Frenchman Fred Vergnoux has been awarded the ‘Coach of the Year’ honor for his work with 2016 Olympic gold medalist, Spaniard Mireia Belmonte. Earlier this month, the Spanish Association of Swimming (AETN) bestowed the Alejandro Lopez Trophy for ‘Best Coach of the Year’, recognizing Vergnoux’s coaching effort that helped bring Belmonte back from significant injury to stand atop the podium in Rio.
Absent from the 2015 FINA World Championships, as well as last year’s Mare Nostrom Tour and Sette Colli Trophy, Belmonte nursed her shoulder bursitis injury in the hopes of becoming Spain’s first Olympic gold medalist in swimming. She made that dream come true under the direction of Vergnoux, by claiming gold in the women’s 200m butterfly at the 2016 Olympic Games to make Spanish swimming history.
Of her success in Rio, Belmonte immediately commented post-race, “The truth is it’s everything I dreamed of and it’s all happened so quickly.”
Belmonte holds the short course World Records across the women’s 200/400/800 freestyle events, as well as the 200 butterfly. Start lists for the 2016 FINA World Short Course Championships have yet to be released.
she doesn’t hold the 200 sc record though.
SCM 1500 Free record instead of 200.