2024 FRENCH ELITE CHAMPIONSHIPS
- Sunday, June 16 – Friday, June 21
- Chartres, France
- LCM (50 meters)
- Meet Central
- Entry List
- Results
- Live Stream
- Prelims: Day 1 |Day 2
- Finals: Day 1 |
Bienvenue amis nageurs. La deuxième journée des 2024 Championnats de France Elite commence. Après une belle journée hier, préparez-vous pour une autre. See I’m remembering. After the excitement of yesterday, get prepared for another day as France continues to name its team for it first Summer home Olympics since 1924.
Fans will have to wait till the end of the session to see Leon Marchand but don’t let that let you think there aren’t other stars in the pool. Winner of the 400 free last night, Anastasiia Kirpichnikova is the top seed in the women’s 200 free. The men’s and women’s 100 back are also on the docket this evening as French Record holder Pauline Mahieu finds herself as just the 4th seed, with Mary-Ambre Moluh taking the center lane tonight.
In the men’s 100 back, Yohann Ndoye-Brouard and Mewen Tomac will go tete-a-tete. While there are two spots open to qualify, don’t expect the pair to just coast into the wall. With relay implications on the line, the pair should push each other to newer and newer heights.
Women’s 400 IM – Finals
- World Record: 4:24.38 – Summer McIntosh, CAN (2024)
- World Junior Record: 4:24.38 – Summer McIntosh, CAN (2024)
- French Record: 4:34.17 – Fantine Lesaffre (2018)
- 2021 Winning Time: 4:41.97 – Fantine Lesaffre
- Olympic Qualifying Time: 4:38.53
Top 3
- Cyrielle Duhamel (Stade Bethune Pelican Club) – 4:40.96
- Camille Tissandie (Dauphins Toulouse OEC) – 4:49.21
- Manon Domingeon (Nat VilleFranche en Beaujolais) – 4:51.99
Cyrielle Duhamel, the top seed, led the field at the 100, hitting the wall in 1:03.54. She used a strong backstroke leg to pull ahead of the rest to have a nearly four-second lead over her competitors. There was noticeably very little kick in the backstroke, as she likely was trying to save her legs for her breaststroke. It was a smart move as he had opened up a massive lead of close to ten seconds. With the crowd on their feet, Duhamel gave it everything she could in the freestyle leg coming home in a split of 1:06.44 to finish in a time of 4:40.96.
However, despite the heroics, her time fell short of the Olympic Qualifying Time of 4:38.53, meaning she’ll have to qualify in another event. As evident by my opening paragraphs, my French is quite rudimentary, but in her post-race interview, Duhamel appeared to be disappointed in the swim.
Men’s 200 Freestyle -Finals
- World Record: 1:42.00 – Paul Biedermann, GER (2009)
- World Junior Record: 1:42.97 – David Popovici, ROU (2022)
- French Record: 1:43.14 – Yannick Agnel (2012)
- 2021 Winning Time: 1:46.93 – Jordan Pothain
- Olympic Qualifying Time: 1:46.26
Top 4
- Hadrien Salvan (Stade de Vanves) – 1:46.72
- Yann Le Goff (C Paul-Bert Rennes) – 1:47.05
- Wissam-Amazigh Yebba (C Paul-Bert Rennes) – 1:47.21
- Roman Fuchs (Amiens Metropole Nat.) – 1:47.24
With relay spots on the line, at least half the field should be named to the French team. With that in mind, the field was very tight at the 100 turn, but it was some outside smoke as lane 8’s Nan Mazellier had the lead at the 100 turn, flipping in 51.47. In fact, lanes 7 and 6 were right behind, and it appeared as if the outside lanes would hold that order into the finish, but the middle lanes fought back in the closing meters.
Mazellier, paid for his early speed and faded to 5th, but Hadrien Salvan, who swam out of lane 7 was able to hold off Yebba and Le Goff and took the win in 1:46.72. While off his personal best and shy of the individual qualifying time, Salvan should be named to his second Olympic team. In 2021, he was part of France’s 4×200 free relay.
