Danish star swimmer Lotte Friis has decided to decline her spot at the 2014 World Short Course Championships, even though the Danish Swimming Federation announced her as part of a 15-swimmer roster, hoping for 7 medals, last month.
“I’m sad to announce that I will not participate in the world short course championships [sic] in Doha,” Friis Tweeted on Monday afternoon. “I have in cooperation with my coaches in Baltimore and the Danish federation made the decision to focus 100% on the Kazan 2015 [long course World Championships] instead. Not going with the Danish team has been a hard choice but I’m sure they will do great without me and bring home some medals for Denmark.”
Lotte Friis is the second-fastest distance swimmer in history, but has struggled since her incredible battles with Katie Ledecky at the 2013 World Championships and making the move to train in the United States with Bob Bowman at NBAC. Friis was only 4th at the 2014 European Aquatics Championships in the 800 free (8:27.21), five seconds away from a medal and 12 seconds behind eventual winner Jaz Carlin. Friis scratched the 1500 free prelims and was 7th in the 400 free (4:10.13).
Despite those challenges, Friis told SwimSwam two weeks ago that she remained confident in her coach, saying that “Baltimore is the place where I want to end my career, the last place I will train, and I can’t see myself swimming anywhere else.”
Friis is still planning to race relays for her new official domestic club representation, Gentofte, at the 2014 Danish Short Course Championships this coming weekend.
Something in the water ? Some of the deepest blue counties in Baltimore went red right up to the Maryland Governor . I’d trade a bad swim year to have been there & witnessed that!
Swimming wise , the 4.10/ 8.27 still has good aspects . Lotte isn’t falling off endurance just lacking her speed .
Btw NBAC were offin 2014 but not nearly as much as the pollsters.
It certainly was a shock…as a Virginia resident, if you would have told me 4 years ago that Maryland and Virginia governorship would flip blue for red in 2014, I would have said you’re full of it!…especially Maryland!
Hopefully Lotte does improve…at least for the sake of the US swimmers at NBAC (and considering the team’s relatively poor performance this year), I hope that this leads to some real successes in Kazan and Rio!
When people don’t vote, your “red” guys win.
You should wonder why your “red” guys make everything they can to discourage people from voting or why they make everything they can to prevent people from voting.
The more people vote, the less your “red” guys can win.
Your “red” guys make everything they can during last months with the help of media and dark money to discourage “blue” people to vote.
You “red” guys are paid to do nothing in your “red” House. They are doing nothing. It discourages “blue” people to vote.
Your “red” guys are bought by gun and oil lobbies to do nothing. They are doing nothing. But they have millions from… Read more »
Yikes! I recommend you stick to the great swim commentary and the awesome video gems that you post. 🙂
Lot of holes and misinformation here…I would be happy to have a lively debate one day “off-line” (not via SwimSwam). …and this is coming from someone who is not one of the “red guys!”
And I must apologize for expanding on the quasi political portion of Gina’s post. 🙁
to BKP . My bet is this – fearing a corruption hunt by the incoming guys , Baltimore court cases are going to start going by the book. All previous deals are off – hence the MP court case being put back.
Time for a new TV series I should think.
Bobo .I am not American . I spent my university days studying the USSR / PRC . In October 2007 I took the chance to follow US politics & governance & followed very intensely for 5 years. I have learnt to put my left wing background aside & take an interest in Republicans . That way I can often see where they are coming from . I am glad I did .
As for a place called Europe , Frankly I don’t give a damn .
I enjoy most of your posts Bobo but cannot agree with your severely slanted view of conservative politics…I am immigrant who moved to US from a socialist country and it pains me to see ever increasing number of people who are subsidized by government in one form or another. I do not believe in redistribution of wealth – people need to learn personal responsibility for the choices they make in their life.
Other “international” news.
Agnel speaks before the short course national championships which start next Thursday.
http://www.lequipe.fr/Natation/Actualites/Agnel-dans-le-bon-train/515670
List of swimmers per event for these French championships
http://www.liveffn.com/cgi-bin/liste_entree.php?competition=26875&langue=fra&go=epreuve
Press kit of the meet
http://www.ffnatation.fr/html/presse/543.pdf
Roxana Maracineanu is candidate for the post of technical national director to replace Lionel Horter who now trains Yannick Agnel.
http://www.lequipe.fr/Natation/Actualites/Dtn-maracineanu-candidate/513826
And it looks like Vlad Morozov and Sergey Fesikov will not swim the 100 free in Doha next month. Scared of Florent Manaudou? 🙂
http://www.lequipe.fr/Natation/Actualites/Pas-de-100m-pour-morozov/515766