Injury Might Keep Mireia Belmonte Away From World Championships

Photo Courtesy: Joao Marc Bosch

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With less than two weeks until the start of pool swimming at the FINA world championships, Spanish swimming star Mireia Belmonte is harboring doubts about being able to compete in the year’s biggest competition.

Belmonte has been plagued by injuries to both shoulders since March, and said this week she’s on the bubble about competing.

“If at the end I decide not to go, it will be for the best,” Belmonte said in an article by the Chinese news agency Xinhua. “If I sacrifice competing in these World Championships, it will be so that I am in condition to compete in the (2016) Olympic Games.”

Belmonte was in line for multiple medals in Kazan, including the individual medley and distance freestyle events. She hasn’t been on great form in 2015, with the injuries keeping her from swimming times that would put her high on the world rankings list. She won three medals at the 2013 worlds, including silver in the 200 butterfly and 400 IM.

If Belmonte decides to drop out of the meet, it’ll be another in a long line of elite athletes whose injuries are keeping them at home. Among them are James Magnussen, Kosuke Hagino, Matt McLean, Therese Alshammar and Brittany Elmslie.

Belmonte trains in France under the guidance of Fred Vergnoux. The Xinhua article states that Vergnoux has been against Belmonte competing at worlds, preferring a rest period before making the push toward next year’s Olympics.

She said the Spanish team is traveling to Russia next Monday, and she hopes to make a decision before then.

Besides her 2013 world championship medals, Belmonte owns two Olympic silver medals from 2012 in the 800 freestyle and 200 butterfly. She set three world records at the 2014 short course world championships, winning the 200 fly, 400 IM, 400 free and 800 free.

Full Xinhua news article

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liquidassets

8 years ago

Wow I don’t believe in curses, but I can’t remember last time a Worlds had this many stars out from injury or other reasons. I didn’t realize McLean was definitely out, I thought he was still a question mark, but now I realize he hasn’t been competing this summer…

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Jeff Commings

8 years ago

Reply to liquidassets

He gave up his spot on the worlds team earlier this year, and it caused USA Swimming to shift around a few others on the World University Games and Pan American Games teams.

http://www.swimmingworldmagazine.com/news/michael-klueh-replaces-matt-mclean-on-team-usa-worlds-roster/