2025 French Elite Championships: Day 2 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
• Live Stream
• Live Recaps
  • Day 1

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 1500 Freestyle – Finals

• World Record: 15:20.48 – Katie Ledecky, USA (2018)
• World Junior Record: 15:25.48 – Katie Ledecky, USA (2014)
• French Record: 15:40.35 – Anastasiia Kirpichnikova (2024)
• French World Championship Qualifying Time: 16:09.09

Podium:

GOLD – Anastasiia Kirpichnikova (France), 15:55.27
SILVER – Clemence Coccordano (France), 16:31.83
BRONZE – Carla Serra (France), 16:33.10

Phillipe Lucas-trained Anastasiia Kirpichnikova claimed her second win in just 24 hours, posting a gold medal-worthy time of 15:55.27 in the women’s 1500 freestyle. Clemence Coccordano touched 2nd in 16:31.83, a significant upgrade from her bronze-medal swim of 16:45.77 last year. Carla Serra dropped a massive 15 seconds from her previous best to grab bronze in 16:33.10, a massive improvement over her 8th-place finish a year ago.

It was a dominant, Ledecky-esque performance from 24-year-old Kirpichnikova tonight, who easily cleared the required 16:09.09 to qualify for Worlds. She opened with a 2:04.05 at the 200 turn, already over three body lengths ahead. By the 400, she was at 4:11.61, and at the 800, 8:26.78, so far in front that competitors’ splits didn’t even appear on the broadcast. From 800 through 1450, she held consistent 32-low splits, then closed strong with a 30.67 final 50.

This swim marked at least her tenth career effort under 16 minutes. It also puts her over four seconds ahead of the 15:59.95 she recorded at this point last year, when she went on to win Olympic silver in Paris with a lifetime best of 15:40.35. Kirpichnikova is currently the seventh-fastest woman of all time in this event and seems to be on the right track leading into the World Championships in Singapore next month.

The Russian-born, now French, swimmer is part of an increasingly competitive international field in this event. Katie Ledecky, the world record holder, has already posted times over five seconds faster than she had by this point last year. Lani Pallister of Australia recently notched a 15:39.14, becoming the third-fastest woman in history and just the third ever to break 15:40. Kirpichnikova, with her 15:40.35 from the Paris Games, is not far behind that and appears to be closing in on that barrier.

Men’s 100 Backstroke – Finals

• World Record: 51.60 – Thomas Ceccon, ITA (2022)
• World Junior Record: 52.08 – Miron Lifincev, RUS (2024)
• French Record: 52.11 – Camille Lacourt (2010)
• French World Championship Qualifying Time: 53.74

Podium:

GOLD – Yohann Ndoye-Brouard (France), 52.81
SILVER – Mewen Tomac (France), 53.27
BRONZE – Michel Arkhangelsky (Russia), 53.69

Yohann Ndoye-Brouard and Mewen Tomac pushed the pace early in the men’s 100 backstroke final, both splitting under 26 at the turn. Ndoye-Brouard led with a 25.63, followed by Tomac at 25.94, and Michel Arkhangelsky at 25.75.

Olympic relay bronze medalist Ndoye-Brouard held firm on the back half, closing in 27.18 to finish in 52.81, well under the 53.74 World Championships cut. Tomac followed in 53.27, also under the mark, locking in both men for Team France at Worlds.

It was a reversal of last year’s trials, where Tomac took the win in 52.88 to Ndoye-Brouard’s 52.90.

Tomac, who races for Cal Berkeley and finished 15th in Paris, has a personal best of 52.86 from 2021. Ndoye-Brouard, 7th at the Olympics last summer, owns a PB of 52.48 from a relay lead-off at the Games.

Arkhangelsky, training with Florida State, finished 3rd tonight in 53.69, clipping his career best by 0.01. Although he’s lived in France since age four, his citizenship application was denied last year, and his eligibility remains unclear. SwimSwam has contacted the French Federation for clarification but has not yet received a response.

