Faith didn't make it. She was also excluded from the podium and the disappointment is even stronger. World record holder in the specialty with a time under four minutes he gave up in the French style Camille Muffat who established the new Olympic record with 4'01″45. Yesterday Pellegrini swam below her ability while the other athletes, the American Allison Schmitt with 4'01"77 and the home swimmer Rebecca Adlington with 4'03"01 did better than her, and they the Danish Lotte Friss was added with a time of just two hundredths under four minutes and four.
It is true that Federica hadn't repeated herself this year with better times and all the others had done better than her, but we expected the tiger's paw, and we expect it for today in the two hundred, if you don't forget that you are also in that specialty, the world record holder, the only swimmer to hold two records in two different specialties.
Feeling warm, Federica Pellegrini released a statement that is difficult to digest. “Tomorrow is these 200, which I won't do in grand spirit, but at this point I think I need a year off. Then the following year we'll see if I still want to swim”. Meanwhile, if you don't believe it, you sure don't win, he's a mathematician. It seems he wants to shrug off this responsibility quickly, close the file that is called London 2012started badly.
We would forgive everything to her, she has given us too much satisfaction not to allow her this moment of bewilderment, a disappointment that spins on the stress at the end of the race and the weight of the exhausting workouts falls on you like a boulder and you can't wait to ease that pressure . It is comprensible. But you know that at first it's not that easy and that's not so true.
Anyone who has been swimming at a competitive level for years, without a moment's respite, knows perfectly well that there is no gap year; that year you take luxury is one year younger in arms and legs while each of your competitors keeps the pace. You can do it in any other sport, but not if you've chosen swimming and if you stop it's forever, at least for the primary circuit. In swimming you compete at the highest level only when your physique gives its best and this happens due to rather rigid biological parameters that design a descending parable starting from the age of 25, with very rare exceptions that differ very little. The examples are enough Manaudou e Thorpe to remind us that the return is illusory, grit your teeth, continue, even with some setbacks in the results, it's okay, it's in the order of things, and Federica can still take away some good satisfaction. But she has to believe it and without standing still for a while. Then, we who love her, want to hope that maybe she is just pre-tactical to be considered "out" by the opponents who await you tomorrow in the 200m, when, however, before entering the water, she is the world record holder, no one has ever done better than her.
