After just one day of the 2016 French Elite Nationals, there is already plenty of griping about the Olympic times set by French swimming. Setting qualifying standards for any competition is one of the most complex endeavors a National Federation can undertake. What seems simple on the surface (times are times) is so much more than that- every qualifying time has a life of its own, a story, a psychology factor.
Take for example Lara Grangeon’s French record breaking 400 IM from yesterday. Despite chopping off a second and putting up a time that would have qualified for the final at last summer’s World Championship, Grangeon will not qualify. There is a good justification for the tough standard, and Grangeon stands a good chance to be selected on a subjective basis. Consider for a moment what kind of psychological impact it will have if she doesn’t.
What are up and coming French talents supposed to think if Grangeon stays home? Will they believe the Olympic dream is possible for them? Negativity can easily roll downhill. Coaches, doing their jobs and trying to get their athletes every opportunity possible, can often compound this negativity.
It is up to federations to hold the line despite this risk. There are only two countries (perhaps three) that can rely on their internal competition to produce competitive pairs in all events. Countries like France operate in a strange space between the world powers in swimming and the little fish. They have too much history to send athletes to the Olympics just for the experience.
In fact, taken in that light it’s quite generous of French swimming to set the qualifying bar in the 400 IM at 4:35. This is still well short of what it will take to medal in Rio (4:31 or so seems likely), and medals are what they are seeking.
The federation must contend with the fact that there is a huge chasm between the competitiveness between French Elite Nationals and the Olympics. Grangeon was able to swim six seconds slower than her record time in prelims and still qualify first. Of course this is the right move in the situation of this specific meet. But in the grander context, it’s hardly good preparation for the Olympics to loaf your way through a preliminary swim.
France has specifically made preliminary and semi-final swimming a factor in their criteria to combat this. While there were similar complaints about tough qualifying standards four years ago, France ended up with a very effective small squad that won four gold medals. That total was third only behind China and America. The French squad was tough enough as a result to avenge their Beijing 4×100 free relay defeat to the Americans.
So as the weekend goes on, don’t cry for the French swimmers who are seemingly chasing impossible times. If they fail, they were unlikely to have an impact in Rio, and if they succeed they will be better prepared for the challenge ahead.
where do I find the olympic trial cuts times for France? I have a young female French American daughter-swimmer and was interested in finding the trial cuts. Also where and when are French Olympic trials happening for the 2020 games? We have a few US Canadian swimmers on our team and we could easily find the Canadian trial cuts but not the French ones… Thank you,
“But in the grander context, it’s hardly good preparation for the Olympics to loaf your way through a preliminary swim.”
Surely, you’re joking. To copy your sentence structure in regards to 2008 US OTs, “[Phelps] was able to swim [seven] seconds slower than [his] record time in prelims and still qualify first.” It was hardly good preparation for Phelps to have loafed his way through prelims, right? And 2008 was such an obviously terrible Olympics for him, owing to said laid of preparation …
But seriously, it’s pretty obviously good preparation to be able to swim a controlled race in prelims and not overdo it!
That’s a nice luxury for Michael Phelps. I’d hardly call him a good comparison to make with Lara Grangeon, but maybe we can agree to disagree.
Grangeon is a swimmer who will need to swim her personal best (or right on top of it) to qualify for an Olympic final. Therefore, it makes little sense for her to prepare for that meet by swimming slow in prelims.
Michael Phelps in 2008 was on a level that he could also go to the Olympics, swim far from his best, and qualify for an Olympic final. Furthermore, it was a strategy that he actually needed to employ in order to conserve energy across the huge program that he swam. Conversely, Grangeon… Read more »
Why is it a luxury for Phelps but a disqualifying offense for Grangeon? You’re effectively arguing that she shouldn’t go to the Olympics not because she was too slow, but because the rest of the field was.
So for the people in charge of the French swimming federation, what tough standards are they required to meet?? They didn’t seem to show much concern when it came to these athletes careers. If the Olympics don’t live up to the French people’s standards, will they receive the same treatment?
I just get the feeling these decisions were made by people who’ve never put in the work needed to get a FINA A-cut.
Also that’s so patronizing to suggest semi-finals aren’t good enough. These aren’t little kids, these are the best swimmers on the planet. Treat them with some respect.
Good athletes, bad administrators! Fraternité avec nos nageurs français.
The French selection system is just plain dumb. It hurts the athletes by demoralizing them after years of commitment and sends the message that they are not willing to invest in the next generation of athletes. Moreover, it makes the assumption that unless the standards are ridiculous the athletes will not respond. Finally, it allows the federation to make political decisions on who ultimately is selected. The athletes clearly have no say in this decision and need to revolt. Im beginning to think that the federation just wants a three week vacation on Copacabana Beach while the athletes stay home. Day 1 = no one on the team. What a joke!
You’ve hit it on the nose, to my mind there’s something very disturbing about the idea that competing and not winning a medal or making a final is somehow shameful. Even being a “tourist” – so what? Does taking part and enjoying the experience not have value? It’s only problematic if you think an athlete is going to quit training after making the team, and after a lifetime of hard work just loaf to the finsh line, reading Rio tourist guides. Is that seriously a concern? As David suggests, athletes are motivated to seek excellence, regardless of where some poobahs set their arbitrary performance standards. This system that we see many countries adopting is probably harmful to the development of… Read more »
If you are going to send a team to the games it has to be more than 5 or 6 swimmers. The point is that you put your best swimmers on the team and then you send them off to compete. Whatever happens is what happens after that. A team by nature is going to have some strong swimmers and some not as strong swimmers and this is consistent in other sports like NBA or NFL. A job of a federation is to put this team together and to not try to save money so they can give themselves raises.The cost of participation at the games is just speck of dust compared to all the other money the federations spend… Read more »
In swimming, training is very long and very hard, especially at the elite level. And in swimming, except for very very few athletes (2 or 3 in France?) there is no big money to make it a lucrative career.
So what motivation do athletes have to keep going? I think the answer is travels and big events like the Olympic Games the memories of which will remain for a life time. Isn’t it Pierre de Coubertin who said that the most important thing is to take part?
I also would be interested to know if the number of French officials attending the Games will be drastically reduced.
“I also would be interested to know if the number of French officials attending the Games will be drastically reduced.” Touche!!!
Are French athletes funded from the public purse, Bobo?
From my perspective, the general public want their money to equate to success – They don’t want to watch SF blowouts. That’s no disrespect to athletes who aren’t quite ‘final’ material, just the facts of it. I say that as a Brit whose taxes play the dominant role in the funding of our Olympic athletes and saw the way our infamous press viciously attacked ‘failed’ sports post-London. If the French system is anything like the British system – I can see why such high standards are being set… Federation’s of each individual sport will be held to account post-Olympics, based on their respective results.