James Magnussen celebrates his success in the swim trials with the vitory pose and is headed to the London 2012 Olympics where he'll compete in four events.

Swimmer James Magnussen is headed to the London 2012 Olympics after achieving personal bests in the 50m and 100 swims at the Australian Swimming Championships. James ‘The Missile’ Magnussen as he is affectionately known, will be competing in 4 events at the Olympics. Magnussen was awarded the right to swim in the Olympics after achieving the fastest time of 22.19 in the semi-finals of the men’s 50m freestyle, followed by 2. Matt Abood, 3. Matt Targett and 4. Eamon Sullivan. In the men’s 100m freestyle Magnussen won the event with a personal best of 47.10 seconds, winning by an impressive body length. Magnussen won the 50m swim event in 21.74sec, placing him ahead of the former world record holder Eamon Sullivan (21.92) and Matt Abood (21.94). Magnussen now has the chance to potentially win four gold medals, which would make him the most successful Olympian in a single games in London.  If he achieves this, his achievement would put him ahead of three-time gold medal winners Stephanie Rice, Jodie Henry, Petria Thomas, Ian Thorpe (‘Thorpie’, AKA the Thorpedo), Shane Gould and Murray Rose.

Competitors battle it out in the Bondi vs North Bondi Stan Mac Relay.

As anticipated in an earlier post at BondiLife, Bondi has won the annual Stan Mac relay, making it three in a row! This year’s event was the 70th annual event which had Bondi winning over their North Bondi rivals the whole way, with 24 seconds separating the team captain Simon Watkins from runner-up, Zoe Whitfield of North Bondi. After the event competitors and supporters alike were treated to drinks and entertainment at both clubs. The Bondi team consisted of: Simon Nothling, Richard Campbell, Michael Firmin, Dori Miller, Andrea Miller, Leon Hay, Kale Fogg, Danny McKell, Madeline Blomberg, Lachlan Hinds, Hamish Cameron, Toby Jenkins, Adam Nezval, Blake Francis, Liliana Guiscardo, Michael Pollard, Josh Yuide, Nick Nezval, Grant Baldock and Simon Watkins. North Bondi was represented by Tim Shaw, James Ross, Talbot Henry, Adam Senerey, Simon Storry, Campbell Bennett, Josh Bernard, Sam Annear, Spot Anderson, John Clothier, Dylan Bernard, Ben Celermajar, Madeline Palfrey, John P. McCarthy, Trent Knox, Jessica Suriano Jnr, Charlie Bodkin, Scott Thomson, Matt Hamilton and Zoe Whitfield.

Swimmer at the Cronulla Shark Island Swim. Image courtesy the organisers

The first Cronulla Shark Island Swim took place in October 1987, when sixty-four swimmers tackled the medium swell running and choppy water. The 2.4 kilometre course started at Cronulla Beach, running out to sea, around Shark Island and back to Cronulla beach. No buoys were used so competitors rang their own race with David O’Brien the Australian Belt Champion and long distance champion winning. Since then the event has grown with over 1,000 entrants competing. The event attracts world class competitive swimmers, including Susie Maroney, and recreational swimmers alike. The annual race is unique and popular, given that it can be viewed from many vantage points along the Cronulla Esplanade. The main prizes are for the first male and female, who receive prize money of $1000 with the second and third prize getters receiving $400 and $200 respectively. Notable winners include Daniel McClellan – the Australian and World Surf Champion, who won the race for seven successive years until he was beaten in 1998 by Ironman and Olympic distance swimming competitor Ky Hurst. Other winners of the Shark Island Swim Challenge include Brad Turner, Craig Stevens, Mark Saliba, Matthew Hiesley, Hayden Allum, Josh Santacaterina and Nathan Smith. This is one hotly anticipated event on the ocean swim event schedule, with crowd favourites Babewatch announcing that they will be participating – so show them your support!

What: Cronulla Shark Island 2.3 km Swim & Cronulla Beach 1 km Swim

Where: Cronulla Beach

When: Sunday 18th March 2012. The Cronulla Beach 1km swim commences at 9.30am, with 2 wave starts – under 40 and over 40. The Cronulla Shark Island 2.3km swim has 4 wave starts.

For more information, refer to the Shark Island Swim Challenge website.

Swimmer at the Cronulla Shark Island Swim. Image courtesy the organisers.

