2018 French Nationals Saint-Raphaël Day 3: Bonnet Moves to #5 in 200 Free

2018 French Elite Long Course Nationals at Saint-Raphaël

• Tuesday, May 22 – Sunday, May 27, 2018
• Stade Nautique Alain Chateigner
• 50m
• Prelims at 9am local/Finals at 6pm local (Saturday 5:30, Sunday 5:45)
• Selection for European Championships
• Televised on beIN SPORTS
• Meet Central
• Start Lists
• Live Results

Day 3

The third day of competition at French Elite National Championships in Saint-Raphaël yielded another four qualifiers for 2018 European Championships in Glasgow. The full list now includes:

1. Cyrielle Duhamel (400 IM)
2. Lara Grangeon (400 IM)
3. David Aubry (400 free, 1500 free))
4. Roman Fuchs (400 free)
5. Charlotte Bonnet (50 free, 200 free)
6. Anouchka Martin (50 free)
7. Jérémy Stravius (50 back, 100 free)
8. Marie Wattel (100 fly, 200 free)
9. Théo Bussière (100 breast)
10. Nans Roch (200 fly)
11. Fanny Deberghes (100 breast)
12. Béryl Gastaldello (50 back)
13. Mathilde Cini (50 back)
14. Mehdy Metella (100 free)
15. Damien Joly (1500 free)
16. Stanislaus Huille (100 back)
17. Paul-Gabriel Bedel (100 back)
18. Margaux Fabre (200 free)

As a reminder, the FFN’s criteria for making the French squad for European Championships are as follows: The four fastest swimmers who achieve, in prelims, the qualifying times in Table 1 below AND who place among the top four eligible (French) swimmers in the final of that event, will be selected to represent France in Glasgow.

Men’s 1500 Free

• Euro 2018 qualifying standard: 15:07.71 in prelims; top-4 in finals

1. David Aubry (Montpellier Métropole Natation) 15:01.85
2. Damien Joly (Montpellier Métropole Natation / Pôle France Natation Course Antibes) 15:03.61
3. Logan Fontaine (Vikings de Rouen / Pôle Espoirs Natation Course Rouen) 15:13.41

David Aubry added a second French national title on Thursday, winning the 1500 free in 15:01.85. He had won gold in the 400 free on Tuesday. Aubry and runner-up Damien Joly (15:03.61) both achieved the criteria to swim the 1500 in Glasgow, having gone 15:03.55 and 15:03.93, respectively, in prelims on Wednesday.

Women’s 200 Fly

• Euro 2018 qualifying standard: 2:11.85 in prelims; top-4 in finals

1. Lara Grangeon (CN Calédoniens / Pôle France Natation Course Nice) 2:12.53
2. Sharon van Rouwendaal (NED) (Montpellier Métropole Natation) 2:12.77
3. Juliette Marchand (Dauphins Toulouse OEC / Pôle Espoirs Natation Course Toulouse) 2:16.36
4. Camille Wishaupt (Mulhouse ON) 2:18.36

Déjà vu all over again. Just as she had at the short course French National Championships in Montpellier last December, Lara Grangeon snatched victory away from Sharon van Rouwendaal over the final 50 meters of the 200 fly. In both cases, Grangeon trailed by a second at the 150 wall and powered through the end of the race to earn the win. This time Rouwendaal had more in the tank than in Montpellier and she nearly held on. Their splits were:

Grangeon – 30.06-34.18-34.63-33.66 = 2:12.53
van Rouwendaal – 30.10-33.43-34.37-34.87 = 2:12.77

In prelims, Grangeon was the closest to the qualifying time of 2:11.85, but her 2:12.60 didn’t hit the mark. No other French swimmer came within 5 seconds of Grangeon in prelims.

Men’s 100 Back

• Euro 2018 qualifying standard: 54.86 in prelims; top-4 in finals

1. Stanislas Huille (SN Versailles / Pôle France Natation Course Paris INSEP) 54.39
2. Paul-Gabriel Bedel (CN Marseille / Pôle France Natation Course Marseille) 54.45
3. Maxence Orange (Nantes Natation) 54.48

The race of the day, and quite possibly the meet, was the photo finish in the men’s 100 back final among Stanislas Huille, Paul-Gabriel Bedel, and Maxence Orange. After all three met the qualifying criteria in prelims (Bedel with 54.37, Orange with 54.65, and Huille with 54.69), the stakes were high in the final and everyone went all-out. When the waves settled, the trio was only separated by .09. Huille got his hand to the wall first, followed by Bedel and Orange.

Mewen Tomac of Amiens Métropole Natation lowered his own NAG for 17-year-old boys in prelims, going 55.89.

Women’s 200 Free

• Euro 2018 qualifying standard: 2:00.06 in prelims; top-4 in finals

1. Charlotte Bonnet (Olympic Nice Natation / Pôle France Natation Course Nice) 1:55.53
2. Marie Wattel (Montpellier Métropole Natation) 1:58.18
3. Margaux Fabre (Cannet 66 Natation) 1:58.47
4. Alizée Morel (Dauphins Toulouse OEC / Pôle France Natation Course CREPS Toulouse) 2:00.45
5. Assia Touati (Dauphins Toulouse OEC / Pôle France Natation Course CREPS Toulouse) 2:00.91

Charlotte Bonnet took another .27 off her personal best (1:55.80 from last year’s Long Course Nationals) to win the women’s 200 free in 1:55.53. That swim puts her among the top-5 in the world so far this season.

The bigger surprise, though, was that both Marie Wattel and Margaux Fabre went PBs in prelims and qualified along with Bonnet for European Championships.

Men’s 200 Breast

• Euro 2018 qualifying standard: 2:12.75 in prelims; top-4 in finals

1. Jeremy Desplanches (SUI) (Olympic Nice Natation / Pôle France Natation Course Nice) 2:12.30
2. Thomas Boursac Cervera Lortet (Dauphins Toulouse OEC / Pôle France Natation Course CREPS Toulouse) 2:13.78
3. Antoine Marc (Mulhouse ON / Pôle France Natation Course Mulhouse) 2:13.93
4. Antoine Viquérat (Dauphins Toulouse OEC / Pôle France Natation Course CREPS Toulouse) 2:14.03

The final of the men’s 200 breast was just as thrilling at the finish as that of the men’s 100 back, with the exception that no one had qualified for Euros in prelims. Switzerland’s Jeremy Desplanches came to the wall with a body-length lead in 2:12.30. The next wave battled furiously and Thomas Boursac Cervera Lortet came through with the win. He and Antoine Viquérat had been even throughout, with Antoine Marc trailing by a second at the halfway point. Marc had the fastest second half though. He overtook Viquérat at the end but fell short of Boursac Cervera Lortet, who took home the French national crown.

Table n°1: Individual Qualifying Time Standards

Table n°2: Relay Qualifying Time Standards