The French news site L’equipe, which has been on the front edge of the developing Yannick-Agnel-to-United-States story, has posted some quotes from his press conference on Tuesday. There, he made the news official that he would begin training with Bob Bowman, the head coach of the North Baltimore Aquatic Club, the head coach to the World Championship squad, and the man who coached Michael Phelps to 8 golds at the Beijing Olympics and 18 total gold medals.
Read the full comments here, in French.
Bowman now has on his resume the names of the last two Olympic champions in the men’s 200 free, Phelps from 2008, and Agnel from 2012, plus the 2012 women’s champion, Allison Schmitt.
Among the more interesting quotes was Agnel’s discussion of why he’d left Fabrice Pellerin: one of the hottest coaches in the world right now.
“I want to find with Bob Bowman what was lacking in Nice: warmth, sharing, sincerity,” Agnel said, roughly, in French. “That Fabrice has always wanted to avoid. He always wanted to put distance between himself and his swimmers. It is a choice that I respect and that works, I’m a double Olympic champion and I owe him. Maybe one day we can discuss everything. At this point, it is not suitable for this discussion. But there are things that will stay personal between Fabrice and myself.”
Agnel also committed to swim with Bowman until the 2016 Olympics, and referenced the allure of swimming with the legend, or myth, that is the coach of the great Phelps.
As for when his training with Bowman would become full time, he said that those details are still being worked out: either he would head to work with Bowman now, or he would find a temporary location in France until the Championships and head stateside afteward.
what I don’t understand is this:
Why does the French federation not allow Agnel to swim the individualk events?
What’s the reason?
Bobo, can you explain?
Yannick was tired of living in a socialist regime and paying that 75% tax rate….at least here in the US the socialists haven’t quiet hit that 75% mark, but they’ll keep trying 🙂
You are misinformed and, as usual, guys like you invent stories to frighten people. And please, think for yourself! You stupidly recite the words you probably listen every day on Fox News from your crazy and dangerous Republican idols, the same who prefer that billionaires have a smaller tax rate than average people, the same who fight a gun law, or the same who deny the climate change.
I stop here. We are on swimswam. It’s not a political forum here. It’s a swimming website.
Tomorrow there will be more fun Bobo. Egalite fraternite liberte et felicite.
The same thing you said Justin can be applied to you. just reciting misinformation you heard from somewhere else.. look up who is the most biased cable news channel (and it’s not Fox News). and i don’t have any political affiliation. anyways, let’s get back to swimming.
My comment has nothing to do with Fox News or Republicans…seriously…he left because he’s tired of having 75% of his money taken from him. Nothing wrong with that and he earns a living through swimming as he is a swimmer…hence posting this on swimswam.
The poor man is escaping the EU. He is a refugee .
Bon chance Yannick.
You are crazy!
Agnel said he wanted to find warmth in bowman haha I didn’t think bowman was known for his warmth and sincerity
touche
Bowman isn’t. But Schmitt is.
Training with Bowman makes more sense if Agnel knew in advance that Phelps would come back. Am I the only one who thinks this might have been the case? With those two in the pool one can imagine a replay of the Club Wolverine days before 2008 with big in-gathering of swimming talent coming to Baltimore.
Agnel has almost as close to a perfect freestyle stroke as one can get, on the order of Popov. Scary efficient. He will be around for a while.
No horse meat to eat in Baltimore!
Might be interesting to see some yards times from Agnel as well?