2026 French Elite Championships: Day 2 Finals Live Recap

2026 FRENCH ELITE CHAMPIONSHIPS

• Saturday, June 27th – Thursday, July 2nd
• Piscine Raymond Sommet, Saint-Etienne, France
• LCM (50m)
• French Selection Criteria for European Championships
• Meet Central
• Event Schedule
• Psych Sheets
• Live Results
• SwimSwam Meet Preview
• SwimSwam Recaps
  • Prelims: Day 1 | Day 2
  • Finals: Day 1

The second night of finals at the 2026 French Elite Championships kicks off tonight, featuring the men’s 800m freestyle, women’s 50m butterfly, men’s 100m freestyle, women’s 100m breaststroke, men’s 200m backstroke, and women’s 200m freestyle.

This meet acts as the sole qualification meet for French swimmers for the European Championships this summer. Being held in Paris, this will be a home meet fora those who qualify, and for those who experienced the atmosphere at the Paris Olympics two years ago there will be a hunger to repeat.

Yohann Nodye-Brouard, a double individual medalist in backstroke at the world championships last year, headlines the men’s side, while 50 fly national record holder Melanie Henique seems the most likely qualifier on the women’s side on what is a relatively weak day for them.

Stay tuned for live updates.

Men’s 800m Freestyle — Final

• World Record: 7:32.12 – Zhang Lin, CHN (2009)
• World Junior Record: 7:43.37 – Lorenzo Galossi, ITA (2022)
• French Record: 7:42.08 – David Aubry (2019)
• French European Championship Qualifying Time: 7:50.50

GOLD – Romain Raugenaud, 7:51.76
SILVER – David Aubry, 7:52.39
BRONZE – Emile Vincent, 7:54.19

It was a relatively subdued first half of the race for the majority of the field, with top seed Daivd Aubry, Emile Vincent, and Damien Joly all flipping within a second of each other at halfway. However, it was Romain Raugeneaud out of lane 2 who set the early pace, hitting the 400m mark in 3:52.31 to lead Vincent by 3.76 seconds.

That gap did not close over the next 200 meters, as Raugeneaud, Aubry, and Joly all swam 29-highs or 30-lows, but it was at the 600m mark that the wheels started to fall off for the 22-year-old pacesetter.

He split 30.3 on his next three 50s, and as Aubry split 29.61/29.75/29.00 the gap was down to just 1.75 seconds with 50 to go. That set up a sprint for the line, with Aubry roaring home in 27.91.

Raugeneaud dropped the hammer as much as he could, splitting a 29.03 to come home just over half a second ahead of the French record holder in a massive lifetime best of 7:51.76, dropping 2.38 seconds from his 7:54.14 entry time.

Aubry was four seconds off his entry time and ten off his lifetime best from 2019, as both swimmers missed the 7:50.50 European Championships qualification time. Aubry actually negative split his race, going out in 3:56.47 and closing in 3:55.92.

Vincent couldn’t quite old onto Aubry down the stretch, falling to 3rd in 7:54.19. Joly was the final man under 8:00 in 4th with a 7:56.59.

Women’s 100m Breaststroke — Final

• World Record: 1:04.13 – Lilly King, USA (2017)
• World Junior Record: 1:04.35 – Ruta Meilutyte, LTU (2013)
• French Record: 1:07.30 – Charlotte Bonnet (2024)
• French European Championship Qualifying Time: 1:06.89

GOLD – Chloe Braun, 1:08.31
SILVER – Cyrielle Duhamel, 1:08.35
BRONZE – Lucie Vasquez, 1:08.59

We were treated to a fantastic race in the women’s 100 breast, as the top three finishers were separated by just 0.28 seconds, with only 0.04 seconds between the top two.

Chloe Braun, the top seed from this morning, blasted out to an early lead and touched in 31.63 at the 50, just 0.08 seconds off her 50 breast PB. Lucie Vasquez was also out under 32 seconds in 31.90, with Cyrielle Duhamel eight tenths behind leader Braun in 32.45.

However, it was the Stade Bethune Pelican swimmer who has the most closing speed, splitting 35.90 on the second 50 as she ran down Braun. The UC-San Diego swimmer dug deep to just hold off her rival, setting another lifetime best of 1:08.31 to take the win by four hundredths of a second.

Duhamel was just off her own PB of 1:08.14, while Vasquez also set a second PB of the day with a 1:08.59 for 3rd. All three swimmers were outside the 1:06.89 required to qualify for the European Championships, although Braun is now in pole position to make the team if the medley relay qualifies. That team requires a combined time of 4:00.00.

Men’s 200m Backstroke — Final

• World Record: 1:51.92 – Aaron Peirsol, USA (2009)
• World Junior Record: 1:55.14 – Kliment Kolesnikov,  RUS (2017)
• French Record: 1:54.47 – Yohann Ndoye-Brouard (2025)
• French European Championship Qualifying Time: 1:58.45

GOLD – Yohann Ndoye-Brouard, 1:56.73
SILVER – Antoine Herlem, 1:57.79
BRONZE – Mewen Tomac, 1:58.14

Yohann Ndoye-Brouard outlined his credentials in the 200 back, as the French record-holder and world bronze medalist got out to a big early lead and held the competition at bay to win by over a second.

