long awaited swimming pool".

Chairman Brian Steele said: "For many years, the committee has worked hard in raising funds and despite many drawbacks in finding suitable sites and obtaining planning approval, we are now on course to contribute to a pool in the new Sherford development.

"Contrary to some reports, the pool will be located within the Plymouth city boundary, so it will be easily accessed by those in the surrounding districts.

"Residents of the Plymstock area have waited many years for their own pool and the PDPSPA committee negotiated with the Sherford developers some years ago to include a pool in the sports complex.

"Although there have been some unexpected delays in the Sherford development, we are confident that the work is gaining momentum and we should be able to report favourable progress by next year."

Many Plymstock people would have preferred a pool to be built in central Plymstock and there was disappointment when a site at Down Horn Park was rejected.

Several other sites were looked at in Plymstock by the association but were found unsuitable under planning regulations.

So when the campaign group saw the opportunity to achieve its objective at Sherford, they took it.

Mr Steele said at the time: "The key advantages to taking this step is that the swimming pool would be incorporated into a much larger complex, improving its financial viability.

"It would be undertaken by a major developer and there would be no opposition or inconvenience to local residents, mainly because there are no residents."

With regards the development of the sports centre at Sherford, a spokesperson for the Sherford Consortium said: "The Sherford Consortium has been liaising with the Plymstock and District Swimming Pool Association about the future leisure facilities at Sherford – and looks forward to working with the organisation more in the future as this part of Sherford progresses.

“The arrival of a leisure centre at Sherford will be a huge milestone for the new community and work is expected to commence within the next two years.

"The final details of the proposed pool and wider leisure facilities are being finalised, and within the next few years the residents of Sherford and families in the local area will have access to a much longed-for, exciting new community amenity.”

The PDPSPA group is keen to meet with anyone who would be willing to help it conclude arrangements with the Sherford Consortium and invite them to give the Mr Steele a ring to find out more on 01752 405132 or email briandsal@blueyonder.co.uk.

Mr Steele added: "It must be stressed that this request involves little of your time but will be extremely beneficial to the people of Plymstock. We do hope you can take time to find out how you can help."</s>Toronto FC announced this morning that they had signed Dutch international Gregory van der Wiel after reaching an agreement with Cagliari Calcio S.p.A.. The defender was acquired with Targeted Allocation Money and will join the team upon receipt of his International Transfer Certificate and his Canadian work permit.

Toronto welcome van der Wiel's addition to the team

Tim Bezbatchenko, Senior Vice-President, Soccer Operations & General Manager, spoke to the club's official website on the news of the signing. Bezbatchenko stated that the club brought in van der Wiel as he was an "experienced player" who had played for big teams in Europe and had represented his country at various tournaments. Bezbatchenko also commented that van der Wiel has "great defensive sense" and could potentially "provide an upside on the ball with his strong distribution when in the attacking third".

Van der Wiel will certainly bring a great attacking threat if Greg Vanney stays with the 3-5-2 formation that proved so fruitful for the current MLS Cup winners last season. Although Steven Beitashour was immense at the right wing back position when available, Toronto seem to think that not only can van der Wiel provide depth in that position but he could challenge Beitashour and push Toronto to be an even better team this season.

Gregory van der Wiel started out his professional career with AFC Ajax after progressing through the youth system at the club. He made his first team debut in 2007 and then proceeded to spend seven seasons with the team. During his time at Ajax, van der Wiel made 191 appearances, scoring 12 goals and providing 17 assists in all competitions. His performances at Ajax earned him a move to French side Paris Saint-Germain in 2012 where he spent four seasons. While at PSG, he made 132 appearances, scoring four goals and providing 22 assists in all competitions. Fenerbahçe S.K. was van der Wiel's next stop in his career after his contract with PSG expired at the end of the 2016 season. The defender made 17 appearances for the Turkish side but failed to find the back of the net and only managed one assist in all competitions. After one season, van der Wiel moved on to Cagliari where he made six appearances across all competitions.

For the Netherlands, van der Wiel as earned 46 caps, after earning his first one in 2009. The 29 year-old was a starter for the team in the 2010 FIFA World Cup and was part of the roster for UEFA Euro 2012.</s>A 99-year-old Australian swimmer appears to have smashed a world record for his age group in the 50m freestyle.

George Corones clocked 56.12 seconds at an official event in Queensland – a new benchmark for the 100-104 age category.

He eclipsed the previous mark, set in 2014, by 35 seconds. It will now be verified by the sport’s governing body.

Mr Corones, who is eligible for the record because he turns 100 in April, said he was “quite delighted” and “over the world” by the result.

“It was an exemplary swim for me, well balanced… and I was ready to hit the [wall] at the end very hard with my hand,” he told the BBC.

He said he had been overwhelmed by the “roaring” crowd on the Gold Coast on Wednesday. The event, in which he was the sole entrant, had been specifically staged for him to challenge the record.

“We have just witnessed history in the making!” the Australian Dolphins swim team said on its Facebook page.

‘It takes a while to get going’

Mr Corones, from Brisbane, said he was a keen swimmer in his youth but only began swimming again aged 80.

“I gave it up at the beginning of the war [World War Two], and I don’t think I had a swim of any description until I retired,” he said.

He said racing “undeniably” challenged him physically, but it was manageable with preparation. On average he swims laps three times a week, and also fits in gym sessions.

“At this age, it takes a while to get going… you get exhausted much more easily, but if you do it sensibly, the rewards are astronomical,” he said.

He attributed his success to his pacing and technique.

“My first dozen strokes were well balanced and the trick is to just carry it on progressively, putting a little bit of increasing effort in each stroke,” he said.

“I did that until the last 10m – I knew I was tired and done – but went on without any disturbance.”

The previous record of 1:31.19 was set by British swimmer John Harrison in 2014.

Mr Corones’s race took place just before the Australian Swimming Trials for the Commonwealth Games, which will begin on the Gold Coast next month.

Masters Swimming Australia said the record was pending official verification by the International Swimming Federation (Fina).

Mr Corones will challenge the 100m freestyle record on Saturday night, believing he can beat the current mark of 03:23.10, which was also set by Mr Harrison.

“I’m not a young man by any means, but I am really looking forward to it and confident I can do very well,” he said.
The Dutch swimmer Maarten van der Weijden sets the 24-hour swimming record in a 25-meter pool at 102.8 kilometres (63.9 mi).