2025 French SC Elite Championships
- Thursday, October 23 to Sunday, October 26, 2025, Taverny (Val Parisis), France
- SCM (25m)
- Meet Central
- Entries
- Live Results
- Live Stream
- Recaps: Day 1 | Day 2 | Day 3 | Day 4
While much of the swimming community’s attention over the past weekend was focused on the Toronto World Cup and the multiple World Records set, the best French swimmers were throwing down some fast times in Taverny, in a hope to qualify for the European Short Course Championships, which are set to be held in Lublin, Poland from the 2nd to 7th of December.
From the results of the Short Course Championships and the three World Cup meets, the Federation Francais Natation (FFN) have selected a 22 swimmer strong team led by captains, Beryl Gastaldello and Damien Joly. The pair will be looking to better their nation’s 3rd place finish in the medal table two years ago, where the team collected 23 total medals, seven of which were gold.
Gastaldello, one of France’s best sprinters and a current World Record holder in the mixed 4×50 freestyle, climbed to the top of the podium in all of her events this past week, claiming victory in the 100 free (52.18), 50 fly (25.13), 100 back (57.28), 50 free (23.94) and 100 IM (58.67). In addition to the World Record, Gastaldello is a five-time individual medalist at short Course Worlds, collecting the silver in both the 100 free and 50 fly as well as the bronze in the 100 IM, last year in Budapest.
Joly, a distance star for the French, finished 4th in the 800 free, posting a time of 7:44.11 and 3rd in the 1500, stopping the clock at 14:40.12. Joly won the silver medal at the 2022 Worlds in the 1500 and two years later finished just outside the medals in 4th.
Looking to help lead the team to the top of the medal board are Olympic medalists Maxime Grousset and Anastasiia Kirpichnikova. Grousset, who like Gastaldello swept all of his events at the Championships claiming the titles in the 50/100 free, 50/100 fly and 100 IM is the defending long course World Champion in the 50 and 100 fly. In Taverny, Grousset reset the 50 fly national record lowering it to 22.02, which now has him tied for the 16th fastest performer ever.
Fellow Olympic medalist, Kirpichnikova, like Grousset will be looking to repeat her medal haul from Otopeni, where she won the 800 and 1500 free, as well being just out touched in the 400. The reigning Olympic silver medalist in the 1500 free, Kirpichnikova swept the distance events this past weekend winning the 400, 800 and 1500.
The French will be hurt by the absence of star Leon Marchand, a four time Olympic gold medalist, who made one appearance on the World Cup Series this month. Marchand, who in Carmel, Indiana lowered the national records in both the 200 breast and 200 back would be a medal favorite in at least five events, does not have big history with short course racing, having eschewed the last two Short Course Worlds as well the 2023 Europeans.
Marchand’s absence seemingly would not only hurt their medal count but also their medal relays, as he swam the breaststroke leg on the bronze medal winning medley in Paris, but Jeremie Delbois wins in both the 50 breast and 100 breast, with times that rank him 3rd fastest among frenchmen, may help alleviate the pain. His recent time drops, coupled with Grousset and Mewen Tomac, the defending 50 and 100 back champion, give the French a strong 3/4 of a medley relay, but are missing that freestyler, as Florent Manaudou did not compete. Grousset likely will slide into the free and make room for Clement Secchi to take on the fly duties.
Women’s Team
Men’s Team
Stanislas Oiled
Yohann Ndoye Brouard
Clément Secchi
Emile Vincent
