This Monday until Sunday, Berlin is hosting the European Swimming Championships. It’s an opportunity for the girls of Olympic Nice Natation (ONN) to showcase their potential and perhaps even win a medal despite the absence of Camille Muffat, who has recently retired.
On the morning of July 12th, French swimming and the Nice club were reeling from the announcement of Camille Muffat’s retirement. The Olympic champion in the 400m at the London Games decided to stop after careful consideration. The intense pressure of top-level swimming from a young age took its toll on the Nice-born athlete, who boasts an extraordinary record: 3 medals at the London 2012 Olympics (gold, silver, and bronze) and 4 bronze medals in long course world championships.
However, starting this Monday morning, the women from Nice must resurface and move past this setback. International competitions take place every year. It is a chance for them to win a title, a medal, or a finalist position for the younger athletes in European championships that are slightly less competitive than other events.
The star of ONN will be just 19 years old, Charlotte Bonnet, but she has medal ambitions in the 200m and a relay. Bronzed in the 4x200m relay at the Olympics, the young athlete from Nice will compete on Tuesday in the 100m freestyle heats, but it is on Saturday and Sunday that she will target a medal in the 200m freestyle, her preferred event.
Her friends and teammates include Anna Santamans, competing in the 50m Freestyle, 100m Freestyle, and 50m Butterfly, as well as the future of French swimming in the form of 17-year-old butterfly specialist Marie Wattel and 16-year-old freestyle specialist Cloé Haché. Without a doubt, winning a medal would be a sensational achievement. For them, the primary goal is to discover top-level competition, international events, and to learn for upcoming meetings, such as Rio 2016 and beyond.
On the men’s side, only Damien Joly will represent ONN. He will compete in long-distance events: 400m Freestyle, 800m Freestyle, and 1500m Freestyle, with hopes of reaching the finals in each specialty.
Photo credit: Charlotte Bonnet’s Twitter account.
From our special correspondent in Berlin – Clément Bigois
