After Camille Lacourt’s announcement, French superstar Camille Muffat, of Olympic Nice Natation, has withdrawn from this weekend’s French Open as well.
Muffat gave “personal reasons” as the motivation for her decision. Muffat left Vichy -the site of the French Open- this morning, after having spent the past week there in a training camp with the French national team.
Lionel Horter, the technical director of the French national team, expressed his regret at Muffat’s decision. He insisted, however, that it has nothing to do with the fact that the French Federation moved Friday’s finals session up two hours (from 6 pm to 4 pm) to avoid conflict with France’s quarter-final match against Germany at the World Cup.
Muffat qualified for Euros in the 50, 100, 200 and 400 free, and the 100 fly at the French National Championships in Chartres last April. The 32nd LEN European Swimming Championships runs from August 13-24, 2014 in Berlin.
The French Open takes place Friday and Saturday, July 4 and 5, in Vichy.
In the end I think it was a sensible decision to give in. I’m sure many of those potential spectators coming to see swimming would like to see also the duel between France and Germany. Why to force them choose. Let them have both.
As for Muffat I hope it’s not anything serious.
Pathetic to move the start time.
Stop to the soccer world cup dictatorship!
Every time I turn on the radio or the TV, world cup, world cup, world cup!
About Muffat, it’s too bad.
She could have swum against Boyle.
Personal reason. No need to investigate.