The phrase "swan song" is a reference to a false belief that a particular species of swan, Cygnus olor, is mute it's entire life till the time of it's death whereas it blurts a final, beautiful "swan song."In my opinion Laure Manaudou has summarily given up and is singing her swan song and it sounds just like Ian Thorpe's did in 2005.
From ABC in Australia: "..."I don't know exactly what I am going to do (after the Olympics) but I am going to take a long break and think about something else," said Manaudou, who has endured a torrid year both in and out of the pool."For how long, I don't know. It could be one month, six months, a year. But I am definitely going to think about something else and spend more time with my family and friends, especially Esther (Baron, a swimmer who didn't qualify for the Games), who is not here.
She added: "I really want to see all those who are close to me and weren't able to be here with me."
Manaudou, who admitted she gave up in the 400m freestyle final, has seen her private life become a staple of French gossip columns. ..." [Link]
From the San Diego Union Tribune: The French compare her to Marie Jose Perec, the track star who won two golds at the 1996 Olympics and then crumbled under the pressure to repeat in 2000. She arrived in Sydney, freaked out and got on the first plane home. “Mademoiselle La Chicken,” one Australian paper called her.
At least Manaudou stayed in Beijing to accept her fate, but she questioned that wisdom in the aftermath of the 100 backstroke last night.
“I wonder whether it's worth the effort to continue,” said Manaudou, who has the 200 backstroke left. “I do not even want to swim any more. I don't know . . . It's just difficult to keep finishing seventh or eighth. We'll see.”
In the meantime, she is enjoying her relative anonymity in Beijing, where few people outside the pool recognize her or know her story, where Internet pornography is blocked by Chinese authorities.
“It's great,” Manaudou said, “to be invisible.” [Link]
4 comments:
Clay Evans sent me this comment:
Give the girl a break. She swims at least four hours a day, probably five hours for five and a half days a week before any land exercises, weights, running and stretching. And those are not mild laps at a Master's workout. They are very intense with goal times and intervals at each lap, each set and each workout. She has also been at the world stage for quite some time and deserves and needs some time to back down or even say that is enough. No other sport works as hard physically.
So give her and other Olympians a break. They are at an emotional and physical peak all the time, day after day, year after year. How much more do YOU want out of the girl? She should quit at a good time where she is on top – and I believe she is going out on top even if it is not as GOLD as you would expect. What a great career, THANKS Laure.
Clay
Your coach
Clay, I like Laure Manaudou. I just think she is quitting.
Her swimming has been erratic, she has been arguably emotional at swim meets, she has switched coaches more than twice. Subsequently, she just seems done with swimming as was Thorpe who made comments of like mind
In regards to Marie Jose Perec in the 2000 Olympics in Sydney she [arguably] received some death threats: she was scared for her safety. That stupid Australian paper was rooting for Perec's main oppenent: an ...Ausie. Talk about trash talk !
Wow, that is not trash talk, that's mafia talk. Wow! The San Diego Union dropped the ball on that.
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