Jeanne Lechevalier Breaks All Three French Records for 16-Year-Olds at Winter Junior Champs

2025 France Winter Junior Swimming Championships

• December 10-14, 2025
• Angers, France
• Short Course Meters (25 meters)
• Full Meet Results

At the 2025 France Winter Junior Swimming Championships in short course meters, 16-year-old Jeanne Lechevalier rewrote the French record books while the latest Tunisian middle-distance star Rami Rahmouni posted a lifetime best in the 400 free.

Lechevalier, who swims with Amiens Metropole Natation, broke the French Record for 16-year-olds in the 50, 100, and 200 short course meter backstrokes at the meet, among six lifetime bests.

She won the 50 back (26.50), 100 back (57.66), and 200 back (2:05.45).

In total, she has tied or broken Mary Ambre Moluh‘s 50 backstroke record three times in the last two months; she broke Pauline Mahieu‘s record in the 100 back twice in a week (58.69); and she broke Camille Gheorghiu‘s 200 back record three times in two months (2:07.88).

Her 200 back time was also faster than Alexianne Castel‘s 17 & unders French Record of 2:06.41 done in 2007.

Among swimmers of all ages, Lechevalier ranks 7th all-time in French history in the 50 back, 6th in the 100 back, and 7th in the 200 back. Moluh and Mahieu represented France at the 2024 Olympic Games. Moluh also grew up training with Amiens.

Lechevalier also posted best times in the 50 free (24.72), 100 free (54.09), and 200 free (1:58.18).

It has been a banner month for Lechevalier. She also swam a lifetime best in the 50 free in long course (26.00), the 50 back in long course (28.05), and the 100 back in long course (1:00.30). That 100 back time is a long course French Record for 16-year-olds.

On the boys’ side, the star was 15-year-old Rami Ramhouni, who was training in France under Philippe Lucas, just as his countrymates and global gold medalists Ahmed Hafnaoui and Ahmed Jaouadi did before becoming embroiled in a bit of a scandal that now has Lucas threatening lawsuits against the Tunisian federation for unpaid debts.

In spite of that, Rahmouni swam well at the meet, winning both the 400 (3:40.85) and 800 (7:43.91) freestyles. The 400 free was a new lifetime best by almost three seconds and is significantly faster than either the defending World Champion Jaouadi or the 2021 Olympic Champion Hafnaoui (3:47.68) were at the same age, though both of them began training in France later in their careers.

Also on the boys’ side, 16-year-old Sauveur Cristofini, one of the breakout stars of the French Championships earlier this year, broke three more French Records for swimmers his age: the 100 free (48.11), the 100 back (53.71), and the 400 IM (4:12.90). That 400 IM swim knocked 4.35 seconds off the old record set by Leon Marchand in 2018. Marchand is the current World Record holder in the 400 IM in long course.

Other Highlights from the French Championships

• 18-year-old Neo Dutriaux won the boys’ 200 free in 1:43.61, knocking .24 seconds off his previous best. He finished on the podium in five individual events, including best times in the 100 free (47.72), 50 back (23.96), and 100 back (52.00).
• 17-year-old Nathan Muratory won the boys’ 50 back (23.90), 100 back (51.15), and 200 back (1:51.63). The 100 and 200 backstrokers are both French Junior Records for swimmers aged 17-or-younger. He came right out of this meet to swim in long course in Nimes, breaking the French Record for 17-year-olds in the 100 back in 54.59.
• 17-year-old Gregoire Charmasson broke his own French Juniors Record (18 & Under) in the 200 fly, swimming 1:55.84. He also broke Cristofini’s 200 IM Record for 17-year-olds.
• 14-year-old Antonio Caceres Duenas crushed the 200 backstroke French Record for swimmers his age – twice. The old record of 2:05.22 belonged to Olympian Mewen Tomac from 2015. Duenas swam 2:02.24 in prelims and 2:00.75 in finals, taking four-and-a-half seconds off the mark. He also set records in the 100 free (51.06), 200 free (1:51.75), 50 back (25.36), and 100 back (55.12).