Swimming - When coaches have to give swimmers some stick

By John Chalmers

BEIJING (Reuters) - Marathon runners just have to grab power drinks and water from tables set up along the route. Long-distance swimmers have to battle for a place at elaborate "feeding pontoons".

At the first modern Olympic Games, in 1896 the winner of the 1,200-metre swim in Greece's Bay of Zea complained the water was so cold "my will to live completely overcame my desire to win".

None of the athletes are likely to complain of the cold when open water swimming returns to the Olympics in Beijing on Wednesday, but they will need some of that same pluck as they are elbowed, kicked and dunked around a 10km course.

The jostling is always most intense at turning buoys and at the floating pontoons, where a crowd of coaches have their own jostle to hand swimmers drinks at the end of "feeding sticks".

According to the 10kswimmer.com website, most coaches hang a small flag of their country at the end of their sticks so that they can be more easily identified, especially when the swimmers are moving fast or are in a large pack.

Swimmers are not allowed to touch the pontoon or the feeding stick, so they grab their cups quickly while rolling over on their backs. If the coach falls in, the swimmer is disqualified.

Natalie du Toit, the South African amputee who will be in Wednesday's race with 24 other women, uses a swimming pool pole with a small basket at the end.

In Seville earlier this year for the Olympics qualification race, she had to improvise because the cups designed to go on to the end of the stick were in luggage delayed at Madrid airport. When it came to the race, her cup fell out and into the water.