Women’s 100 Backstroke – Finals

• World Record: 57.13 – Regan Smith, USA (2025)
• World Junior Record: 57.57 – Regan Smith, USA (2019)
• French Record: 58.79 – Emma Terebo (2024)
• French World Championship Qualifying Time: 59.99

Podium:

GOLD – Pauline Mahieu (France), 59.13
SILVER – Mary-Ambre Moluh (France), 59.16
BRONZE – Analia Pigree (France), 59.87

Backstroke has arguably been the stroke where French women have made the most progress in recent years, and the final of the 100 backstroke did not disappoint. Pauline Mahieu, Mary-Ambre Moluh, and Analia Pigree swept the podium, with all three dipping under the one-minute barrier.

26-year-old Mahieu took the win with a lifetime-best 59.13, splitting 28.97/30.16, earning some redemption after finishing 4th at last year’s trials. She represented France in the 200 back at the Paris Games and is a former national record holder in the 100 back, with her previous best of 59.30. That record was broken last year at the Olympic Trials by Emma Terebo, who posted a quick 58.79. Terebo has not competed since the Games and has not officially announced her retirement.

Moluh, who, like Tomac, swims collegiately at Cal in the United States, narrowly missed an individual Olympic berth in the 100 back last year by just 0.12, but did compete on France’s 4×100 free relay team. She broke through this year with a 2nd-place finish in 59.16 (29.01/30.15), clipping her previous best of 59.29.

Pigree, the 2022 World bronze medalist and European champion in the 50 back, rounded out the podium in 59.87 (28.74/31.13), just shy of her career best of 59.79.

Both Mahieu and Moluh posted times under the World Championships qualifying standard and will represent France individually in Singapore next month.

Men’s 200 Freestyle — Finals

• World Record: 1:42.00 – Paul Biedermann, GER (2009)
• World Junior Record: 1:42.97 – David Popovici, ROU (2022)
• French Record: 1:43.14 – Yannick Agnel (2012)
• French World Championship Qualifying Time: 1:46.26

Podium:

GOLD – Roman Fuchs (France), 1:46.40
SILVER – Rafael Fente Damers (France), 1:47.07
BRONZE – Corentin Pouillart (France), 1:47.71

In the men’s 200 freestyle final, Texas commit Rafael Fente Damers jumped out to the early lead with the fastest opening split of 24.65. He was followed closely by Roman Fuchs at 24.89, Yann Le Goff at 24.97, and Corentin Pouillart at 25.17.

Fuchs took control on the second 50 with a 26.88, reaching the 100 mark 1st in 51.77. Fente Damers turned in 51.89, with Le Goff at 52.28 and Pouillart at 52.55.

At the 150, Fuchs stayed in front with a split of 27.30 (1:19.07). Fente Damers remained in 2nd after a 27.77 split, hitting the wall at 1:19.66. Pouillart and Le Goff stayed close, turning in 1:20.29 and 1:20.33, respectively.

Fuchs brought it home in 27.33 to win in 1:46.40. Fente Damers closed in 27.41 to secure silver in 1:47.07. Pouillart finished strong with a 27.42 to out-touch Le Goff, who split 27.52. Their final times were 1:47.71 and 1:47.85.

Fuchs had the most consistent splits in the field, with all three closing 50s under 27.5. He dropped his lifetime best from 1:46.70, but missed the 1:46.26 individual qualifying standard for Singapore by just 0.14.

Fente Damers, born in the United States to a French mother and Spanish father, won bronze in the 4×100 medley relay at the Paris Olympics. He lowered his personal best twice on the day, first to 1:47.45 in prelims and then to 1:47.07 in the final.

Pouillart also notched two best times on the day, breaking 1:49 for the first time with a 1:48.92 in the morning before clocking 1:47.71 at night. Le Goff’s 1:47.85 was just under a second off his career best of 1:47.05.

All four men are likely to be selected for the 4×200 free relay at Worlds, though nothing is official until the roster is formally named at the conclusion of the meet.

Women’s 100 Breaststroke – Finals

• 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 (2023)
• French World Championship Qualifying Time: 1:06.79

Podium:

GOLD – Florine Gaspard (Belgium), 1:07.76
SILVER – Cyrielle Duhamel (France), 1:08.14
BRONZE – Chloe Braun (France), 1:08.53