2022 French Elite Championships: Day 5 Finals Live Recap

2022 FRENCH ELITE CHAMPIONSHIPS

• Tuesday, April 5th – Sunday, April 10th
• Limoges Métropole, France
• LCM (50m)
• World Championships & European Championships Qualifier
• FFN Selection Policy
• Entries
• Results

The penultimate day of the 2022 French Elite Championships will feature a number of high profile races. Maxime Grousset will swim the 50 free after his headlining 48.03 in the 100 free earlier in the week, and the current world leader Melanie Henique will race in the women’s 50 fly.

Women’s 200 Back – Final

• French Record – 2:06.64, Laure Manaudou, 2008
• FFN Worlds Cut – 2:11.08

Top 3:

1. Sharon van Rouwendaal, Netherlands/Montpellier Metropole, 2:11.17
2. Emma Terebo, Amiens Metrpoloe/INSEP, 2:11.35
3. Pauline Mahie, Canet 66, 2:12.48

Dutch swimmer Sharon van Rouwendaal won the 200 back in 2:11.17.

She formerly trained in France with Philippe Lucas for almost 7 years before moving to Madgeburg, Germany to train under Bernd Berkhahn (who also trains, among others, top male open water swimmer Floridan Wellbrock).

Van Rouwendaal still represents Montpellier in domestic French competitions in the pool on occasion, though, even though her focus now seems to have turned primarily to open water. The Olympic silver medalist in the 10km race still managed to finished 16th in this 200 backstroke in Tokyo.

She has only been better than her winning time on Saturday once since 2013. This is her first 200 back national title in France in long course.

The top French swimmer in the event was Emma Terebo in 2:11.35. That knocks a full second off her previous lifetime best in the event. That swim leaves her just outside of the all-time top 10 among Frehch women in the event. She previously won, and swam a best time, in the 100 back this week, though she was just 4th in the 50.

Men’s 100 Fly – Final

• French Record – 51.96
• FFN Worlds Cut – 50.85, Mehdy Metella, 2019

Top 3:

1. Clement Secchi, CN Marseille, 52.31
2. Stanislas Huille, SN Versailless/Marseille, 52.74
3. Jaouad Syoud, Algeria/Olympic Nice, 52.87

No new qualifiers hit the standard in the men’s 100 fly on Saturday, as Clement Secchi won the 100 in 52.31. That is a new personal best for him by .65 seconds.

He also swam personal bests in the 50 fly (23.84 – 5th place) and 200 fly (1:58.72 – 3rd place) this week.

Stanislas Huille finished 2nd in 52.74.

Clement Lefert, the national record holder who is not at this meet, is still qualified via his 51.32 from the Olympics, though without an officials race since those Games, it’s unclear what his career status is.

Women’s 50 Fly – Final

• French Record – 26.32
• FFN Worlds Cut – 25.17, Melanie Henique, 2021

Top 3:

1. Melanie Henique, CN Marseille, 25.62
2. Marie Wattel, CN Marseille, 26.26
3. Beryl Gastaldello, Stars 92, 26.71

29-year old Melanie Henique improved her world-leading time in the 50 fly with a 25.62 in finals. Her previous season-best was a 25.67 done at the Golden Tour a month ago.

Arguably France’s best event, Marie Wattel swam 26.26 for 2nd place to secure her place on the World Championship team as well: a third individual qualification for her. Beryl Gastaldello took 3rd in 26.71 and has still not earned a spot on the French roster for Worlds. She has trained in the United States for most of the last decade, but she says that her return for this meet is coinciding with a return to training in her home country of France.

Men’s 50 Free – Final

• French Record – 22.18
• FFN Worlds Cut – 20.94, Fred Bousquet, 2009

Top 3:

1. Maxime Grousset, CS Clichy 92/INSEP, 22.28
2. Nans Mazellier, Natation Saint-Paul Renuion/CAF Reunion-St Denis, 22.44
3. Mike Schreuders, CN Marseille/Aruba, 22.45

Maxime Grouset added a third individual win to his resume for this week, topping the 50 free in 22.28. The Tokyo Olympian didn’t clear the qualifying standard, but neither did anyone else, which means his 21.87 from last summer’s Olympic Games stands up as a qualifier.

18-year old Nans Mazellier finished 2nd in 22.44, which puts him 2nd behind only Grousset all-time among French 18-year olds. Mazellier Mazellier lives on the French island of Reunion off the coast of Madagascar.

Women’s 800 Free – Timed Final

• French Record – 8:29.00
• FFN Worlds Cut – 8:18.80, Laure Manaudou, 2007

Top 3:

1. Anastasia Kirpitchinikova, Russia/Montpellier, 8:24.76
2. Anna Egorova, Russia/CS Clichy 92, 8:30.67
3. Alexa Reyna, ES Massy Natation, 8:43.32

The two French-based Russian distance swimmers Anastasia Kirpitchinkov and Anna Egorova led the way in the women’s 800 free.

Kirpitchinkova’s 8:24.76 jumps her to 7th in the world this year.

Both swimmers are competing this week under a neutral “FFN” designation. While Russian athletes have been barred from competing in most international swimming competitions at this point, it appears as though France is allowing at least the locally-based Russian athletes to compete under a neutral designation.

French Worlds Team Track – Thru Day 5

It was another slow day for qualifiers for the World Championships for France. The only new qualifications came when nobody cracked the standard in the 100 fly or 50 free – which means that Maxime Grousset and Florent Manaudou (who is swimming at this meet but didn’t race the 50 breast) are in, as is Mehdy Metella, though we don’t know if he’s still training or competing.