Women’s 100 Back – Finals
- World Record: 57.33 – Kaylee McKeown, AUS (2023)
- World Junior Record: 57.57 – Regan Smith, USA (2019)
French Record: 59.30 – Pauline Mahieu (2023)- 2021 Winning Time: 1:00.39 – Beryl Gastadello
- Olympic Qualifying Time: 59.99
Top 3
- Emma Terebo (Amiens Metropole Nat.) – 58.79 ***NEW FRENCH RECORD***
- Beryl Gasteldello (Etoiles 92) – 59.17
- Mary-Ambre Moluh (U.S. Creteil Natation) – 59.29
The backstroke has probably been the stroke that the French women have improved the most in during the past few years, and the final of the 100 back did not disappoint. It was a speedy start for all, but at the 50 turn, it was the sixth seed, Beryl Gastaldello, who flipped first in 28.51, under French record pace by half a second.
She was not alone in taking out the race fast as Emma Terebo, Mary-Ambre Moluh, Pauline Mahieu and Analia Pigree were all out in sub-29.
Over the last 5o, it was a furious race to get to the wall first, but the win went to Emma Terebo, who closed in 30.15 to take the win in 58.79, a new personal best. More importantly than being a new PB, her time shattered the French record of 59.30 set by Mahieu just last summer.
Terebo wasn’t alone is surpassing the old record, as Gastaldello and Moluh both got under the time. Terebo, who hails from New Caledonia, an overseas territory of France located in the Pacific, had a previous PB of 59.64 before today.
Terebo and Gastaldello also both got under the Olympic Qualifying time and will have individual swims in Paris, a welcome relief, especially for the latter, as she missed out on an individual swim in Tokyo.
Men’s 100 Back – Finals
- World Record: 51.60 – Thomas Ceccon, ITA (2022)
- World Junior Record: 52.34 – Miron Lifincev, RUS (2024)
- French Record: 52.11 – Camille Lacourt (2010)
- 2021 Winning Time: 53.13 – Mewen Tomac
- Olympic Qualifying Time: 53.74
Top 3
- Mewen Tomac (Amiens Metropole Nat.) – 52.88
- Yohann Ndoye-Brouard (Dauphins D’Annecy) – 52.90
- Michel Arkhangelsky (CN Antibes) – 53.70
Hoping to keep up the momentum from the women’s race, Mewen Tomac and Yohann Ndoye-Brouard took the race out hard and fast. Long have the two been pushing each other to be bigger and better, and the pair were inseparable at the 50 turn, literally. Each hit the wall in an equal 25.85. Over the last 50, the pair remained stroke for stroke until the very end when Tomac just barely got the best of Ndoye-Brouard by .02 as he hit the wall in 52.88.
Tomac, who has committed to attend Cal this fall, has a personal best of 52.86 dating back to 2021, and his compatriot has a PB of 52.50 from the Budapest Worlds. Both should be pleased with their swims because they both not only qualify for Paris but move into the top 10 of the World.
2023-2024 LCM Men 100 Back
XU
52.05
| 2 | Ryan MURPHY | USA | 52.22 | 06/17 |
| 3 | Apostolos CHRISTOU | GRE | 52.23 | 06/23 |
| 4 | Thomas CECCON | ITA | 52.27 | 10/08 |
| 5 | Miron Lifinstsev | RUS | 52.34 WJR | 04/15 |
| 6 | Hunter ARMSTRONG | USA | 52.68 | 02/13 |
| 7 | Oliver MORGAN | GBR | 52.70 | 04/03 |
| 7 | Hugo GONZALEZ | ESP | 52.70 | 02/13 |
| 9 | Jack AIKINS | USA | 52.74 | 06/17 |
| 10 | Kliment KOLESNIKOV | RUS | 52.80 | 04/15 |
Women’s 200 Free- Finals
- World Record: 1:52.26 – Ariarne Titmus, AUS (2024)
- World Junior Record: 1:53.65 – Summer McIntosh, CAN (2023)
- French Record: 1:54.66 – Camille Muffat (2012)
- 2021 Winning Time: 1:56.67 – Charlotte Bonnet
- Olympic Qualifying Time: 1:57.26
Top 4
- Lucile Tessariol (SA Merignac) – 1:59.29
- Anastasiia Kirouchnikova (Montpellier Metropole Natation) – 1:59.88
- Marina Jehl (Canet 66 Natation) – 2:00.04
- Assia Touati (Dauphins Toulouse OEC) – 2:00.37
The qualifying time of 1:57.26 was also going to be a tough ask for any of tonight’s swimmers, but with potential relay spots on the line, the field took the race out fast. Much like in the men’s 200 free, lane 8 employed a strategy of taking it out hard and hoping to survive to the end. Marina Jehl, flipped at the 100 turn in 57.29, the only swimmer sub-58. She tried to stay in front of the group but really paid for her brave decision in the last 50.
