Fabrice Pellerin is the former coach of Olympic champions Yannick Agnel and Camille Muffat, and today he has a very young group (18.3 years average age) which includes Charlotte Bonnet and Anna Santamans. For Nice Premium, he agreed to discuss the performances of the 4 swimmers from Olympic Nice Natation. The first part features Cloé Hache and Marie Wattel.
Cloé Hache was the youngest member of the French team. At 16, she competed in her first major international competition. Competing in the 100m and 200m freestyle, she was eliminated in the heats but participated in the 4x100m and 4x200m relays, finishing in fifth place twice.
Fabrice Pellerin: “Cloé qualified for the first time for a major competition on an individual basis. She injured her wrist and was out for 2 months, which didn’t help her preparation. At these European Championships, she gained experience, had good moments in the relays, within a team of girls that’s being built.
She is young, so it’s all positive. In freestyle, she has an adventure to experience both individually and collectively. She is part of this new wave we need, that we’re trying to prepare for Rio, we really rely on her.”
Marie Wattel was competing in her second international competition after the World Championships in Barcelona in 2013. She confirmed her potential by improving her personal records in the 50m, 100m, and 200m butterfly.
F.P.: “Marie met her goals, she just needs to reach the upper tier to compete among the very best. In the 3 individual events, she did not fail; she improved her times significantly. She reached the semi-finals three times, which is a good step. Now, she can look forward to the next two years with ambition.
She is young and quite well-built. Marie is starting to become more athletic, she’s maturing, she’s more independent, and taking on more responsibility. I think she’s someone to watch in the French team in the coming months and years.”
