2026 FRENCH ELITE CHAMPIONSHIPS
- Saturday, June 27th – Thursday, July 2nd
- Piscine Raymond Sommet, Saint-Etienne, France
- LCM (50m)
- French Selection Criteria for European Championships
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- Event Schedule
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We have made it to the final day of the 2026 French Elite Championships! This will be athletes’ last chance to earn a spot on this summer’s European Championships team. Just like yesterday, the biggest hurdle ahead of the athletes is the French Qualifying Times for this summer.
Tonight was supposed to be the shortest session of the meet with only five ‘A’ finals, but due to an “incident” the men’s 100 backstroke ‘A’ final was moved to the start of the session tonight.
Jules Andre is the top seed in that event, swimming 54.11 in yesterday’s prelims session to come in just two hundredths ahead of Yohann Ndoye-Brouard‘s 54.13. The Euros qualifying time is 53.95.
After the men’s 100 backstroke will be the men’s 400 freestyle. Sacha Velly, who just earned qualification in the 1500 freestyle yesterday, swam the fastest time in prelims of 3:52.72, four tenths faster than David Aubry‘s 3:53.16 in 2nd place. They will both be trying to undercut the QT of 3:47.69 in tonight’s final.
In the women’s 50 breaststroke, Chloe Braun swam 31.45 to earn the top seed by about a tenth over Nika Godun‘s 31.54. They sit about a second over the QT of 30.75.
Nans Mazellier was the fastest men’s 50 freestyler in prelims, touching in 22.18 to come in nine hundredths ahead of Nikita Baez, who finished in 22.27 for the 2nd seed.
The final women’s event of the meet will be the 400 freestyle where Tunisia’s Jamila Boulakbech is the top seed with her 4:16.75 finishing about half-a-second ahead of France’s Lou-Ann Gaudaire, who stopped the clock in 4:17.42 this morning.
Finally, the meet will end with the men’s 200 IM. Jacques Saletes swam the top time in prelims of 2:02.50, finishing about six tenths ahead of Algeria’s Jaouad Syoud, who touched in 2:03.12.
Men’s 100 Backstroke — Final
- World Record: 51.60 – Thomas Ceccon, ITA (2022)
- World Junior Record: 52.08 – Miron Lifintsev, RUS (2024)
- French Record: 51.92 – Yohann Ndoye-Brouard (2025)
- French European Championships Qualifying Time: 53.95
Top 3 Finishers
- Gold: Yohann Ndoye-Brouard — 53.44 **QT
- Silver: Mewen Tomac — 53.68 **QT
- Bronze: Jules Andre — 54.20
After drama yesterday, the men’s 100 backstroke final is finally complete, and the National Title went to French Record holder Yohann Ndoye-Brouard in a Euros Qualifying Time of 53.44.
He split 26.16 to turn in 3rd behind 2nd place finisher Mewen Tomac (25.69) and 3rd place finisher Jules Andre (26.03).
Ndoye-Brouard came home in 27.28, more than half-a-second faster than Tomac’s 27.99 and Andre’s 28.17.
Tomac, held on to finish 2nd in 53.68, picking up a 2nd event for this summer’s championships, and Andre took 3rd in 54.20.
Men’s 400 Freestyle — Final
- World Record: 3:39.96 — Lukas Martens, GER (2025)
- World Junior Record: 3:42.82 — Zhang Zhanshou, CHN (2025)
- French Record: 3:43.85 — Yannick Agnel (2011)
- French European Championships Qualifying Time: 3:47.69
Top 3 Finishers
- Gold: Sauveur Cristofini — 3:47.99
- Silver: Pierre Largeron — 3:50.83
- Bronze: Romain Raguenaud — 3:51.02
The men’s 400 freestyle final did not see any Euros qualifiers, but 16-year-old Sauveur Cristofini came out on top as the only man under 3:50 in the event.
His time of 3:47.99 is a new U17 French Record, taking two tenths off Yannick Agnels‘s 3:48.17 from July of 2009. He got out to the lead early, splitting 53.48 on the opening 100 to sit more than half-a-second ahead of Pierre Largeron’s 54.12.
He only extended his lead from there, splitting 57.42/58.30/58.89 on the final three 100s to pick up his 2nd event win of the week.
Largeron stopped the clock in 3:50.83, about a second off his lifetime best of 3:49.84 after he was 58.49/59.74/58.48.
Romain Raguenaud took the bronze medal in 3:51.02, just two tenths back of Largeron after he came back hard splitting 55.14/58.93/59.63/57.32. HIs lifetime best is 3:50.64 from June of last year.