Jehl closed in 32.08, being passed by both Lucile Tessariol and Anastasiia Kirpichnikova, who had last splits of 30.25 and 29.75, respectively. Tessariol, who owns a PB of 1:58.42 from last summer, will obviously have wished to have been faster but should be selected as a relay swimmer as France has qualified in all seven relays.
Men’s 400 IM – Finals
- World Record: 4:02.50 – Leon Marchand, FRA (2023)
- World Junior Record: 4:10.02 – Ilya Borodin, RUS (2021)
- French Record: 4:02.50 – Leon Marchand (2023)
- 2021 Winning Time: 4:09.65 – Leon Marchand
- Olympic Qualifying Time: 4:12.50
Top 3
- Leon Marchand (Dauphins Toulouse OEC) – 4:10.62
- Emilien Mattent (Charleville-Mezieres Natation) – 4:16.22
- Jaouad Syoud (Dauphins Toulouse OEC) – 4:19.91
Walking out to massive applause and a standing ovation deserving of the World Record holder, Leon Marchand got the 400 IM off to a flying start. He had a lead of over half a second at the first 50 turn and was .20 under WR pace, getting a roar from the crowd. He kept the speed into the 2nd turn, splitting 55.26, and was ahead of Algerian Jaouad Syoud by close to a second and a half.
By the halfway point, Marchand had a commanding two to three-body length lead but had fallen off his world record pace by close to three seconds at this point. A not too surprising fact as Marchand had no real incentive to push the pace. Well, alone by this point, Marchand looked smooth and in control as he finished 10 meters ahead of Emilien Mattenent in a time of 4:10.62.
Marchand fans should not read too much into the time; he has plenty of races ahead of him, and as one of the fastest men on the planet, he may not be fully rested.
The density of the back, especially in woman, is impressive!
Like last year, I don’t expect great performances from Marchand at French Trials, especially since he is not helped by the lack of competition in certain events. We will know more at the Olympics…
47.90 for big Flo!! France now fav for third in the men medley relay!
Marchand is totally not rested for this. Waiting for Paris to do that work!
100% and anyone who doesn’t have to be rested doesn’t bother.
Pretty sure Summer didn’t taper or rest for trials
You can split hairs with whether you want to call it a full taper. But she was definitely rested. She reset her WR and was basically on lifetime bests in most events. She was rested.
Swimswam has yet to break down exactly how Mewen Tomac is NCAA eligible.
He’s not NCAA eligible, he is Cal Bears eligible which are two completely different standards.
And before bears fans chime in saying how good of a school Berkeley is, Hugo Gonzalez failed out of Auburn and was totally fine majoring in Spanish and Portuguese (lol) at Cal. Same goes for Liam Bell failing out of Bama
ehhh meestel french man aslow eh?
Not worried for Leon in one bit. Priority is Paris.
Based on the women 200… big chance France drop the women relay.. send a team to swim 8:00 and not make finals is probably something they do not want
Can’t be hard to send them to PARIS? They should get every swimmer they can on the team
I think is not about the cost.. but sending a team that will finish 6th or even 7th on a heat… might not be interesting to show that to the world..
Summer’s world record above is incorrect
Thanks for the note; typed a 3 instead of a 2