2025 French Elite Championships: Day 1 Finals Live Recap

2025 FRENCH ELITE CHAMPIONSHIPS

• Saturday, June 14th – Thursday, June 19th
• Prelims at 8am local (2am ET)/Finals at 6pm local (Noon ET)
• Montpellier, France
• LCM (50m)
• Meet Central
• Entries
• Live Results
• Recaps
  • Prelims: Day 1

The 2025 French Elite Championships kick off today, serving as the nation’s qualification opportunity for athletes aiming to earn their place on the World Championships roster.

As a reminder, four-time Olympic champion Leon Marchand was granted an exception that let him race at the Longhorn Aquatics Elite Invite last month to earn his roster spot, rather than at this meet.

Follow along for real-time updates below.

Women’s 200 IM – Finals

• World Record: 2:05.70 – Summer McIntosh, CAN (2025) 
• World Junior Record: 2:06.89 – Summer McIntosh, CAN (2023)
• French Record: 2:09.37 – Camille Muffat (2009)
• French World Championship Qualifying Time: 2:11.47

Podium:

GOLD – Roos Vanotterdijk (Belgium), 2:09.73 *BELGIUM NATIONAL RECORD*
SILVER – Cyrielle Duhamel (France), 2:11.06
BRONZE – Camille Tissandie (France), 2:13.92

20-year-old Roos Vanotterdijk of Belgium obliterated her own national record in the women’s 200 IM by 3.49 seconds en route to winning tonight’s race. She stopped the clock in 2:09.73, marking not only her first foray into sub-2:10 territory, but also her first time dipping under 2:13. Her previous Belgian record of 2:13.22 was set just this past April at the Stockholm Open.

Vanotterdijk led from start to finish in dominant fashion. Her standout split came on the butterfly leg at 27.14, followed by 32.57 on backstroke, 39.01 on breaststroke, and 31.01 on freestyle. She was the only swimmer to hit the halfway mark in under a minute, clocking 59.71, and remained in control from the opening stroke through the finish.

Compared to her previous national record, she dropped 0.51 on fly, 0.78 on backstroke, 1.37 on breaststroke, and 0.83 on freestyle. A full split comparison between her two record-setting swims is available below.

Splits Comparison:

On the French front, 25-year-old Cyrielle Duhamel posted a time of 2:11.06 to finish 2nd, securing her spot on France’s World Championship roster. The result ranks as the 2nd-fastest of her career. Her personal best of 2:10.84 was clocked in Tokyo, where she placed 11th in the Olympic semifinals. Her third-fastest swim came from the prelims of that same competition, where she notched a 2:11.11. Duhamel remains the third-fastest French woman in history in the 200 IM.

Camille Tissandie, 21, rounded out the podium tonight with a time of 2:13.92, finishing just shy of her 2:13.73 lifetime best set at the French Winter Championships back in 2021.

Men’s 400 Freestyle – Finals

• World Record: 3:39.96 – Lukas Martens, GER (2025)
• World Junior Record: 3:44.31 – Peter Mitson, BUL (2023)
• French Record: 3:43.85 – Yannick Agnel (2011)
• French World Championship Qualifying Time: 3:46.78

Podium:

GOLD – Pierre Largeron (France), 3:49.84
SILVER – Rami Rahmouni (Tunisia), 3:49.85
BRONZE – Romain Raguenaud (France), 3:50.64

19-year-old Pierre Largeron broke new ground in the men’s 400 freestyle with his first-ever sub-3:50 swim, capturing gold in 3:49.84. While he fell over three seconds short of the French qualifying time of 3:46.78 for Worlds, he set a new lifetime best by nearly a full second.

Largeron was locked in a tight battle with rising Tunisian star Rami Rahmouni, just 16 years old, throughout the race. The two were separated by only 0.01 at the finish. Largeron led through the first 200, hitting the pad in 55.20 at the 100 to Rahmouni’s 55.53, and 1:53.99 at the 200 to Rahmouni’s 1:54.07. Rahmouni surged ahead at the 250 turn, opening up nearly four-tenths of a second and maintaining that lead for the next 100.

However, Largeron fought back on the final lap with a swift 28.64 split to reclaim the lead over Rahmouni’s 29.19. Rahmouni had the faster closing speed, powering home in 28.14, but it wasn’t enough to catch Largeron, who held on with a 28.47 final 50 to secure the win.

Rahmouni’s career best remains 3:49.45, set at last month’s French Junior Championships. The 16-year-old has been steadily improving this year, including a standout 7:52.80 in the 800 free, a time ranking #2 all-time in the U.S. boys’ 15-16 age group, just 0.75 shy of Larsen Jensen’s National Age Group Record of 7:52.05 set in 2002. Among juniors worldwide (18 & under), Rahmouni ranks 25th all-time in the 800, with several other 16-year-olds ahead of him — including Italy’s Lorenzo Galossi (7:43.37), Croatia’s Franko Grgic (7:45.92), China’s Zhang Zhanshuo (7:47.84), and fellow Tunisian Ahmed Hafnaoui (7:49.09).

