Former 50 meter freestyle world record Frédérick Bousquet announced on his Facebook page today that he has decided to forgo the remainder of the 2013 short course season to focus fully on his preparation for the 2016 Rio Olympics. This means that Bousquet will not be competing in the French National Championships or the European Championships in Herning.
Bousquet failed to make the French Olympic team in 2012 and is not planning to do so again in 2016, even at an advanced age of 35, something he jokes about in his announcement.
Hello everyone!
France championships and European Short Course approaching and I wanted to tell you that I would not do it. Indeed, I have decided, in agreement with the medical team Circle Swimmers Marseille and the medical team of the Federation, to ignore the short course season in order to take care of some injuries occurred with the passage of time (and yes, I’m not getting any younger!) Today, only two and a half years separate us from the next Olympic Games to be held in Rio. It is very short! But much work remains to be done, and it is in this light that I prefer to take care of my body and especially my shoulders in order to finish off under the Brazilian sun In the meantime, good luck to all swimmers present at Dijon and the France team that will travel to Denmark.
Bousquet finished eighth in the 50 freestyle (21.93) at the 2013 World Championships in Barcelona.
Shame to see Bousquet miss the SC season this winter – he’s always been one of my favourite sprinters. I still remember his ridiculous 08 SC season, especially with the French Relay in Rijeka when Amaury Leveaux split 19.93 and then Bousquet anchored in a 19.87. Incredible swims.
Still, good to see him planning long term and looking forward to Rio 2016. Given how he performed in LC 2010 with a 21.36 textile swim, I’m sure he has the ability to bounce back if he can get everything right. All the best to Fred!