Maxime Grousset is a French sprint freestyle and butterflier. Born in New Caledonia, he is a SC and LC World and European champion. He is an Olympic finalist, placing 4th in the 100 free at the Tokyo Olympics. Grousset set a World Record alongside his French teammates in the mixed 200 free relay. Grousset clocked the 2nd fastest 100 fly relay split with a 49.27.
Junior Swimming
2016 French SC National Championships (Angers, France)
Grousset took down the 17-year-old national age group record in the 50 free with a 22.41, which tied him to win the B final.
2017 European Junior Championships (Netanya, Israel)
Grousset took bronze in the 50 free in 22.59 behind Leonardo Deplano (22.47) and Bjoern Seeliger (22.54). He also took bronze in the 50 fly with a 23.88 and placed 7th in the 100 free with a 49.85.
2017 FINA World Junior Swimming Championships (Indianapolis, Indiana)
In the 50 free, Grousset moved out of prelims in 2nd with a 22.34 behind Michael Andrew’s World Junior Record of 21.75. Grousset shaved .02 off in semis in 22.32 to remain 2nd into the final. Grousset maintained seed in the final, finishing half a second back of Andrew in a 22.25 and flipping the script on Deplano, who beat him at European Juniors. Grousset also placed 7th in the 100 free with a 49.95. HE anchored the French boys’ 400 medley relay in a swift 48.75 as they placed 6th.
National/International Swimming
2017 European SC Swimming Championships (Copenhagen, Denmark)
Grousset was selected to represent France at his first senior international meet. He placed 24th in the 50 free (21.71) and 23rd in the 100 free (47.89).
2018 French Elite National Championships (Saint-Raphaël, France)
Grousset placed 3rd in the 100 free (49.57). Grousset just missed becoming national champion in the 50 fly, finishing just .01 seconds back of Mehdy Metella in 23.64, but neither hit the 23.60 needed in prelims to punch a ticket to Euros. Grousset missed out on another win by .01 seconds, this time in the 50 free. His 22.14 was still good to qualify him for the 2018 European Championships in Glasgow.
2018 European Championships (Glasgow, Scotland)
Grousset just made it out of prelims in the 50 free thanks to a scratch. He finished 16th in semis with a 22.37. He also punched 49.51 in the 100 free for 22nd.
2019 FFN Golden Tour Camille Muffat – Nice
Grousset won the men’s 50 free in 49.39, beating out Jeremy Stravius (49.76) in a new lifetime best.
2019 French Elite National Championships (Rennes, France)
Grousset scratched the final of the 50 fly after undercutting the FINA A standard but missing the French Standard in prelims with a 23.66. In the 100 free prelims, Grousset popped a new PB of 49.09 for 6th. HE also helped France also qualify their first relay for Worlds. In order to qualify, the 2nd-5th fastest French swimmers (there was one Algerian) had to post times that added up to 3:15.52 or faster. He was a bit slower with a 49.22 for 6th (5th-fastest Frenchman) in the final. Grousset was 3rd (2nd-fastest Frenchman) in the 50 free with a 22.21.
2019 FINA World Championships (Gwangju, South Korea)
Grousset had a big breakthrough, making two semi-finals and helping France to a relay medal. In the 50 free, Grousset just made it out of prelims in 14th with a 22.12, a PB. In semis, he stepped up, dipping under the 22-second barrier for the first time with a 21.86, missing out on the final in 9th by just .09 seconds. He popped another PB in the 50 fly with a 22.36 in prelims for 10th. Grousset was just off that in semis with a 23.41 to place 14th. France used Grousset in the prelims of the mixed 400 free relay with a 48.61 split. With Metella in his place in the final, France took bronze.
2019 European SC Swimming Championships (Glasgow, Scotland)
After his long-course gains, Grousset made similar improvements in the short-course pool. In the 50 free, he set a new PB with a 21.47 in prelims for 14th. In semis, he finished 16th after adding .01 seconds. He set another 50 free PB leading off the French mixed 200 free relay in 21.35. That relay picked up a bronze.
In the 100 free, Grousset progressed elegantly through all three rounds, putting up PBs in each. He was 46.82 for 7th in prelims, 46.81 for 4th in semis, and just missed a medal with a 46.54 for 4th in finals.
