2018 French Nationals Saint-Raphaël: Gastaldello NR Highlights Day 2

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 2

Five more names (Nans Roch, Fanny Deberghes, Béryl Gastaldello, Mathilde Cini, and Mehdy Metella) were added to the list of qualified swimmers for the 2018 European Championships in Glasgow after the second day of competition at French Elite National Championships in Saint-Raphaël. The full list now includes:

1. Cyrielle Duhamel (400 IM)
2. Lara Grangeon (400 IM)
3. David Aubry (400 free)
4. Roman Fuchs (400 free)
5. Charlotte Bonnet (50 free)
6. Anouchka Martin (50 free)
7. Jérémy Stravius (50 back, 100 free)
8. Marie Wattel (100 fly)
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)

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.

Women’s 800 Free

• Euro 2018 qualifying standard: 8:34.96 in prelims; top-4 in finals

1. Sharon van Rouwendaal (NED) (Montpellier Métropole Natation) 8:39.19
2. Fantine Lesaffre (Montpellier Métropole Natation / Pôle France Natation Course Marseille) 8:44.31
3. Julie Berthier (Mulhouse ON) 8:46.49
4. Lara Grangeon (CN Calédoniens / Pôle France Natation Course Nice) 8:49.61

Fantine Lesaffre earned the title of national champion for the second day in a row. After winning the 400 IM on Tuesday, she was the first Frenchwoman to the wall in the 800 free final on Wednesday, touching in 8:44.31. Sharon van Rouwendaal of Netherlands won the event in 8:39.19. No one qualified for France’s European Championships squad, though. The fastest French swimmer in Tuesday’s prelims was Lisa Pou (AS Monaco Natation) who came in third behind van Rouwendaal and Anna Egorova (RUS) with 8:50.95. Pou, however, declined to swim in Wednesday’s final.

Men’s 200 Fly

• Euro 2018 qualifying standard: 1:58.11 in prelims; top-4 in finals

1. Jordan Coelho (Stade de Vanves / Pôle France Natation Course Antibes) 1:58.52
2. Nans Roch (CN Antibes / Pôle France Natation Course Antibes) 1:59.45
3. Matthias Marsau (Dauphins Toulouse OEC / Pôle France Natation Course CREPS Toulouse) 2:00.78

Jordan Coelho earned the natation title in the men’s 200 fly but came nowhere near his seed time of 1:56.49 in either prelims or finals and failed to qualify for Glasgow. Coelho was runner-up to Paul Lemaire of Dauphins Toulouse a year ago, finishing .02 back with 1:58.07. That time, swum in prelims this year, would have qualified him for European Championships, but the only sub-1:58.11 in morning heats came from Nans Roch. He dropped 1.21 seconds from his seed time to nail a 1:57.85 in prelims and punch his ticket to Glasgow. Roch cruised to a second-place finish in the final with 1:59.45, just ahead of Matthias Marsau (2:00.78).

Women’s 100 Breast

• Euro 2018 qualifying standard: 1:08.79 in prelims; top-4 in finals

1. Fanny Deberghes (ASPTT Montpellier) 1:08.29
2. Solène Gallego (Dauphins Toulouse OEC / Pôle France Natation Course CREPS Toulouse) 1:09.57
3. Camille Mallet (Amiens Métropole Natation / Pôle Espoirs Natation Course Amiens) 1:10.10

Defending champion Fanny Deberghes was 9/10 faster this year than she had been in 2017 and won the women’s 100 breast by over a body length. She also punched her ticket to Glasgow with a 1:08.48 in prelims. Both swims were faster than her seed time of 1:08.61. Solène Gallego had a handle on second place from start to finish and stopped the clock at 1:09.57.

16-year-old Camille Mallet blew past Carmella Kitching, Clara Basso-Bert, and Nolwenn Hervé on her way to claiming the bronze medal. Mallet was sixth at the 50 wall with 33.10 but came home in 37.0 to touch out Kitching by .08.

Men’s 200 IM

• Euro 2018 qualifying standard: 2:01.34 in prelims; top-4 in finals

1. Jeremy Desplanches (SUI) (Olympic Nice Natation / Pôle France Natation Course Nice) 1:57.06
2. Guillaume Laure (CN Antibes / Pôle France Natation Course Amiens) 2:02.51
3. Geoffrey Renard (Dauphons Toulouse OEC) 2:02.81
4. Théo Berry (Angers Natation / Pôle France Natation Course Paris INSEP) 2:03.12

Switzerland’s Jeremy Desplanches was first to the wall in the men’s 200 IM, and while he swam faster than his seed time, it was not his fastest performance. Desplanches holds the Swiss national record with 1:56.86 from Budapest last summer. Guillaume Laure claimed the French crown with his second-place 2:02.51. Laure made up a deficit of nearly 1 second over the final 50 meters of the race. Geoffrey Renard had been in second place through the first 150 meters but was unable to hang on for the win. Théo Berry also outsplit Renard in the freestyle but fell short of earning the silver medal.

Women’s 50 Back

• Euro 2018 qualifying standard: 28.48 in prelims; top-4 in finals

1. Béryl Gastaldello (CN Marseille / Pôle France Natation Course Marseille) 27.97
2. Mathilde Cini (Valence Triathlon / Pôle France Natation Course Marseille) 28.29
3. Camille Gheorghiu (Montpellier Métropole Natation / Pôle France Natation Course Antibes) 28.64

Texas A&M University All-American Béryl Gastaldello became the first Frenchwoman to break the 28-second barrier in the 50 meter backstroke in Wednesday’s final. Gastaldello first tied her own record of 28.01 in prelims before lowering it by another 4/100 in finals to set the new mark at 27.97. With that swim, Gastaldello becomes #15 in the world so far this season.

Gastaldello qualified for European Championships along with runner-up Mathilde Cini, who went 28.29 in prelims, the same time she went in finals.

Louise Lefebvre (Mulhouse ON / Pôle France Natation Course Mulhouse) lowered her own National Age Group Record for 15-year-old girls and placed 5th in the final with 28.85.

Men’s 100 Free

• Euro 2018 qualifying standard: 49.17 in prelims; top-4 in finals

1. Mehdy Metella (CN Marseille / Pôle France Natation Course Marseille) 48.42
2. Jérémy Stravius (Amiens Métropole Natation / Pôle France Natation Course Amiens) 48.90
3. Maxime Grousset (Amiens Métropole Natation / Pôle France Natation Course Amiens) 49.57
4. Jordan Pothain (Nautic Club Alp’38) 49.72
5. Clément Mignon (CN Marseille / Pôle France Natation Course Marseille) 49.81 / Jonathan Atsu (Dauphins Toulouse OEC / Pôle France Natation Course CREPS Toulouse) 49.81

Mehdy Metella led from wire to wire to win the French national title in the 100 free and qualify for Glasgow. Metella went 48.42 in both prelims and finals. Runner-up Jérémy Stravius added the 100 free to his Glasgow lineup, which also includes the 50 back, with a 48.88 in prelims. Oussama Sahnoune (ALG) went 49.02 in prelims but non-French swimmers do not qualify for the finals of the 100 free and 200 free, events from which France selects their relays.

Metella moved up to 12th in the world this season with his swims.

As it happens, while only Metella and Stravius qualified individually in the 100 free, Maxime Grousset, Jordan Pothain, Clément Mignon, and Jonathan Atsu will be eligible for the 400 free relay as the add-up times of #2 through #5 in the final standings meet the qualifying time in Table 2 below.

Table n°1: Individual Qualifying Time Standards

Table n°2: Relay Qualifying Time Standards