Hubert Ripoll, author of "Mental des champions. Comprendre la réussite sportive" (Champions' mettle. Understanding sporting achievement), analyses Laure Manaudou's last place in the 400m freestyle race.

I don't think Manaudou has got over her separation from former coach Philippe Lucas, with whom she shared a very close bond. It was an uncommon pairing, a bit like in love. Though not always operating on ideal bases, it worked.

Today, Laure is still looking for a new equilibrium. For a start, she can count on the excellent atmosphere that reigns within the French team.

But this won't be enough. She's been picked on from all sides and, though a great champion, she's struggled with the pressure. The media onslaught she faced has come at a cost. It's never good for an athlete's frame of mind. At some stage, one needs to break away and seek solace in isolation. Two years ago she broke out of her cocoon for psychological reasons. While she was right to do so back then, it's very hard to find a new equilibrium.

 

Given this psychological burden, I believe her defeat was foreseeable. In my view, the distance separating her from the race's winner is indicative of just how deep her psychological injury is.

This is something we rarely witness among athletes. The distress was clearly visible in the case of (French sprinter) Marie-José Pérec in Sydney eight years ago. She's never been able to pull it together again thereafter. I hope Laure Manaudou will manage, but it'll be very tough. I fear she may be unable to experience the kind of joy that is necessary for an athlete to take in all the rest.

The difficulty for great champions is to rise again. To do so, one needs the necessary motivation, the right coach and the strength to fight on. I fear she may struggle to recover the motivation. We'll have part of the answer tomorrow with the 100m backstroke. We'll see whether she can take off again - though I'm not really optimistic.