2019 French Short Course Championships (Angers, France)
Grousset started with a bit of an off-event, placing 3rd in the 100 IM in 53.45. On day 2, Grousset shaved .13 seconds on his 50 free, placing second to Florent Manadou with a 21.22. On day 3, he took 2nd the Manadou again, this time with a personal-best 22.89 50 fly. He closed the meet out by undercutting his 100 free PB by .44 with a 46.10 for the win.
2020 French Elite Championships (Saint-Raphaël, France)
In his first meet post-COVID-19 lockdown, Grousset showed improvement, winning the 100 free in 48.68, just .01 seconds off his PB which he set in prelims. The French Swimming Federation (FFN) set a minimum qualification time of 48.23 for the postponed 2020(1) Olympic Games, so Grousset fell short.
2021 FFN Golder Tour Camille Muffat – Nice
After leading the 50 fly prelims with a 23.31, Grousset won the final with a 23.38. Grousset led the men’s 100 free in prelims, going 49.31 to edge out Manaudou (49.67). Grousset won the final in 49.23. Grousset took second to Manadou in the 50 free by just .02 seconds with a 22.36.
2021 European Aquatics Championships (Budapest, Hungary)
Grousset made another big step up in the 100 free. In prelims, he undercut his PB with a 48.36. Grousset improved that to a 48.09 in semis before dropping a big 47.90 in the final for 5th. That swimm marked his first time under the elite 48-second barrier. Grousset also made the 50 free final after popping a 21.95 in semis. He was 7th in the final in 22.02. Grousset just missed a 3rd final in the 50 fly with a 23.39 for 9th.
2021 Mare Nostrum Tour (Multi-site)
In Monaco, Grousset topped the 100 free by over a second with a 48.28. He also won the 100 free in Canet with a 48.57.
2021 French Elite Swimming Championships (Chartres, France)
At the French Elite Championships which functioned as an Olympic qualifier, Grousset topped both sprint free events. In the 100 free, Grousset was firing on all cylinders, popping a 47.99 in prelims. He threw down his second sub-48 100 freestyle of the day and notched a 47.89 to win in the final, substantially clearing the 48.57 automatic qualification time. In the 50 free, Grousset nabbed a FINA A cut with a 21.94 in prelims, beating out Manadou for the top seed. In the final, Grousset beat out Manadou by .1 seconds, posting a swift 21.74 to qualify for Tokyo in a 2nd event.
2020(1) Olympic Games (Tokyo, Japan)
Grousset opened his meet by stepping up on the French 400 free relay. In prelims, Grousset spit a 47.41 as they qualified 4th. In the final, Grousset was moved to the lead position, where he put France into 2nd at the 100 with a big PB of 47.52. After remaining in contention through the 200, France fell back and placed 6th.
After his big relay performance, Grousset progressed through the 100 free prelims with a solid 48.25. He just made the final with a 47.82 in 8th. Grousset’s time was the fastest 8th place qualifier in international swimming history, just the 2nd time ever it took a sub-48 to final. To the surprise of some, Grousset just missed out on a medal, posting a 47.72 to place 4th behind Kliment Kolesnikov (47.42).
Grousset also placed 12th in the 50 free with a 21.87 in semis. His PB would have just made the final.
2021 French Elite Winter Championships (Montpellier, France)
Grousset got the job done in the 50 free, putting up a solid 22.09 to top the podium. Grousset’s time cleared the standard of 22.18 for the 2022 World Champs while also tying the 8th fastest time of his career. He won the 100 fly in 23.39 and 100 free in 48.45. Grousset tried the 200 free and 50 breast on for size, in the former, he placed 6th in the final with a 1:49.45 after setting a PB of 1:49.45 in prelims. In the latter, he put up a 28.42 in prelims and scratched the final.
2021 FINA World Short Course Championships (Abu Dabi, UAE)
In the 50 free, Grousset progressed through the rounds with textbook energy management: he was 21.44 for 9th in prelims, 21.16 for 7th in semis, and 21.08 for 6th in the final. The later two rounds marked PBs, undercutting the 21.17 he led off the French mixed 200 free relay in. It was a similar story of round-to-round improvement in the 100 free. Grousset posted a 46.52 in prelims, a 46.30 in semis, and wound up 5th in the final with a 46.20. He was also 17th in the 50 fly with a 22.94.
