In the latest update on swimmer Mireia Belmonte’s shoulder injury, the Spanish super star has announced that the decision as to whether or not she will compete at this year’s World Championships will be made this Sunday, July 26th.
Belmonte had already dropped out of Spanish Nationals to allow her shoulder extra rest and Belmonte now tells Sports Natacion that she currently “feels good swimming in practice…..the pain has subsided a bit, but I’m still with discomfort.” Belmonte continued that, “I am told that an operation is not necessary, but it must be careful.
As such, Coach Fred Vergnoux and Belmonte’s doctors prefer the athlete to continue her recovery in Spain in order to build herself back up to one hundred percent in time for the 2016 Rio Olympic Games. Says Vergnoux, “If Mireia participates in the World, is to win. I told her not have to prove anything. If you are not a hundred percent, is not serious not be in Worlds.”
SwimSwam previously reported that Belmonte had already dropped the 5k open water contest from her monster Worlds schedule, but Sports Natacion is also reporting that Belmonte has additionally dropped the 800m and 1500m freestyles , should she indeed intend on competing in Kazan. That would still leave the Spanish World Champion with a full schedule of the 200/400 IM, 200 Fly and 200/400 freestyle races.
Fly and IM events must be pretty hard on the shoulders.
for me, distance freestyle (not fly or IM) was hardest on my shoulders.
Fully healthy, I think she was the big 200 fly gold medal favorite and she could beat Hosszu in the 400 IM.
The 200 fly is very open now and Hosszu can breathe a little bit more in the 400 IM. Even if Hannah Miley and Maya DiRado will be serious opponents. Ye Shiwen? I’ve no idea.
I’m a little sad but olympics are much more important. Take care and come back stronger in Rio to win your first gold medal there.
The real winner if she pulls out is Katinka Hosszu.
In what world is Belmonte swimming the 200/400free “swimming to win”… What’s her PR in the 200? And she has a way to go to establish herself as a solid silver candidate in the 400
I don’t quite remember, but did the 2007 and 2011 world champs have a lot of dropouts in order to be fully prepared for the upcoming Olympic games? I’m not blaming the athletes at all, I’m just genuinely curious.