Back to tonight’s race, 28-year-old veteran David Aubry entered as the top seed with a time of 3:52.12 but slipped to sixth place in the final, finishing in 3:52.31. Aubry owns a personal best of 3:46.40 and will need to approach that level to meet the tough qualifying time of 3:46.78.

Women’s 100 Butterfly – Finals

• World Record: 54.60 – Gretchen Walsh, USA (2025) 
• World Junior Record: 56.20 – Claire Curzan, USA (2021)
• French Record: 56.14 — Marie Wattel (2022)
• French World Championship Qualifying Time: 57.92

Podium:

GOLD – Lilou Ressencourt (France), 58.02
SILVER – Marie Wattel (France), 58.36
BRONZE – Marina Jehl (France), 59.46

A major upset was clocked in the women’s 100 butterfly as 22-year-old Lilou Ressencourt claimed gold with a lifetime best of 58.02, toppling French record holder Marie Wattel (58.36), but falling a painstaking tenth shy of the World Championship qualifying mark.

Wattel, 28, opened faster with a 27.07 split to Ressencourt’s 27.14, but Ressencourt closed stronger, posting 30.88 to Wattel’s 31.29, a difference Wattel couldn’t recover from in the final meters.

Ressencourt, who competes for the Cal Bears in the NCAA, shaved a few hundredths off her previous best of 58.04, set during the Monaco leg of the 2024 Mare Nostrum Tour. She also surpassed her season best of 58.36 from last month’s Monte Carlo meet, where she notched a bronze.

Marina Jehl rounded out the podium, recording a time of 59.46 to take bronze, her first-ever swim under 60 seconds.

Wattel, who suffered an ACL tear in late 2023 and has been rehabbing throughout 2025, recently transitioned to train under Herbie Behm at Arizona State University. Prior to this, she spent most of her time at Loughborough University in England and most recently trained with her club, CN Marseille.

The veteran was the 2022 World Championships silver medalist in the 100 fly. She is also a four-time European Champion in long course, including a gold medal in the 100 fly at the 2020 European Championships, where she tied with Anna Ntountounaki of Greece.

Wattel holds eight French records, including the long course 100 fly (56.14), set at the 2022 Worlds. Her best Olympic finish came at Tokyo 2021, where she touched 6th in the 100 fly.

Men’s 50 Butterfly – Finals

• World Record: 22.27 – Andriy Govorov, UKR (2018) 
• World Junior Record: 22.96 – Diogo Ribeiro, POR (2022)
• French Record: 22.72 – Maxime Grousset (2023)
• French World Championship Qualifying Time: 23.04

Podium:

GOLD – Maxime Grousset (France), 22.70 *FRENCH NATIONAL RECORD*
SILVER – Michel Arkhangelsky (Russia), 23.14
BRONZE – Nikita Baez (France), 23.23

After firing off a warning shot in this morning’s prelims with a 22.74, Olympic bronze medalist Maxime Grousset eclipsed his own 50 butterfly national record in tonight’s final. The 2023 100 fly world champion stopped the clock at 22.70, shaving two hundredths off his previous mark of 22.72 set during the 2023 World Championships prelims, where he went on to earn bronze in the final.

With tonight’s performance, the 26-year-old has risen to the 10th-fastest performer in history. He broke his previous tie for 11th place with Korstanje and now matches Henrique Martins’ 22.70 from 2017 for the 10th spot.

Grousset now ranks 2nd in this year’s world standings, just behind Ilya Kharun’s 22.68 Canadian national record set a few days ago.

Alongside Kharun, Nyls Korstanje, and the ever-improving Noe Ponti, Grousset is positioned as one of the top podium threats for the Singapore Worlds next month.

All-Time Top 10 Rankings:

1. Andrii Govorov, Ukraine – 22.27 (2018)
2. Caeleb Dressel, USA – 22.35 (2019)
3. Rafa Munoz, Spain – 22.43 (2009)
4. Nicholas Santos, Brazil – 22.60 (2023)
5. Oleg Kostin, Russia – 22.62 (2023)
6. Noe Ponti, Switzerland – 22.65 (2024)
7. Milorad Cavic, Serbia – 22.67 (2009)
8. (TIE) Thomas Ceccon, Italy – 22.68 (2024) & Ilya Kharun, Canada — 22.68 (2025)
9. N/A
10. Henrique Martins, Brazil — 22.70 (2017) & Maxime Grousset, France — 22.70 (2025)*

Behind Grousset tonight was Michel Arkhangelsky, a Russian native who has lived in France for the majority of his life. He logged 23.14 to follow up his prelims career best of 22.97. Nikita Baez nabbed bronze in 23.23, a slight drop from his lifetime best of 23.54 earlier today.