Women’s 50 Breaststroke — Final
- World Record: 29.16 — Ruta Meilutyte, LTU (2023)
- World Junior Record: 29.30 — Benedetta Pilato, ITA (2021)
- French Record: 30.82 — Charlotte Bonnet (2023)
- French European Championships Qualifying Time: 30.75
Top 3 Finishers
- Gold: Nika Godun (RUS)– 31.11
- Silver: Giulia Rossi-Bene — 31.54
- Bronze: Chloe Braun — 31.56
The women’s 50 breaststroke was won by Russian swimmer Nika Godun, who stopped the clock in 31.11 to finish about four tenths ahead of the rest of the field. Godun’s lifetime best is 30.56 from April of 2021
Guilia Rossi-Bene finished 2nd in 31.54, about three tenths off her best of 31.24, which she set last June.
Chloe Braun took the bronze medal just two hundredths back of Rossi-Bene in 31.56. This was almost a lifetime best for Braun, who holds a time of 31.55 from last June.
Men’s 50 Freestyle — Final
- World Record: 20.88 — Cameron McEvoy, AUS (2026)
- World Junior Record: 21.75 — Michael Andrew, USA (2017)
- French Record: 20.94 — Frederick Bousquet (2009)
- French European Championships Qualifying Time: 22.05
Top 3 Finishers
- Gold: Nikita Baez — 21.93 **QT
- Silver: Cedric Gabali — 22.13
- Bronze: Nans Mazellier — 22.28
Nikita Baez is the first new qualifier of the session, swimming 21.93 in the men’s 50 freestyle to win the event and earn his way onto this summer’s European Championships team.
This swim was a slight add from his lifetime best in the event, which stands at 21.69 from last June.
Cedric Gabali finished 22nd in 22.13, just eight hundredths off the QT of 22.05. This was a new personal best for him, taking three four tenths off the 22.51 mark he set last June.
Nans Mazellier finished 3rd in 22.28, a three tenth add from his best of 21.98, which he also swam last June.
Women’s 400 Freestyle — Final
- World Record: 3:54.18 — Summer McIntosh, CAN (2025)
- World Junior Record: 3:56.08 — Summer McIntosh, CAN (2023)
- French Record: 4:01.13 — Camille Muffat (2012)
- French European Championships Qualifying Time: 4:10.23
Top 3 Finishers
- Gold: Alexa Reyna — 4:12.59
- Silver: Lucile Tessariol — 4:13.16
- Bronze: Jamila Boulakbech (TUN) — 4:13.50
Alexa Reyna won the women’s 400 freestyle in a new lifetime best time, touching in 4:12.59 to take more than two seconds off the 4:15.01 mark she swam in July of 2022.
She won the event by about half-a-second over Lucile Tessariol, who swam 4:13.16 for 2nd and a second over Jamila Boulakbech, who swam 4:13.50 for 3rd.
Reyna was out a little behind Tessariol, splitting 1:01.14 to turn about a tenth behind Tessariol’s 1:00.93. From there, Reyna took over the lead splitting 1:04.07/1:04.10 to be the fastest in the field on both 100s. She came home in 1:03.28, holding onto the lead she had built.
Tessariol was 1:04.98/1:04.33/1:02.92 on the final three 100s, charging the back half to try and catch Reyna, but she fell just short. Her lifetime best is 4:10.36 from June of 2023.
Tunisia’s Jamila Boulakbech split 1:02.08/1:04.37/1:04.16/1:02.89 to stop the clock in a new Tunisian record time of 4:13.50, a three second drop from the 4:17.75 mark she set in March.
Men’s 200 IM — Final
- World Record: 1:52.69 — Leon Marchand, FRA (2023)
- World Junior Record: 1:56.53 — Yumeki Kojina, JPN (2026)
- French Record: 1:52.69 — Leon Marchand, FRA (2023)
- French European Championships Qualifying Time: 1:59.05
Top 3 Finishers
- Gold: Emilien Mattenet — 2:01.42
- Silver: Jacques Saletes — 2:02.05
- Bronze: Jaouad Syoud (ALG) — 2:02.21
The 2026 French Elite Championships wrapped up with the men’s 200 IM final. Emilien Mattenet, the runner-up in the 400 IM earlier in the meet, swam 2:01.42 to pick up the win by a little more than half-a-second.
He missed the Euros time of 1:59.05, and he added about a second from his lifetime best 2:00.43, which he swam last July. He split 26.72/31.01/35.21/28.48, not taking the lead until the final 50 yards.
Jacques Saletes finished 2nd in 2:02.05, splitting 26.34/31.62/34.69/29.40, taking over the 2nd place position on the freestyle leg. His lifetime best is 2:00.84 from June of 2024
The bronze medal went to Algeria’s Jaouad Syoud in 2:02.21 with his splits of 26.06/31.02/35.17/29.96. His personal best is 1:58.12 from April of 2022.
The Dutch trials shows much more depth than the French so far.