Fabrice Pellerin is the former coach of Olympic champions Yannick Agnel and Camille Muffat. Today, he oversees a very young group (average age of 18.3 years) with girls who represent the future of French swimming. For Nice Premium, he agreed to reflect on the performances of the 4 swimmers from Olympic Nice Natation. Second part with Charlotte Bonnet and Anna Santamans.
Charlotte Bonnet was under scrutiny after Camille Muffat’s retirement. The headliner of the ONN had a challenging week with mixed relay performances (twice 5th place). However, she finished 7th in both the 100m freestyle and 200m freestyle.
Fabrice Pellerin: “Charlotte had a tough week for several complex reasons. We discussed them and will talk about them again after the return from these championships. When she arrived in Nice, she developed collectively, notably with Camille who took her under her wing. With Camille’s retirement, she found herself orphaned in many aspects. There were many expectations placed on her, and she put pressure on herself because she is very demanding of herself. She swam with a few ‘bags’, which weighed her down.
This morning (Sunday) Charlotte confided in me, saying she had learned a lot. It’s the first time she has faced a setback at an event because she has never failed at various meetings; it’s a stage everyone has experienced. She already has ideas in mind, things she’d like to approach differently in competitions, in preparation, and also in her relationship with the stakes. It’s encouraging because this discourse is the nature of champions, to be able to reinvest after relative failures.”
Anna Santamans is the pleasant surprise of these championships, where she claimed her first international medal in a long course, in the 4x100m mixed freestyle relay (3rd place). She came fourth in the 50m freestyle, marking her best placement at a very high level. Great performances.
F.P.: “She had a good week, considering that in the last month of preparation, she was hindered by a shoulder injury. Maxime (Leutenegger), her coach, is pleased, and the French team staff are as well. Her 50m final was very intense, with a level between 24’’3-24’’5, resembling an Olympic final. The European level in sprinting is really strong, due to or thanks to the Scandinavians. Experiencing this final, with the world’s best, will be an opportunity for her to learn a lot in view of the World Championships and the Olympics.”
Overall Assessment
F.P.: “Swimming is a sport that requires a lot of patience; it is constantly evolving and reaches very high levels in training and competition. In Nice, we have a very young average age. We have always been a club with a mission to train; we enjoy wanting to support these young people reaching for the highest level. We plan to check in over the coming years, and we will do everything to ensure that the pleasure is also in the medium term. We hope for a better year in 2015 than this one.
I don’t say ‘I can’t wait for the start of the season!’ because they will need 2-3 weeks of rest, but I am eager to see them again with this experience gained in Berlin in view of the next season.”
Remarks collected in Berlin by Clément Bigois
