France’s Lorandi playing it safe ahead of Euros

“I am training to prepare deadlines and being the best. To say that I will break my world record on the 400m…let’s say I am working on that”

France’s reigning multiple world and European champion Elodie Lorandi is cautiously optimistic about her chances at August’s IPC Swimming European Championships, as she attempts to retain four of her titles.

Lorandi, 25, revealed that she has made some adjustments to her training schedule ahead of the competition from 4-10 August in Eindhoven, the Netherlands, in order to be in the best possible shape.

“I have changed things in my preparation for these Championships and this brings and helps me a lot. I am feeling very well,” she said.

At the Pieter van den Hoogenband Swimming Stadium, Lorandi will race in the 100m butterfly, 50m freestyle, 400m and 100m freestyle S10.

However it is the 400m freestyle S10, the event that she holds the world record and Paralympic and world titles in, that she has her sights firmly fixed on with less than one month to go. “I am training to prepare deadlines and being the best. To say that I will break my world record on the 400m, let’s say I am working on that,” Lorandi said.

A series of up-and-coming European swimmers will be lining up to challenge the five-time Paralympic medallist’s endurance over 400m at Eindhoven 2014.

A total of four finalists from last year’s IPC Swimming World Championships are all chalked to enter, including Hungarian Bianka Pap. The 14-year-old was just edged out of the medals in Montreal, Canada, on only her third international outing.

Similarly, Poland’s Oliwia Jablonska, still just 17, missed out on a podium finish at London 2012 in the 400m free having made it into the finals at her first Paralympic Games. The youngster went onto to pick up silver in the 100m butterfly.

The fresh talent coming through does not phase double world champion Lorandi.

Instead her motto of ‘shut-up and swim’ firmly applies to all of her competitions. “At every international event, I am starting again from zero, for me nothing is acquired in advance,” she said. “It is not easy every day, but on the “D-Day” you will be ready and everything will become easier.”

Elodie Lorandi will be one of nearly 400 swimmers from 40 countries competing at the 2014 IPC Swimming European Championships from 4-10 August.

More information, including tickets and media accreditation, is available at the event website.

All morning and afternoon sessions across the competition will be livestreamed via the IPC YouTube Channel.