WOW! Maly form France sent this comment: I was listening to [Laure's] lawyer on the French radio on one of the sports show, he said that Saturday, Laure told her dad that the Italian club had tried to make her sign a contract where she gave the club a big part [of the rights to her image] and a part of the profit of a company she owns who markets her image and that she refused.She told her dad she made a mistake. There is a lot of money at stake, this year, l'Equipe estimated her gains to be about 2 million Euros [$2.75 million]. The French Federation gave her the choice between 5 or more coaches.
My Take: Laure, come to America where all the misfits from Europe live. You could go train at USC or with Kate Ziegler in Mission Viejo along with other male super stars. No one will ask you for rights to your trademark and you could also have access to me for really bad swimming advice.
Well, he really didn't say that but he did say this according to Lane 9 News: "If Laure wants to work hard I can help her do great things but if she's not ready to work hard, I'm not the right coach," said Paolo Penso, the head of the Italian club.
Hence Laure Manaudou may have been kicked off her Italian team. [Link] Even CNN reports: [Link] More info at Yahoo Eurosport: [Link] Here is a great headline and article: "The Italian club LaPresse has thrown out the French swimmer after her refusal to take part in the relays at the Paris Open.": [Link]
Laure Manaudou is the world record holder in the 200m and the 400m free.
UPDATE: More articles and opinions are being posted all over the place about her morals or motivations but what she apparently has in common with distance swimmers such as Popov, Thorpe and Janet Evans at the end of her career is that swimming 10-15 miles a day gets really old when you are in your early to mid-twenties.
4 comments:
i was listening to her lawyer on the french radio in one of the sport show, he said that saturday laure told her dad that the italien club had tried to make her sign a contract where she gave the club a big part of the right of a image and a part of the profit of a compagny she owns who market her image and that she refused, she told her dad she made a mistake. there is a lot of money at stake, this year , l'equipe estimated her gains to be about 2 millions of euros. the french federation gave her the choice between 5 or more coachs
Can't wait to see you coaching Laure sometime soon! She'd make an open water star!
I would just open up the 'Janet Evans on Swimming' book, read it to her and hand her a photocopy of the workouts she had to do.
Of course I would yell at her if she breathed off the turns or refused to do a 6 beat kick on the last 100 like Ziegler does.
If she insisted on maintaining her 2-beat kick on the last 100 or breathing off the turns. I would stick a cattle prod in the water.
(BTW, I got shocked once in a pool. It is the weirdest sensation. You tongue starts to feel like your licking a battery.)
I don't want to think about the feeling of being shocked in the water. That is just strange!
I hope she gets some things figured out. Sometimes, it's best to step away for a bit to get your priorities straight. Heck, she may not even like swimming anymore.
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