2022 Meeting des Hortillons (Amiens, France)
In the first big French meet of the year, Grousset won the 50 free (22.45), 100 free (48.34), and 50 butterfly (23.69) in the meet. His time in the 100, was the second-best time of his career outside of a national or international championship. It was his other entry, in the 200 free, where he didn’t win, where he swam a best time, though. He touched in 1:49.05 to improve his previous best.
2022 French Elite Championships (Limoges Métropole, France)
In the 50 fly, Grousset beat out a quick final for the win in 23.41, undercutting the FFN Worlds cut. In the 100 free, Grousset snapped off a 48.09 prelims swim to take over the top spot in the world rankings. Grousset reset that mark in the final with a 48.03, adding another event to his Worlds lineup. He missed the qualifying standard but won the 50 free in 22.28
2022 FINA World Championships (Budapest, Hungary)
Grousset advanced out of the 50 fly prelims with a new PB, clocking a 23.07 for 6th. That evening, he just missed the final, clocking a 23.10 for 9th, just .06 seconds back of 8th-place Nicholas Santos.
In the 100 free, Grousset went up against Caeleb Dressel in heat 11, with Dressel edging his 48.17 by .22 seconds. Grousset qualified for semis 5th overall. Dressel dropped the event and the meet before semis, paving the way for Grousset to make a podium run.
In semis, all eyes were on David Popovici as he clocked a 47.13 World Junior Record, but Grousset took the first semifinal with a 47.54 for lane 5 in the final. There, in a final where all eight swimmers were slower than the semis, Grousset may have briefly held the lead over the closing meters, ultimately taking silver in 47.64 to near his PB as Popovici out-touched him by .06 seconds. This marked Grousset’s senior-level international individual medal.
Grousset was just off his best in the 50 free prelims with a 21.97 for 10th and even closer to his PB with a 21.83 in semis to tie for 8th with legendary Brazilian sprinter Bruno Fratus. In the swim-off, the two were neck in neck, appearing to change the lead several times. At the touch, it was Grousset, a mere .03 ahead of Fratus, in 21.59. Grousset got to be part of history, as Fratus’s 21.62 marked his 100th-career swim under 22 seconds, the most of any swimmer ever. The two would have easily made the final in 2nd and 3rd if they had swam these times in semis. In the final, Grousset, with one extra rep under his belt, fired off another PB with a 21.57 to take the bronze behind Ben Proud (21.32) and Michael Andrew (21.45).
2022 European Aquatics Championships (Rome, Italy)
Grousset had a solid morning swim in the 50 fly, posting a 23.20 for 2nd. In semis, Grousset cracked 23 seconds for the first time with a 22.90 to remain 2nd into the final. The next morning, Grousset eased through the 100 free prelims with a 48.31 for 4th. With a double in finals, Grousset started off strong, putting up a 22.97 in the 50 fly for silver behind Thomas Ceccon (22.89). Grousset was still able to pull off a decent 100 free, throwing down a 48.15 for 5th into finals.
In the 100 free final, Grousset rocked out to a 22.72 at the 50, leading the field by a hair but he was outsplit by nearly a second on the back 50 by David Popovici as Popovici broke the world record with a 46.86. Grousset was also passed by Kristof Milak (47.47) and Alessandro Miressi (47.63) as he touched 4th with a 47.78.
Leading off the mixed 400 free relay, Grousset clocked a 48.02 to put France in the lead. After some lead swapping, Marie Wattel was able to anchor the squad to a gold medal.
In the 50 free, Grousset just made semis, tying for 14th in 22.23, a mere .02 seconds away from missing semis. In semis, Grousset was a whole different swimmer, putting up a 21.75 to make it back 5th. In the final, Grousset ended up maintaining seed with a 21.87 for 5th. Grousset also anchored the French 400 medley relay with a 47.43 as they placed a distant 2nd to Italy.
2022 FINA World Cup–Berlin
Grousset put up a solid 21.31 50 free for 6th. In the 100 free, Grousset put up a good fight with a 46.38 but could not catch Kyle Chalmers (45.88), who had not lost a 100 free at a World Cup since 2018. “Eventually, I’m going to get beaten,” said Chalmers post-race. “Maxime really held me accountable tonight. Especially that third turn, I could see him right there with me.”
2022 French Elite Short Course Championships (Chartres, France)
Grousset won the 100 IM in 51.49. “It’s a new race and I want to give everything and go a best time,” he said post-race. He did just that as his previous best rested at 53.45. In the 50 free, Grousset just bettered Manadou in personal-best form, with the two topping the field in 21.03 and 21.15 respectively.
