National Record for Melanie Henique on Day 1 of Golden Tour Marseille

2018 FFN Golden Tour Camille Muffat – Marseille

• Friday, April 6 – Sunday, April 8, 2018
• Prelims 8:30am GMT+1 (2:30am ET/11:30pm PT); finals 5:30pm on Friday (11:30am ET/8:30am PT), 6:30pm on Saturday (12:30pm ET/9:30am PT), and 5:15pm on Sunday (11:15am ET/8:15am PT)
• Cercle des Nageurs de Marseille
• 50m
• Championship Central
• Psych sheet
• Live results

Day 1

The first events in the morning heats session are the timed finals of the non-Olympic distance events, so it’s all the more impressive that Joris Bouchaut won the 800 free in a season-best time of 8:03.21. Nicolas D’Oriano was second in 8:08.70, just off his seed time and with his best performance since Baku in 2015. Third place went to Hungary’s David Verraszto (8:10.19), who was 1.2 seconds off his winning time from the last stage in Sarcelles. In the women’s 1500, Russia’s Anna Egorova, who trains with Philippe Lucas in Montpellier, won by 50 meters with 17:01.19.

The second set of distance freestyle events opened the evening finals session. There, Egorova improved her seed time by 3.9 seconds to win the 800 with 8:36.44. Touching second was Fantine Lesaffre in 8:49.86. Damien Joly went 15:10.15 to win the 1500, improving his season’s best time by 4 seconds and moving up to #14 in the world for the year. Bouchaut (15:13.03) also went a season-best; he slips into the top-20 at #19. Japan’s Yasunari Hirai took third in 15:23.93.

Lesaffre made a quick turnaround and won the 400 IM with 4:42.43, only 3.4 seconds off her entry time. Great Britain’s Amy Bell was right at her time with a second-place 4:49.59. Verraszto won the men’s 400 IM in 4:17.03, about 9/10 faster than his victory in Sarcelles.

The rest of the events on Day 1 are the 50s of stroke. Melanie Henique cracked an impressive 25.63 to win the 50 fly, tying her own French National Record in the process. That puts her at #4 in the world so far this season. Marie Wattel, who had won this event in Sarcelles with 26.16, came in second by nearly a body length with 26.43. Henique’s Marseille teammate Lena Bousquin took 4/10 off her seed time to finish third in 26.85.

The men’s 50 fly was a quick race, too; the top 6 finishers were all faster than the winning time from Sarcelles. Mehdy Metella (23.93) nipped Jérémy Stravius (24.14). Turkey’s Umitcan Gures touched thid in 24.23. Stravius earned a second silver medal in the 50 back, where he finished behind Greece’s Apostolos Christou, 25.21 to 25.42 (Stravius won in Sarcelles with another 25.42). Paul-Gabriel Bedel (25.89, personal best) touched out Pothain (25.99) for third. In the women’s 50 back, Mathilde Cini won by nearly 2 body lengths with 28.46.

Fanny Deberghes dropped nearly 3/10 in the 50 breast to clock a winning 31.46, the fastest French performance of the textile era. The French National Record of 30.96 was set by Sophie de Ronchi Turban in 2009 at Elite Nationals in Montpellier. Deberghes came to the wall ahead of Great Britain’s Tatianna Belongonoff (31.98) and Turkey’s Gulsen Beste Samanci (32.12). Same nationalities, different order in the men’s race. Lawrence Palmer (GBR) edged Huseyin Emre Sakci (TUR), 27.88 to 28.00, with Marseille’s Jean Dencausse just behind in 28.30.

Friday Finals

• Women’s 1500 Meter Freestyle – Anna Egorova (RUS) 17:01.19
• Men’s 800 Meter Freestyle – Joris Bouchaut (FRA) 8:03.21
• Women’s 800 Meter Freestyle – Anna Egorova (RUS) 8:36.44
• Men’s 1500 Meter Freestyle – Damien Joly (FRA) 15:10.15
• Women’s 400 Meter IM – Fantine Lesaffre (FRA) 4:42.43
• Men’s 400 Meter IM – David Verraszto (HUN) 4:17.03
• Women’s 50 Meter Backstroke – Mathilde Cini (FRA) 28.46
• Men’s 50 Meter Backstroke – Apostolos Christou (GRE) 25.21
• Women’s 50 Meter Breaststroke – Fanny Deberghes (FRA) 31.46
• Men’s 50 Meter Breaststroke – Lawrence Palmer (GBR) 27.88
• Women’s 50 Meter Butterfly – Melanie Henique (FRA) 25.63
• Men’s 50 Meter Butterfly – Mehdy Metella (FRA) 23.93