In an announcement that is surely to have a significant impact on the American elite open water swimming world, Chloe Sutton announced a hiatus from open water swimming in 2012 in an interview with USA Swimming correspondent Bob Schaller.Chloe responded as follows when he asked, “Will you go for open water in the Olympics in 2012?”
“I’m pretty much announcing with you right now that I am not doing open water in 2012. I am not going to Nationals for it or anything. I have eliminated that from my range of events. I am focused on the pool.
I will still go to the Fran Crippen Memorial and Tiburon, and I will stay in touch with the amazing open water friends I have – and I still love that discipline of the sport and have only great things to say about it – but with everything going on in the pool, I am focusing on that.”Her announcement most certainly creates opportunities for the other top American swimmers including Eva Fabian, Christian Jennings, Emily Brunemann, Emily Hanson, Haley Anderson and Kirsten Groome. It will be very exciting to see what two athletes capture the coveted top two spots at the USA Swimming National Open Water Swimming Championships in Ft. Myers in June. Those two swimmers will earn the right to compete for a spot in the Olympic 10K Marathon Swim in London – a spot that Chloe earned in 2008 in Beijing.
But giving up an Olympic opportunity in the pool will enable Chloe to perhaps show up in London as a member of the American Olympic pool team.
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