Grousset topped the field again in the 200 free, continuing his trend of off events, putting up an impressive 1:42.09. As to be expected from a sprinter, Grousset jumped out to an early lead, splitting 49.06 on the opening 100.
Grousset put on a show in the 100 free, obliterating his PB. He was out in 21.79, less than a second off of his 50 free PB, and brought it home in 23.82 for a 45.61.
2022 FINA SC World Championsips (Melbourne, Australia)
On day 2, Grousset had no issue making it back in the 100 free, posting a 45.77 for 2nd in prelims. He dipped under that time and set a new PB in semis with a 45.58. That time kept him as the 2nd seed for the finals.
On day 3, Grousset opted to swim the 100 IM prelims, putting up a prelims-leading 51.94. That night Grousset swam lights out in the 100 free. Grousset and Chalmers were neck and neck for 2nd behind Jordan Crooks through the 50 but as Crooks faded on the final 25, the pair jumped ahead with Chalmers hitting the wall first in a 45.16 and Grousset following him up with a 45.41 for silver. Both men were under the previous Championship Record. Grousset was then DQed in the 100 IM later in the session. His
The next morning, Grousset and the French mixed 200 free relay powered to the top seed into the finals with Grousset posting the fastest split of all the men with a 20.76. A little later, Grousset qualified back in 10th with a 21.13 50 free. In the relay final, Grousset was moved to the leadoff, where he blasted a new PB of 20.92, the 3rd fastest leadoff in the field. Manaudou swam the second leg, posting the fastest split in the field at 20.26. Beryl Gastaldello followed next with a 23.00 split. Melanie Henique cut it close with a reaction time of .01 en route to a 23.15 split that clinched the new world record of 1:27.33. Grousset was just off his new PB with a 20.97 to sneak into the 50 free final in 8th.
In the 50 free final, Grousset finished up 5th with a new PB of 20.90. We thought that Grousset just swam the 200 free at French SC Nationals for fun but it turns out, he planned on contesting it in Melbourne. He surprised a few by taking 3rd in prelims with a new PB of 1:41.79. In the final that night, Grousset improved to a 1:41.56 but fell to a close 6th.
2023 Mediterranean Open (Marseille, France)
Grousset posted a 52.12 100 fly, the 2nd fastest of his career only behind the 52.00 he posted a month prior.
2023 Giant Open (Saint-German-En-Laye, France)
Grousset continued his 100 fly focus, posting a 51.72 for the win. That marked his first sub-52 100 fly. Grousset also clocked a solid 48.50 100 free.
2023 French Elite Championships (Rennes, France)
First, Grousset took on the 50 fly, comfortably winning in a 23.06 ahead of Manadou (23.44). In the 100 free, Manadou led prelims with a 48.12, his fastest 100 free since 2016, while Grousset sat 2nd with a 48.44. Manadou scratched the final and so Grousset had no issue in the final. He was right on his best form, rocking a 47.62, just .10 seconds off of his PB. That was the 3rd fastest time of the 2023 season to that point.
Manadou put on a show again in prelims, putting up a 21.56. Grousset took a more relaxed approach, putting up a 22.22 for 2nd seed. In the final, Manadou was a little slower with a 21.62 while Grousset was a lot faster with a 21.78.
In the 100 fly, Grousset set a PB in prelims, dropping .01 second off his best with a 51.71. In the final, It was all Grousset as he rocked out to a 23.46 at the 50, just over half a second under Mehdy Metella’s French record of 50.85. Grousset faded a little down the stretch with a 27.15 on the 2nd 50 by still undercut Metella’s record with a 50.61. That time made Grousset the #12 performer in history.
2023 World Aquatics Championships (Fukuoka, Japan)
Grousset was on fire from his very first swim. In the 50 fly prelims on day 1, Grousset led prelims with a swift 22.74. That time undercut the French Record; previously, Frederick Bosquet and Florent Manadou shared the French record in a time of 22.85, with Bosquet first setting it in 2009 and Manadou tying it in 2015. It also made him the #9 performer all-time. He was even better in semis, shaving .02 second off his recent record with a 22.72 to lead the semis field. In the final, Grousset was just .10 seconds off his PB with a 22.82 for 3rd in a remarkably tight field.