Arkhangelsky trains with Florida State in the NCAA system. Although he has lived in France since he was four years old, his application for French citizenship was denied last year. Since then, there has been no update on his status. SwimSwam has reached out to the French Swimming Federation to clarify whether he would be eligible to represent France at Worlds if he qualifies in an event, but they have yet to respond.

Women’s 400 Freestyle – Finals

• World Record: 3:54.18 – Summer McIntosh, CAN (2025)
• World Junior Record: 3:56.46 — Summer McIntosh, CAN (2023)
• French Record: 4:01.13 – Camille Muffat (2012)
• French World Championship Qualifying Time: 4:07.90

Podium:

GOLD – Anastasiia Kirpichnikova (France), 4:07.74
SILVER – Lucile Tessariol (France), 4:11.58
BRONZE – Valentine Leclercq (France), 4:14.15

To no one’s surprise, Anastasiia Kirpichnikova was untouchable in the women’s 400 freestyle final. It was always going to be her against the clock, as she chased the French-mandated qualifying standard of 4:07.90 for the World Championships in Singapore.

The 24-year-old, who trains under Philippe Lucas, got the job done with a 4:07.74, slipping under the required benchmark by just 0.14. That performance not only earned her the national title but also officially booked her ticket to Singapore.

She finished well ahead of 21-year-old Lucile Tessariol (4:11.58) and 20-year-old Valentine Leclercq (4:14.15), both of whom were about a second off their personal bests.

Kirpichnikova’s swim tonight wasn’t far from her career best of 4:06.26, set in 2021 while still representing Russia. Her pacing was as close to textbook as it gets: she opened in 28.78 on the first 50, then followed with 30.99, 31.43, and 31.42 over the next three laps. She kept her rhythm with splits of 31.41, 31.64, and 31.51, before closing strong with a 30.56 on the final 50.

While she hit the mark tonight in the 400, it’s entirely possible Kirpichnikova may ultimately choose to focus on her strongest events in Singapore, the 800 and 1500 free, where she remains a major medal threat, particularly in the latter.

She earned Olympic silver in the 1500 last summer, and the field continues to get faster. World record holder Katie Ledecky has already been over five seconds quicker this year than she was last year, and Australia’s Lani Pallister recently dropped a 15:39.14, becoming the third-fastest woman in history and just the third ever under 15:40. Kirpichnikova, with her 15:30.35 from the Paris stop of the World Cup, is also knocking on the door of that barrier.

Men’s 100 Breaststroke — Finals

• World Record: 56.88 – Adam Peaty, GBR (2019) 
• World Junior Record: 59.01 — Nicolo Martinenghi, ITA (2017)
• French Record: 58.64 – Hugh Duboscq (2009)
• French World Championship Qualifying Time: 59.49

Podium:

GOLD – Jeremie Delbois (France), 1:00.17
SILVER – Yamato Okadome (Japan), 1:00.21
BRONZE – Carl Aitkaci (France), 1:00.22

A thrilling battle in the men’s 100 breaststroke capped off the opening night of the French Elite Championships, with the top four finishers separated by just 0.18, and the top three within five hundredths.

In the end, 23-year-old Jeremie Delbois swam to the win in 1:00.17. While the time was well off the 59.49 qualifying mark needed for the World Championships in Singapore, it was a major lifetime best, smashing his previous time of 1:00.87.

That qualifying time is no easy feat for the nation. Only three French men have ever broken that barrier: Hugues Duboscq (58.64 in 2009), Leon Marchand (59.06 in 2024), and Theo Bussiere (59.46 in 2018). None of them are racing this week.

Cal freshman and Japanese representative Yamato Okadome finished just behind Delbois in 1:00.21, followed closely by Carl Aitkaci at 1:00.22 and Antoine Viquerat at 1:00.35.

Viquerat took an aggressive approach, leading the field at the halfway mark in 27.92. Delbois was right behind in 28.01 and had a slightly stronger back half, splitting 32.16 to Viquerat’s 32.43.

Okadome was the slowest out of the group on the opening 50 with a 28.64, but came home with the fastest final split of 31.57. Aitkaci nearly matched him, going out in 28.57 and closing in 31.65.

Okadome, the 2022 Junior Pan Pac silver medalist, had come close to his career best of 1:00.70 with a 1:00.77 in prelims, but finally lowered it in tonight’s final. Aitkaci also improved significantly, dropping over four tenths from his previous best of 1:00.69.

Viquerat was the only swimmer among the top four who did not post a new personal best. His benchmark remains at 1:00.07 from this meet last year.