Italian swimmer Gregorio Paltrinieri says that it’s his body, not his mind, that was unprepared to swim the 1500 free at the World Championships this week in Fukuoka.
Paltrinieri dropped the race in which he’s won three of the last four World Championships and the 2016 Olympic gold medal.
In an interview with RAI Sport, the 28-year-old Paltrinieri explained why he scratched the event as the top seed.
“Mentally I’m there, physically I’m not,” Paltrinieri said. “Since January I’ve stopped six times; I’ve missed six weeks of training, I haven’t had continuity of work.”
After the 800 free, where he was 8th, he said that after the first 50 he felt like he was done.
Now, he says, he’ll go on vacation, get some rest, and begin training for Paris.
While Paltrinieri’s entourage has been mum about the nature of the medical issues that have interrupted his training, he did say during the open water events last week that he missed six weeks of training between January and May and resumed training steadily in June.
His coach Fabrizio Antonelli elaborated on the decision.
“An absolutely necessary decision, there was no point in being here struggling with a precarious health condition that we have been carrying around for almost a month,” Antonelli said. “It’s a decision that brought serenity to everyone, to him more than the others. He needs to stay home and rest. He left here anyway with a haul of important medals in the open water even in the heat of the 800 he showed that the will to fight never fails him.”
“He cared a lot, he left the boys a goosebump motivational message. He understood, though, that it was the right choice to be well. He fought all the way, then you have to have the maturity to understand when to prioritize health to prepare for more important battles.”
Paltrinieri won a silver medal in the 5km open water event and a gold medal in the team open water event last weekat the Seaside Momochi Beach Park.
Wait, he’s the Captain of the team and he left?
Ever really needed to go to the bathroom? When you got to go, you GOT TO GO. One’s health has to be the priority not only for the individual but the entire support network (team included).
My feeling is that the OW-pool double is too tough on the body when in that order and should only be tried when the OW events are scheduled after the pool events. Especially for older athletes. The pool does not forgive. In open water, you can cheat fatigue to some extent.
This is true, but also now with the pace of Openwater for the entirety of the 10km, there is very few athletes can cheat this pace anymore and it is very much becoming a specialised event requiring specialised training that doesn’t necessarily translate to the sprint events (800 + 1500) of pool. Of course we will always get athletes that CAN DO both, but as you suggested not necessarily successfully back to back.
There was a commentator named MRS. ZIPPO,
Whose voice was so shrill, it’d make you go flippo.
The swimmers were mad,
And they told her to scram,
“We’d rather listen to water go drip-drippo!”
Now this is a poem!
Hope he gets into top form for Paris. Distance swimming hasn’t been this exciting in a long time.
I’ve mentioned it elsewhere, but holding the OWs before the pool events seems to have been much harder on the distance swimmers than anyone anticipated. In addition to Paltrinieri, Wellbrock and Grimes also look well off their games.
I hope WA returns to a more conventional schedule in the future.
Paltrinieri, probably Wellbrock, & definitely Grimes. Her 1500 looked like Paltrinieri’s 800. She still has a bit more time before the 400 IM, and being so much younger should be on her side as far a recovery. Hoping she’s ready to go, as well as Wellbrock, who may have been gifted by not making the finals of the 800. He didn’t seem to have a lot of horsepower in the prelims of the 800. He could not seem to react when others made a move at the finish.
Others who didn’t seem to be depleted by the open water events:
Anastasia Kirpichnikova – PB in the 1500 after competing in the 10K, 5K, and open water relay.
Kristóf Rasovszky… Read more »
It is very possible that the only concern in pool competition at this WC for Grimes is 400IM event. And that is where she may want to be 100% ready to contest McIntosh who in her turn has very loaded program and may not be able to swim up to her PB. That may improve Grimes’ chances for successful race. The W1500m race saw five under 15:50 results. Competing under such circumstances could’ve been a waste of efforts.
This just in, a 2 hour race causes fatigue. I’m shocked!!!
In Fukuoka, a swimmer named Gregorio,
Top seed, but physically not ready to go,
Mentally there, but not quite fit,
Missed weeks of training, a challenging pit,
Rest he seeks, for Paris, he’ll grow.
Dang feel bad for Gregor, his 800 looked flat and he’s just delt with so many hamstrings healthwise the last couple of years
A lot of people (including the athletes themselves) underestimate just how taxing the required training for competitive Openwater swimming is. This is partly due to just how fast these athletes are now swimming per 100m but also the yardage they must do for aerobic capacity. It is a long road back if an athlete depletes their energy stores sufficiently to put themselves in danger, their body takes over at this point to preserve itself and this leads to poorer performance which compounds and confuses the athlete more on a mental side which also leads to poorer performance……spirals downwards rapidly and can be difficult to climb back out, elites aside as they are mentally a different breed and will recover given… Read more »