With the appointment of Mark Faber as High Performance Manager, a breath of fresh air has been blowing through Belgian swimming since September. Faber has ambitious plans to put the sport back on the map and talks about “sexy” and attractive swimming. Olympian Roos Vanotterdijk is already looking forward to his arrival. “He brings a lot of experience, that is important,” he said.
Mark Faber has been working as High Performance Manager of the Flemish Swimming Federation since September 1. The 51-year-old Dutchman came over from the Royal Dutch Swimming Federation (KNZB) and already brought a breath of fresh air through the Swimming Federation during his first weeks.
“The intention is to make Belgian swimming sexy again,” Faber said at a press conference at the Wezenberg Olympic swimming center in Antwerp on Wednesday.
“I’m still in my honeymoon period, so I can’t really conclude much yet,” Faber admits. “The positive thing is that there is a lot of potential and that there are many medals to be won in swimming, but there is a lot of work to be done and the competition is fierce. We need time to grow and now we need to bring peace. ”
It should swing a bit.
Mark Faber
Roos Vanotterdijk, who made his debut at the Olympic Games last summer with two tenth places in the 100 meter butterfly and backstroke, should become the golden boy of Belgian swimming, but Faber prefers to keep the pressure off.
“Roos is nineteen, so she can still last sixteen years and three Olympiads. She is still very young and still has to develop, but she swam a fantastic European Championship, so she can really handle the world top. She has to learn to deal with pressure and She has already proven that she can do that at the Games with her personal record (in the semi-final of the 100m butterfly, ed.)
Faber, together with coaches Brigitte Becue and Louis Croenen, wants to make Belgian swimming “sexy” again.
“Then I am talking about the attraction and visibility. The atmosphere and harmony must also be good, it must have a bit of swing. That naturally includes results. I am thinking of personal records and medals at continental or global level. But for For success, stability is an absolute condition.”
Vanotterdijk in Paris.
New wind
Olympian Roos Vanotterdijk has resumed swimming training a few weeks after a well-deserved holiday. The still only nineteen-year-old from Limburg made her debut last summer at the Olympic Games in Paris, where she finished tenth in both the 100 meter butterfly and the 100 meter backstroke.
“I have a good holiday and have been able to let go of the connection with swimming,” Vanotterdijk said on Wednesday at a press moment at the Wezenberg Olympic Swimming Center in Antwerp.
“I have continued to exercise and am looking forward to starting it again. I started swimming again a week and a half ago and surprisingly quickly regained the feeling of being in the water. Normally the first time back in the water feels very strange and It takes a few weeks, but after fifty meters in the pool I already had the feeling back.”
His arrival was very important, because he brings a lot of experience from the Netherlands.
Roos Vanotterdijk
Despite her good performances at the Games and a European title in the 100-meter butterfly, the Limburg woman had a turbulent year and in the meantime also broke with her coach Brigitte Becue.
“Nothing really happened, but we decided in consultation that Brigitte would train a younger group. I now swim with the more elite swimmers, Louis Croenen is standing at the edge of the pool and Mark Faber supports him.”
Since September, Faber has breathed new life into the Flemish Swimming Federation as High Performance Manager.
“His arrival was very important, because he brings a lot of experience from the Netherlands. His direct and open style is good and there is a lot of positivity among the swimmers. I don’t have concrete goals yet, but I now want to train more versatile and in addition to the backstroke and butterfly, also adding freestyle and medley to my numbers.”
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