France’s Laure Manaudou, the three-time World Champion, is competing in her first significant action since announcing her return from retirement last September this weekend in Athens, Georgia at a USA Swimming Senior Sectional meet.
Live results are available here (via SpeedEndurance.blogspot.com)
In her first race, the prelims of the 50 free, she swam a 25.93, which is a career-best time (though don’t read too much into that, she swam it only a dozen or so times in her career). She is now, however, moving more towards the shorter races, instead of the 200, 400, and 800 meter races that brought her so much success earlier in her career. This is partially a product of where her desires lie, and are partially a product of her environment: training at Auburn with Brett Hawke. It’s only natural for a swimmer working in one of the world’s top sprint programs to gravitate towards sprinting.
Manaudou has a full schedule this weekend, and will also swim the 100 and 200 freestyles and the 100 and 200 backstrokes. She will face several very strong tests, especially from the Georgia crew that is not headed to Shanghai for World’s. That includes Chelsea Nauta, Shannon Vreeland, and Megan Romano. She’ll also face off against UNC’s Carly Smith in the backstroke races; Smith was a B-finalist at 2010 Nationals in both the 100 and 200 backstrokes.
I remember when Laure was taking out her 400 free in times that were putting girls on the US National travel team in the 200. She was a trendsetter, to be sure, and I’d love to see her crowned Olympic champion in an event in London. Can you imagine what the 400 free record would be right now if she’d have even been in her 2007 form during the shiny suit era? We’d be talking about her 400 the same way we talk about Kukors’ 200 IM.
I agree. She is such a great talent, and she could have become the Ian Thorpe of womens swimming had she been emotionally balanced.
I am glad she’s back in training. I think she will still do great in 200 and a threat in 100 if she is focusing in that too.
One of the greatest talents! Too bad she got derailed. Don’t know what she is planning on swimming, but she has potential to go a 58 on the 100 back! Hope she will!