31-year-old Aurélie Muller of France has already qualified for the 2022 FINA World Aquatic Championships in Budapest, but the open water swimmer was not one to rest on her laurels.
Contesting the LEN Cup in Eilat, Isreal, Muller took 2nd place in the women’s 5k open water race, finishing just over a second behind winner Caroline Jouisse, also of France.
Since September of 2021, Muller has been training in Sarreguemines under coach Gilles Cattani, which is an environment in which the 31-year-old says she thrives.
“We took the time to chat and finally I decided to prepare for the French championships in Chartres (June 15-20, 2021) with him and Magali. On a more personal note, I also wanted to return home, to my club, to my family. The opportunity came so I took it(smile) …”
Reflecting on her recent ups and downs, Muller told FFN, “To tell you the truth, my 2021-2022 season didn’t start very well.
“I contracted the Covid at the beginning of December and this deprived me of participation in the 10 km of Abu Dhabi (December 16, 2021).
“For a few days, I wondered how the sequel was going to turn out. I managed to remobilize myself during the month of January by doing a lot of land work with Magali (Mérino).”
