Florent Manaudou Swims 20.6 to Win 50 Free at French National Championships

2019 FRENCH SHORT COURSE CHAMPIONSHIPS

• Thursday, December 12th – Sunday, December 15th
• Piscine Jean Boin, Angers, France
• 25m (SCM) Pool
• Live Results

After a relay start split of 20.41 in the 50 free on Thursday at the 2019 French National Championships, sprinter Florent Manaudou backed his swim up with a 20.64 to win the individual 50 free on Friday in Angers. That ties Caeleb Dressel’s best time of the year, and very-nearly matches Manaudou’s own #2 in the world time from the European Derby meet of the International Swimming League in November.

Dressel and Manaudou will be the two favorites in the 50 free at the International Swimming League finale next weekend in Las Vegas. That’s because Vlad Morozov, the European Champion and world leader this season, won’t be in attendance – his Iron team didn’t qualify for the championship meet.

Manaudou was 20.66 in the 50 free last week at the European Championships.

Manaudou also broke a Championship Record in the 50 backstroke while leading off the winning Marseille relay in a 23.16. Manaudou is the World Record holder in both the 50 free and 50 back in short course meters, though both swims are from 2014.

Also breaking a Championship Record on Friday was Marie Wattel in the women’s 50 fly final. She swam a 25.16 to just out-touch Melanie Henique, who was 2nd in 25.24. Last week, at the European Championships, Henique set the French Record in the 50 fly in 24.56 to win a gold medal.

In the women’s 400 IM, Lara Grangeon, a 3-time European Championship medalist in the event in short course meters, swam a 4:29.60 to win and beat out Fantine Lesaffre, who finished 2nd in 4:29.89. Lesaffre is the defending European Champion in the event in long course.

For Grangeon, the time almost exactly matches her swim from last year’s World Short Course Championships. That’s in spite of a nearly-wholesale shift to open water training after qualifying for the 2020 Olympic Games this summer in the open water 10km race. Grangeon pulled out of the ISL this season to focus on her open water training, but had enough, at least, to jump to 12th in the world this season.

Other Day 2 Winners:

• Charlotte Bonnet swam the best time of her season in the 200 free, going a 1:52.81 to win the race ahead of Wattel by more than 2 seconds. Bonnet has had a limited competition schedule this fall, swimming in just 1 ISL meet and 1 other meet since the World Championships – including no racing at the European Championships.
• Antoine Viquerat won the men’s 200 breaststroke in 2:06.33.
• Cyrielle Duhamel won the women’s 100 breaststroke in 1:06.63, just-out touching Fanny Deberghes, who placed 2nd in 1:06.72.
• 19-year old Yohann Ndoye Brouard won the men’s 100 backstroke in 50.72, beating out 18-year old Mewen Tomac (51.41). Tomac’s swim is a new French Junior Record in the event.
• Matthias Marsau won the men’s 200 fly in 1:56.38. That’s a lifetime best for him, beating out his old top time of 1:58.05 that was set in 2017.