She plunged back ten days ago, not without a sacred dose of pleasure. "I hadn't swum for two months, it feels great to find the water and the sensations", savor Fantine Lesaffre. After a long period of confinement, the 2018 European champion in the 400 m medley is fortunate to have been one of the first French swimmers to resume training, in Antibes (Alpes-Maritimes), after the compulsory passage through the medical box. Even if this is not yet the case for all French people, a decree, published on May 11, authorizes high-level athletes to train indoors and in swimming pools.
However, it was necessary to convince the mayors of the different cities to open structures which, at least until June 2, remain inaccessible to the general public. The French Swimming Federation has multiplied the letters, made a few phone calls. All high level swimmers are now in the water, like the open water champion, Aurélie Muller, who celebrated her return to the pools in Nice.
Day of recovery under the Nice sun ☀️
What a pleasure to find your element 💦 pic.twitter.com/WNBllXDnGt
“The opening was quick for the clubs which have good relations with their municipality, says the national technical director (DTN) Julien Issoulié. Sometimes it was more complicated… ”In Montpellier for example, where the city reopened its aquatic center but decided in the process to empty the pools.
Philippe Lucas and his group returned to the campsite
Last weekend, a part of Philippe Lucas' group therefore settled ... at the Port Grimaud campsite in the Var. As soon as they arrived, the swimmers, accommodated for one month in bungalows of two with individual rooms, tested the 50 m pool and its six water lines.
"Philippe (Lucas) was a little pissed off during the confinement, he was in a hurry to start again, since he's been at a loss," laughs David Aubry. He too was in a hurry. “I was confined to my parents who have a swimming pool. It's a chance, but it measures 7 x 3 m and I was getting tired of training with a rubber band hanging on the wall. "
"The first lengths were difficult"
Here again, the Federation took care of the good progress of the operations by installing, before the arrival of the swimmers, the signage reminding the barrier gestures. The first lengths were painful. "The strength we had in our arms disappeared with confinement," explains David Aubry. We no longer pull the water as before, we no longer go as fast and aches come very quickly. But in the end, I'm not doing so badly, I had a lot of fears before the recovery. "
Fantine Lesaffre feels that she is progressing: “The first lengths were difficult, I was not athletic, my arms were heavy and the impression of having lost in technique. It's starting to come back. ” “For them everything stopped three weeks before the French Championships qualifying for the Games, when they felt that they were starting to swim quickly, recalls Julien Issoulié. They will have to mourn their feelings. "Fantine Lesaffre agrees:" The mind will play a lot on this recovery. We are told that to recover everything, it takes double the downtime, four months in our case. "
Be careful not to go too fast
“It's going to be long, especially since we left for five months of preparation without competition on the horizon (Editor's note: the French Championships will only take place in December), continues David Aubry. Even a small competition would do us good, just to see where we are. No question, however, for the Federation to go too fast. "The risk would be to want to go too fast in this recovery, while it takes progressivity," insists DTN. "The advantage is that we are all in the same boat," smiles Fantine. Everyone has lost, so there is no stress to be had. "Above all, insists David Aubry," the most important thing is to have taken over. Revisiting the group was good for morale. ”
