Qualified for the Tokyo Olympics, Florent Manaudou has embarked on his preparation for the competition. Since his return to swimming in the spring of 2019, after two and a half years of post-JO-2016 break, Manaudou (30) has so far swam in all and for all ten 50 m freestyle in the large pool.
Obviously, the Covid-19 pandemic has a lot to do with it. However, I have to do some shopping before the Games
, agreed Thursday the 2012 Olympic champion and 2016 Olympic vice-champion of the one-way, who has mainly sailed short course since the fall of 2019.
READ ALSO. Florent Manaudou in the final of the 50m butterfly at the European Championships for his return
So in the home stretch towards its reconquest of Olympic gold, the pace is accelerating: from Budapest this weekend to the French Championships in Chartres in mid-June, via the meetings in Monaco (May 29 and 30) and Canet-en-Roussillon (June 1 and 2), up to a dozen await it in a month, just over 50 m.
There are automatisms to take. For a sprinter in particular, it is very, very important to repeat races
, underlines Arnaud Rondan, one of the Marseille coaches.
In training, we refine a technique, we work on a lot of parameters, physical condition, etc. Now there are things that competition offers that you can never duplicate in training
, he continues.
“First brick”
He comes out of a big block of work, he was still working hard a few days ago, explains the technician. This is the first brick for Tokyo. It’s the start of a construction process that will bring him to Tokyo to perform, we hope, at the highest level.
Since the post-confinement recovery, however, Manaudou has capped above 21 sec 7 / 10th, making him wince, he who started 2020 beating drum in 21 sec 56 in Luxembourg, before the pandemic broke out
For now, his 21 sec 72 swam in Marseille at the end of March place him in fourth place in the world records of the season, tied with the Pole Pawel Jurascezk. In front of them in particular, the Russian Vladimir Morozov (21.41), absent in Budapest, and the Briton Benjamin Proud (21.42), present to him.
The American Caeleb Dressel, world gold medalist in 2019 in 21 sec 04, has not yet measured it this year.
READ ALSO. Marie Wattel qualifies for the 100m freestyle semi-final at the European Championships
What does Manaudou expect from this first salvo in the Hungarian basin, in fact his first international long-course championship since his return?
If he doesn’t not especially a chronometric objective, I always hope that I will swim fast, he replies. It would be nice if I could do better than in Marseille, but I’m not sure what shape I’m in.
I came to do starts, casts, things like that, he insists. It’s good to be here, there is level, it goes quickly.
Arrived Wednesday evening, the Marseille sprinter took the temperature of the Dune Arena
the next day, on 50 m butterfly, but did not pass the cut of the semi-finals (23.41, 11th time).
To little disappointment not to be in the final
was linked to his goal of increasing the number of dives. “It would have made me one more race, one more start,” Manaudou repeated.
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