Lisa Pou targets European open-water gold despite June illness
By Zak Jackson, MonacoViews Editorial
Monégasque swimmer Lisa Pou competes in the European open-water championships in Paris today, having spent weeks recovering from a bacterial infection that disrupted her preparation.
Lisa Pou, one of Monaco's most accomplished open-water swimmers, lines up at the European Championships in Paris on Tuesday carrying real uncertainty about her form. The 10 km specialist has not raced at full strength since contracting a bacterial infection in June, and she admits she does not yet know how her body will respond to the demands of a major championship.
The concern is understandable given where she was twelve months ago. At last year's World Championships she finished third in the 10 km open-water event, placing herself among the best long-distance swimmers on the planet. That result raised expectations for this summer, which makes the timing of her illness all the harder to absorb.
For Monaco, a principality whose small pool of elite athletes means every international competitor carries added weight, Pou's participation alone is significant. Whether she can recapture the form that brought her a world bronze remains the question of the day.