Grousset seemed to be off in the 100 free, posting a 48.06 in prelims for 8th and a 47.87 in semis for 7th. Grousset returned to form in the final, flipping in 2nd at the 50, behind Jack Alexy, with a blazing 22.67 before coming home in a 24.75 and claiming bronze in a new PB of 47.42 behind Chalmers (47.15) and Alexy (47.31)
Grousset, the reigning bronze medalist, scratched out of the 50 free, swimming the 100 fly instead. In prelims, he swam a comfortable 51.00. In semis, he just missed his PB with a 50.62, landing him the 2nd seed in lane 5 behind Dare Rose (50.53). In the final, Grousset stuck to his typical plan, blazing to an absurd 23.24 at the 50. Amazingly, he sat .04 back of Nyls Korstanje at the turn. Korstanje faded down the stretch as Grousset held strong with a 26.90 coming home. At the touch, it was Grousset with a 50.14 ahead of Josh Liendo (50.34) and Dare Rosen (50.46). Gousset destroyed his own French record and became the #5 performer in history.
On the final day, Grousset helped France to the #2 seed into the 400 medley relay finals with a 50.47 fly split. In the final, he found another gear as he took France from 4th at the 200 to 2nd at the 300 with a 49.27 fly split, the 2nd fastest 100 fly split ever. France just missed out on a medal at the finish.
2023 French Short Course Championships (Anger, France)
On night 1, Grousset kicked things off by breaking the 50-second barrier for the first time in the SCM 100 fly, clocking 49.24 to knock off Mehdy Metella‘s previous French Record of 49.45 set in 2018. Metella saw his record broken firsthand as he finished 2nd behind Grousset in 50.43, his fastest since 2018. Grousset was not done for the night, as he picked up another win in the 100 IM with a 51.99, exactly half a second off his PB.
Grousset continued to roll the next night, edging Manadou by .01 in the 50 free with a 20.98 for the win. Grousset also posted winning times of 45.79 and 22.34 in the 100 free and 50 fly respectively. The latter marked a new PB. Grousset just missed out on going 6-for-6 by placing 2nd in the 200 free with a 1:42.41, just a bit back of Roman Fuchs (1:42.16).
2023 European SC Swimming Championships (Otopeni, Romania)
Grousset entered six individual events for the French team (50/100/200 free, 50/100 fly, 100 IM) but with some relay duties also expected of him, Grousset opted not to race the 100 IM and 200 free.
In the 100 fly, Grousset was solid in prelims with a 49.67. The semifinals were quick with both Grousset and Noe Ponti posting national records. Ponti led the semis with a 48.61, a new meet record, while Grousset brought the French Record under 49 seconds with a 48.94 to rank #7 all-time. “I think can do better,” said Grousset post-race. “A better time in the final. But for the semi-final It was good. This will be a very busy week, but this is what I want. I want to swim a lot. I want to have a confrontation with everyone in many different events.”
The next morning, Grousset made it back in the 50 free with a 21.25 for 7th. That night, Grousset took on the 50 free semifinals first, posting a season-best with a 20.94, just .04 seconds off his PB. Next, in the 100 fly, he was not quite able to better his time from semis but still took 2nd to Ponti (48.47) in the final with a 49.00.
On the 3rd night, Grousset placed 7th in the 50 free final with a 21.08. Grousset returned to the pool the next morning with a 22.42 50 fly, good for 3rd out of prelims. In semis, Grousset cracked his PB with a 22.19 to maintain the 3rd seed into the final. There, he turned at the 25 in 2nd, dead even with Ponti and .22 back of Szebasztian Szabo. Ponti powered past Grousset and Szabo, clocking a 21.79 while Szabo took 2nd in 21.96 and Grousset ended up 3rd in 22.06, a new PB.
In the 100 free, Grousset took things easy in prelims with a 47.05 for 7th before turning things up in semis with a 45.63 to lead the field. The same night, Grousset led off the French mixed 200 free relay in a 21.04; that squad placed 3rd. The next night, Grousset was just a hair faster with a 45.46 for the win. He trailed Alessandro Miressi for most of the race but found a different gear in the last 10 meters to take the title.
2023 Hortillions Meet (Amiens, France)
Grousset posted his 6th-best 50 free of his career and his fastest outside of a national or international championship with a 21.81.
–This biography was originally developed by Lucas Caswell