He blasted out in 56.02, over a second faster than Mewen Tomac’s 57.27, and split 30.47/30.24 on the way home to touch in 1:56.73, just over two seconds off his PB of 1:54.47.

Tomac was second at the halfway point, but split 30.75/30.11 to allow Antoine Herlem, who split 29.92/29.94, to overhaul him for 2nd.

This was the second year in a row Herlem beat Tomac for silver, but both swimmers will still make the team this year. Up to four swimmers can compete in each event at the European Champonships, with only the fastest two from each nation eligible to move through to the semi-finals.

Mathys Couchaoui took 4th in 1:58.94, outside of the 1:58.46 required to add his name as the final of those four swimmers, despite a sizzling 29.13 closing 50. As it stands, Muratory Cristofini’s 1:57.31 from the French Junior Championships will see him make the team for the Championships in Paris in August.

Tunisia’s Mohamed-Yassine Ben Abbes was just off the 1:58.51 he posted in the heats, clocking 1:58.97 for 5th.

Women’s 200m Freestyle — Final

• World Record: 1:52.23 – Ariarne Titmus, AUS (2024)
• World Junior Record: 1:53.65 – Summer McIntosh, CAN (2023)
• French Record: 1:54.66 – Camille Muffat(2007)
• French European Championship Qualifying Time: 1:58.33

GOLD – Lucille Tessariol, 1:58.51
SILVER – Giula Rossi-Bene, 2:00.17
BRONZE – Marina Jehl, 2:00.93

The trio of Lucille Tessariol, Giula Rossi-Bene, and Marina Jehl took this race out hard, all splitting under 58 seconds at the 100m mark. Rossi-Bene led the way in 57.52, 1.64 seconds faster than she was this morning, with Jehl (57.87) and Tessariol (57.93) close behind.

Tessariol erased the gap on the third 50, splitting 30.54 to Rossi-Bene’s 31.12 and Jehl’s 31.33, before blasting home in 30.04 to stretch the fap to over a second and a half, coming within 0.12 seconds of her entry time.

That was agonisingly close to the European Championships qualification time of 1:58.33, which she missed by less than two tenths of a second. With the top four in this race combining for 8:00.89, the 4×200 free relay did not hit the 7:58.00 it required to qualify either.

Rossie-Bene dropped half a second from her entry time to take silver in 2:00.17, while bronze medalist Jehl added nearly three seconds to her entry time of 1:58.17 as she touched in 2:00.93.

Men’s 100m Freestyle — Final

• World Record: 46.40 – Pan Zhanle, CHN (2024)
• World Junior Record: 46.86 – David Popovici, ROU (2022)
• French Record: 46.94 – Alain Bernard (2009)
• French European Championship Qualifying Time: 48.54

GOLD – Cedric Gabali, 48.82
SILVER – Nans Mazellier, 48.88
BRONZE – Sauveur Cristofini, 48.99

After a subdued morning in this event, the final was also missing some fireworks as no swimmers cracked the 48.54 required to qualify for the European Championships. With the top four combining for 3:15.96, the 4×100 free relay also missed its 3:15.00 qualifying time, although it seems unlikely France would not swim that in Paris this summer.

Cal sophomore Nans Mazellier was out first to the 50, flipping 23.28 to hold a narrow lead over Cedric Gabali (23.38), with Roman Fuchs (23.62), top seed Alexandre Chalendar (23.63) and 16-year-old Sauveur Cristofini (23.67) separated by inches further back.

Gabali inched his way past Mazellier on the second 50, closing in 25.44 to the Cal swimmer’s 25.60, taking the win by just 0.06 seconds in 48.82. Cristofini separated himself from the pack behind with a 25.32 second 50, the fastest in the field, as he broke 49 seconds for the first time in 48.99.

That marked a new French 17-year-olds record for the Ajaccio swimmer, who will turn 17 on November 29. He hacked 0.46 seconds off the time of 49.45 which he swam to win the French Junior Championships last month.

Chalendar added two tenths from this morning to place 4th in 49.25, with last year’s World Championships go-to relay swimmer Yann le Goff, who only made the final after Youssef Ramadan scratched, 6th in 49.36.

Women’s 50m Butterfly — Final

• World Record: 24.43 – Sarah Sjoestroem, SWE (2014)
• World Junior Record: 25.46 – Rikako Ikee, JPN (2017)
• French Record: 25.17 – Melanie Henique (2021)
• French European Championship Qualifying Time: 26.14

GOLD – Marie Wattel, 25.99
SILVER – Albane Cachot, 26.04
BRONZE – Melanie Henique, 26.15

Marie Wattel made it two-from-two with regards to European Championships qualification, following up her 100 free title from last night with the 50 fly title tonight. Her time of 25.99 undercut the 26.14 European Championships qualification time, and sits 0.66 seconds off her PB from the 2022 European Championships.

ASU’s Albane Cachot, who came into this meet with a PB of 26.51, set her second lifetime best of the day to clock 26.04 and also qualify for a home European Championships. She sliced 0.34 seconds off her swim from the heats, edging out top seed Melanie Henique by just over a tenth of a seconds.

Henique, who was 26.00 this morning, added slightly to place 3rd in 26.15, an agonising 0.01 seconds over the qualifying time. The field was tight behind her, with Andreanne Bourseul (26.24), Jeanne De Murcia (26.33) and Alix Predine (26.36) narrowly missing out as well.