Shark Island Swim course at Cronulla

Competitors at the Stan MacDonald Relay Race in 2010. Image courtesy Bondi Surf Club.

Bondi Surf Club’s Annual Stan MacDonald relay race takes place Sunday 18th March, 2012. Twenty of the best swimmers from the Bondi Surf Bathers’ Life Saving Club will line up to represent the club, competing against the North Bondi Surf Club. The event is an annual Bondi Beach tradition that goes back 63 years. The Bondi Surf Club has won the past couple of years and hope’s to make it a hat trick this year. Don your blue and white to show your support for our local surf lifesaving heroes! Meet before 2pm at the Bondi Surf Club then proceed to North Bondi where it will be hosted this year. The event will be followed by drinks and speeches at North Bondi Surf Club, followed by more drinks & entertainment back at the Bondi Surf Club at 5:30pm.

Anthony Minichiello and Jared Waerea-Hargreaves at a Roosters' beach recovery session. Picture by Brett Costello, courtesy The Daily Telegraph.

It’s not looking likely that Bondi’s local team, the Roosters, will see fullback Anthony Minichiello defect to his ancestral country, Italy, or any other country’s rugby team, in the immediate future, given his success over twentysomethings in his team of late. Minichiello (teammate of Shaun Kenny-Dowall) and his new wife, shoe designer Terry Biviano, are frequent fixtures on the social set in and around Sydney. The 31 year old is in the final year of his contract with the Sydney Roosters so questions have been asked about his playing future with the Roosters, and his manager has admitted that he’s already looking for overseas offers.  Minichiello and the Roosters are regularly seen at North Bondi beach in recovery sessions involving swimming and beach wrestling, and Minichiello would be sorely missed by Roosters’ fans if he chose to move offshore.

Anthony Minichiello, Mitchell Pearce, Trent Merrin and Brett Morris at a recovery session.

Mark Gasnier, Anthony Minichiello and Anthony Watmough at a recovery session. Photo courtesy Sports News First

Catherine McNeil at Bondi for Vogue Australia

When Australian supermodel Catherine McNeil was in Sydney shooting the Seafolly Swimwear campaign, she was also photographed by Max Doyle for Vogue Australia’s April 2012 issue at Bondi Beach. Bondi beach and Vogue Australia are far from strangers, as Abbey Lee & Tyler Atkins were featured on the cover of Vogue Australia’s Bondi Summer issue back in 2010.

After winning an Australian modelling competition in 2003, Catherine McNeil moved to Sydney and worked with many well known Australian brands such as Peter Alexander, Myer, Cue, Simona, Allannah Hill, Sportsgirl, Colorado and Kookai. When she flew to New York in January 2007 with her grandmother, she caught of the renowned photographer Mario Testino, who signed her for a six month exclusive editorial contract. Vogue Australia has already featured her on three of its covers, and she has also appeared on the cover of Vogue Paris, as well as in editorials for US Vogue, where the inimitable Anna Wintour, (immortalised in ‘The Devil Wears Prada’) is editor. McNeil has also been shot by Terry Richardson for the 2010 Pirelli calendar. More recently, she’s appeared on the catwalk for Matthew Williamson at London Fashion Week and has appeared in campaigns for many of the world’s most famous brands including D&G, Hugo Boss, Versace, Donna Karan, Louis Vuitton, Dior Joaillerie and Narcisco Rodriguez Fragrance.

Still from the Chanel Film series directed by Academy Award winner Kathryn Bigelow (The Hurt Locker) with Danny Fuller, to promote their Allure Homme Sport Eau Extreme.

At BondiLife we’re fans of Karl Lagerfeld, as well as Chanel for opening at Bondi as well as their use of Bondi Iceberg’s inspired blues in their products, well now we have another reason. Chanel has released a beautiful series of mini films directed by Academy Award winner Kathryn Bigelow (The Hurt Locker) with Danny Fuller, to promote their Allure Homme Sport Eau Extreme. We’ve included them below for your enjoyment.

ALLURE HOMME SPORT EAU EXTRÊME – Film 1

ALLURE HOMME SPORT EAU EXTRÊME – Film 2

ALLURE HOMME SPORT EAU EXTRÊME – Film 3

ALLURE HOMME SPORT EAU EXTRÊME – Film 4

TamaCloey 2012 Ocean Swim. Photo courtesy the organisers.

