2021 French Olympic Trials: Day 2 Finals Live Recap

2021 FRENCH ELITE SWIMMING CHAMPIONSHIPS

• Tuesday, June 15 – Sunday, June 20, 2021
• Piscine de l’Odyssée, Chartres, France
• Long Course Meters (50M)
• Olympic Selection Event
• French Olympic Qualifying Procedures
• Meet Site (LIVE FFN)
• List of Entrants
• Live Results
• Television rights: beIN SPORTS

The second day of finals at the 2021 French Elite Swimming Championships have gotten underway. Swimmers will be contesting for different potential Olympic qualifying events in the form of the women’s 1500 freestyle, women’s 100 breaststroke, the women’s 100 backstroke, and the men’s 100 backstroke, and women’s 400 free.

After three swimmers managed to qualify for the Olympic team on day one, follow along live as we find out how many will make the cut today.

WOMEN’S 1500 FREESTYLE – FINAL

• French Record: 16:03.01 – Laure Manaudou (2006)
• Olympic Qualifying Standards: 17:01.80 in prelims and 16:21.21 in A-final

Aurelie Muller opened up the session as she swam to victory in the women’s 1500 freestyle, hitting a 16:22.66 which is a new best PB. Heading into the event she held a 16:24.34 which she hit back in 2017.

The swim for Muller was just over the qualifying standard for Tokyo which sits at a 16:21.21 meaning that she most likely won’t qualify for the Games.

Follow Muller, Adeline Furst hit a 16:32.69 to match her 2nd place finish in the prelims and improve upon her 16:37.48 there. Lara Grangeon wasn’t able to manage the same feat as she fell to 3rd place overall after leading the prelims with a 16:37.03. In the final Grangeon hit a 16:34.24.

MEN’S 50 BREASTSTROKE – FINAL

• French Record: 27.36 – Giacomo Perez-Dortona (2009)

In the men’s 50 breaststroke final, Theo Bussière couldn’t quite get his hands on the wall in time to pick up his second win of the meet as Antoine Viquerat managed to get to the wall first.

Viquerat posted a 27.77 for the victory which was just under his PB in the event of 27.96 from July 2019. While he managed to collect gold, he finished a little bit over the 2009 French record in the event of 27.36.

Also trailing the record, Theo Bussiere hit a 27.89 to take the silver medal which is just over his best time in the event of 27.60.

Carl Aitkaci also managed to dip under 28 seconds with a 27.93 for bronze and Julien Valour followed with a 28.08 for fourth place.

WOMEN’S 100 BACKSTROKE – FINAL

• French Record: 59.50 – Laure Manaudou (2007)
• Olympic Qualifying Standards: 1:02.06 in prelims and 1:00.25 in A-final

Beryl Gastaldello had a second shot here at qualifying for the 2021 Olympic squad but fell just short with a 1:00.39 which is 0.14 seconds slower than the 1:00.25 qualifying standard. Gastalldello has been under the standard twice before with her 1:00.07 in 2019 and a 1:00.17 back in 2017.

Swedish swimmer Louise Hansson was a bit faster than Gastaldello here and exactly matched the FINA A standard with a 1:00.25. Hansson, who was already qualified to race in Tokyo the 100 butterfly could potentially be named to the team for the 100 backstroke based on this performance.

Joining Gastaldello on the podium will be Analia Pigree for silver, having posted a 1:00.50 which was just 0.25 over the Tokyo qualifying standard. In third place here was Mary-Ambre Moluh with a 1:01.47.

That time for Moluh was a bit slower than her morning swim of 1:01.17 which was actually a new French national age group record.

WOMEN’S 100 BREASTSTROKE – FINAL

• French Record: 1:07.97 – Sophie de Ronchi (2011)
• Olympic Qualifying Standards: 1:09.08 in prelims and 1:07.07 in A-final

Fanny Deberghes took the gold medal here with a 1:08.76 which is an improvement upon her prelim swim of 1:09.61 but remains well above the Olympic-qualifying standard of 1:07.07.

Justine Delmas matched her 2nd place finish in the prelims here with a 1:09.42 to clinch silver. That’s a slight improvement from prelims as well, getting down for the 1:09.98 that she hit in the morning.

Both Deberghes and Delmas were a bit slower than their PBs in the event which currently sits at a 1:08.29 from May 2018 1:08.83 and a from December 2020.

Chloe Braun rounded out the podium here with a 1:10.55 for bronze. Considering that no one got under the qualifying standard, it is unlikely that we will see a French woman race the 100 breaststroke in Tokyo.

MEN’S 100 BACKSTROKE – FINAL

• French Record: 51.11 – Camille Lacourt (2010)
• Olympic Qualifying Standards: 55.47 in prelims and 53.85 in A-final

It looks like Mewen Tomac and Yohann Ndoye Brouard are officially headed to Tokyo as they become the first 2 swimmers of the session to get under a French Olympic qualifying standard during day 2 of this meet.

Tomac and Brouard were actually both under the cut this morning as well but were both quicker in the final.

Tomac won the event with a 53.13 to improve upon his prelim swim of 53.68 and Brouard took silver with a 53.47 which was better than his 53.76 in the morning.

Both showed their potential to swim faster at the recent 2021 European Championships where Tomac posted a 52.86 and Brouard a 52.97.

The bronze medal here will go to Geoffroy Mathieu who swam a 54.44 for third place while Stanislas and Huille took the 4th place spot in a 54.57.

WOMEN’S 400 FREESTYLE – FINAL

• French Record: 4:01.13 – Camille Muffat (4:01.13)
• Olympic Qualifying Standards: 4:15.34 in prelims and 4:07.90 in A-final

Russian swimmer Anna Egorova posted the fastest time of the session in the women’s 400 freestyle with a 4:09.49, shaving a couple of seconds off her morning swim of 4:12.25.

That swim for her trails her current PB and Russian record of 4:04.10 which she hit back in April of this year at Russian Championships. Egorova is slated already to race the event in Tokyo this summer and recently won a silver medal at the 2021 European Championships with a 4:06.05.

Taking the gold medal here, however, was Fantine Lesaffre who posted the top time amongst French women with a 4:15.35. That was faster than her 4:20.50 morning swim in the event but was not under the 4:07.90 Tokyo qualifying cut.

Lesaffre will likely not race the event in Tokyo but did qualify to swim the 200 IM for France at the Olympics.

Joining Lesaffre on the podium was Marie Kuntzmann with a 4:18.16 for the silver medal and Valentine Leclercq who swam a 4:18.80 for bronze.