Michelle De Bruin's injury problem, which continues to restrict her training for next month's World Championships in Perth, was compounded yesterday by funding difficulties. The triple Olympic champion has been notified, by a top IASA source, that because she has changed her training plans, the funding could not be guaranteed.
The recovery process of her whiplash injury sustained last month is proving much slower than had been expected. As a result, de Bruin has scrapped her original training plans. It means that she will not be going to Australia to join the Dutch squad on December 18th.
Instead, she wishes to remain closer to home, to receive specialist treatment, and still be able to train in a suitably warm climate in Lanzarote. A letter she received yesterday from the IASA's director of swimming Dave McCullough suggests that the funding for Australia "cannot be used for something else". She would be obliged to reapply for funding in view of her change of plans. Such a reapplication could come before the Irish Sports Council at its next meeting. An annoyed and disappointed de Bruin is left in the dark as to the date of this meeting. She is anxious to have the whole episode cleared up to allow her get on with her preparations.
"Given the circumstances I thought they would have been more flexible especially when you have an injury. If I am to be facilitated it doesn't seem that it is going to happen very quickly," she said.
"It can be frustrating especially at this crucial time for me," she added. "The relevant people need to realise that when you're talking about athletes, bureaucracy sometimes doesn't help. Sometimes you have to make decisions at short notice because of a change in plans or because of the way your training is going or in the case of injury or sickness."
Despite the inconvenience caused by this setback, the triple Olympic champion still felt sufficiently lighthearted to say: "I might end up paying for myself like I did in Hong Kong."
She was referring to the occasion in 1994 when up-front funding for her trip to Hong Kong and the World Cup was not provided. That particular world series was to prove the launching pad for her successes. Basically, de Bruin's change of plans entails returning to train in Lanzarote where she had trained last week and then building up towards a prestigious meet in Bordeaux on December 20th and 21st, just over two weeks before the World Championships in Perth.
If she had to swim in Bordeaux tomorrow would she be ready? "I don't know and that's the reason I want to go to the French meet because things can go one way in training and I know I have an injury and I need that test," she said.
"At this stage I am still hopeful of competing in Perth and that's the reason why I want to know if I can go to the competition in Bordeaux because that will give me a better idea of where I stand for Perth. "I am likely to go to Bordeaux anyway even if it's at my own cost. I was there last year. Normally the top French swimmers are there and they should be in very good form because they will be getting ready for the World championships." De Bruin said that the heat is good for the injury. "In Lanzarote I am closer to home and the treatment I have been receiving. The specialist said that it could take another month to two months to recover but that's only a guess."
