Monday, May 16, 2005

VDH’s coach invited to convention in Paris

Jacco Verhaeren has been invited to speak at a convention in Paris about his training methods. Verhaeren coached Pieter van den Hoogenband from young talented swimmer to become a world record holder and dual Olympic Champion at the 100m freestyle (Sydney and Athens) and Olympic Champion at the 200m freestyle (Sydney).

The four-day convention (17-21 May) is an initiative from the French swimming federation (FFN) and the national sports institute (Insep). Approximately 130 people will attend, including many international top coaches. They will speak about many aspects of their profession.

Next Wednesday, Verhaeren will present a clinic on swimming techniques. Later that day he will speak about season planning and periodization.



Source: ANP

Saturday, May 14, 2005

VDH resumes training

Pieter van den Hoogenband will resume his training on Tuesday, May 17th. The Olympic Champion underwent surgery on his back (hernia) on May 4th.

"Pieter will start slowly", says his trainer Jacco Verhaeren. "Tuesday he will enter the pool for the first time after his surgery. We'll take it easy and will see how it goes."

Van den Hoogenband hopes to recover quickly enough to compete at the World Championships in Montreal this July. He will decide whether or not he will actually start at the WC three to four weeks before the tournament. VDH will only go to Canada if he has a serious shot at the world title.



Source: Telegraaf

Wednesday, May 11, 2005

Everything will be focussed on Beijing

What are three Olympic titles worth when you're on the operation table, waiting for your anaesthetics? "Absolutely nothing", says Pieter van den Hoogenband. "There’s nothing more important at that moment, except the wish for the operation to be successful."

What seemed to be a harmless muscle strain last March at the Open Flemish Championships in Antwerp, which could be a side effect of resuming his training after the Olympics, appeared to be a hernia between the fourth and fifth vertebra. The day after the diagnosis, Van den Hoogenband was operated on by neurosurgeon Wilco Peul. Another vertebra showed some wear as well, but it didn't need any surgery.

"Normally, a hernia is treated with rest and physical therapy, but my situation was too severe. The pain in my back and the radiation to my left foot were unbearable. During training in the pool it didn’t bother me too much. But as soon as I got home, I couldn’t move. Walking from my car to the front door was virtually impossible, because of the pain in my back and the pins-and-needles in my foot. At home I could only lie on the couch. The last three days before the operation I walked 25 metres at most."

Now he’s been reliefed of hellish pains after more than two months, he is thoroughly enjoying a 15-minute walk in the woods. "Who knew?", he laughs. "I never knew taking a stroll would be so pleasant."

From the moment he will enter the pool again today, it will be a constant evaluation till the Olympics of 2008 in Beijing. The question is whether or not he will be ready to enter the World Championships in Montreal end of July. And if he does, it remains to be seen if he will actually start on four distances (100m and 200m freestyle, 4 x 100m and 4 x 200m freestyle relay).

"The way things are now, I doubt I will be making twelve starts (series, semi-finals, finals per event) with two months to go from now. I will have to take good care of my body in the next few years. Squatting with 180 kilos in my neck or bench pressing is not an option for the time being. Luckily I can also do power training in the water."

He still hopes to win a third consecutive Olympic title at the 100m freestyle event. "But everything in my career, as from today, will be focussed on Beijing." His mission is not impossible. "When you think about it, I’ve been very lucky throughout my career regarding injuries. I’ve been in the top 4 of the world for the last nine years. This is, after a shoulder injury right before the Olympics in Sydney, only my second major setback. I consider it a signal of my body to take a step back."

The World Championships in Montreal, the European Championships in Helsinki and the World Championships of 2007 in Melbourne – the few major tournaments VDH will enter in the last phase of his career – don’t hold a candle against the Olympics. Even his dream of winning a world title will have to be sacrificed, if needed.

"If it turns out that it’s better for the long term not to go to Montreal, I won’t go. You have to be efficient with the remaining opportunities. Perhaps this will be a good moment in time to, besides on the 100m freestyle, definitely focus on the 50m freestyle instead of the 200m. But that’s too soon to tell. I don’t know yet where I stand in any case."



Source: Telegraaf

Tuesday, May 10, 2005

Hernia surgery for Van den Hoogenband

Last Wednesday (May 4th) Pieter van den Hoogenband underwent surgery in The Hague for a hernia (slipped disk in his back). This hernia was the main reason for his back problems, which he suffered for several months. Whether or not he will compete at the World Championships is not an issue yet. But he will only go to Montreal if he is in good shape.

"Tomorrow the stitches are removed and I hope to resume training later this week. Then we’ll know where I stand. I will decide at the very last moment if I will compete at the World Championships. I want to go for the gold and don’t consider it a free holiday in Canada."

VDH had been suffering back pains for quite some time now. "As a top athlete you always suffer from aches here and there, but last March at the Flemish Championships in Antwerp it started to really bother me. At first I thought my back would benefit by weight lifting to strengthen my muscles, but the pain kept getting worse. Late March I even had to cancel the Dutch Open Swim Cup in Eindhoven.''

VDH then tried to control his back pain by tapering, but the pain still kept getting worse. He decided not to go on training camp in Cyprus with his team mates of NZE and went to the doctor’s instead. "I asked several physicians for advice. It soon became clear to me that an operation was inevitable. Last Tuesday I was examined by neurosurgeon Peul, who operated on me the very next day.''

To his relief the operation was a great success. "When the stitches are removed, I will go back into the pool. Whether or not I will go to the World Championships is not certain yet. It will become clear in the weeks to come. I will hold off that decision till the very last minute."

After defending his Olympic title at the 100m freestyle event last year in Athens, VDH aimed to break his own world record at the World Championships, which is 0.47.84 since he broke it in Sydney in 2000. This doesn’t seem realistic any more after his hernia operation. If all goes well, VDH will compete at the 100m and 200m freestyle events and the 4x100m and 4x200m relays.

Follow this link to watch an interview with VDH about this: Operation for Van den Hoogenband (click on the camera icon in the small right pane next to the article)