The 2.5km TamaCloey 2.5km Cliffside Odyssey

This swim is brought to you through the partnership of Tamarama and Clovelly surf clubs and takes place on Sunday 26th February 2012 at 9am. The 2.5km course begins at beautiful Tamarama Beach, with the swimmers navigating a route south across Bronte Beach and past the spectacular Clovelly cliffs. Competitors then swim around Shark Point, before turning for the finish line at Clovelly Beach.  The Swim is a vibrant community and family event, with the new coastal walk providing family and friends a unique opportunity to follow their swimmers right through to the finish line at Clovelly. A BBQ and refreshments will be available at the Clovelly SLSC for all of the swimmers, friends and families. Both clubs are committed to providing a fun and safe event, offering up their facilities and hospitality to the swimmers and their families throughout the day. Registration and collection of caps and timing chips opens: 7:30am. Registration closes at 9:00am for swimmers in later waves. Swimmers will be texted their wave allocation and approximate start time on Saturday night.

TamaCLoey (Tamarama to Clovelly Ocean Swim Cost:

The 2.5km Cliffside Odyssey – Earlybird before 10th February: $35. The 2.5km Cliffside Odyssey – Regular Online Price 11th Feb to 24th Feb: $40. The 2.5km Cliffside Odyssey – Late Entry on the Day: $50. The OceanFit 600: $25 ($30 late entries). The OceanKids 200 and 400: $15 (no late entries). online registrants save $10 and will be entered into the correct wave based on the simmers’ previous history. Entrants on the dahy swim on later waves. As there’s a limit on swimmers, late entrants may be turned away. For more information check out the TamaCloey website.

Actor Channing Tatum at Bondi Beach. Image courtesy Popsugar.

Actor Channing Tatum made the most of his visit to Sydney with a visit to Sydney’s iconic Bondi Beach today. Tatum, with fellow actor Jonah Hill, in town as part of their international promotional tour for their new movie 21 Jump Street will host a screening for their movie tomorrow evening. Hill actually found himself caught in a rip and had to be rescued by Bondi’s heroic lifeguards. Channing recently starred in The Vow, which was a box office success, and is confident that 21 Jump Street (the movie), will be too. At BondiLife we are fans of the original 21 Jump Street TV series with Holly Robinson Peete and Johnny Depp, so look forward to the release of the movie version.  Starring alongside Tatum and Hill are Dave Franco, Ellie Kemper, Jake M. Johnson and Ice Cube. It will be interesting to see if this movie is a springboard for future successes of the other cast members as the original series was for many of those involved.

James Magnussen awarded Samsung sponsorship. Photo taken at the spectacular Andrew 'Boy' Charlton pool at The Domain, Sydney, courtesy James Magnussen Official Facebook page.

At the mere age of 20, James Magnussen has become the first Australian male swimmer in history to win the 100 metres Freestyle at a FINA World Championship, where he also led out the gold medal winning 4 x 100m freestyle relay team stopping setting the record for the fastest time ever recorded without a polyurethane suit. James ‘The Missile’ Magnussen is undoubtedly one of Australia’s most talented athletes. Coached by Brant Best, the SOPAC/NSWIS swimmer has just been awarded sponsorship by the international electronics company, Samsung. In and out of the pool, Magnussen is an advocate of a healthy lifestyle and recommends that all make personal health their number one priority, making it a part of their daily lives.  He hopes that his swimming efforts not only entertain, but inspire others. He is confident he can beat a world record at the 2012 London Olympics. Magnussen typically starts his day at 6am where hespends time in the pool analysing and perfecting his stroke. He claim technology assists him with this process. His diet is important to refuel and recover from training, hence his food and supplementation is well planned.  Afternoons normally see him engaged in strength/weights sessions in the gym.

James Magnussen awarded Samsung sponsorship. Location: Andrew 'Boy' Charlton pool at The Domain, Sydney, courtesy James Magnussen Official Facebook page.

James Magnussen awarded Samsung sponsorship. Location: Andrew 'Boy' Charlton pool at The Domain, Sydney, courtesy James Magnussen Official Facebook page.

James Magnussen awarded Samsung sponsorship. Location: Andrew 'Boy' Charlton pool at The Domain, Sydney, courtesy James Magnussen Official Facebook page.

James Magnussen awarded Samsung sponsorship. Location: Andrew 'Boy' Charlton pool at The Domain, Sydney, courtesy James Magnussen Official Facebook page.