2026 FRENCH ELITE CHAMPIONSHIPS
- Saturday, June 27th – Thursday, July 2nd
- Piscine Raymond Sommet, Saint-Etienne, France
- LCM (50m)
- French Selection Criteria for European Championships
- Meet Central
- Event Schedule
- Psych Sheets
The 2026 French Elite Championships are nearly upon us, with action kicking off Saturday, June 27th from Saint-Etienne.
Megastar Leon Marchand headlines the list of 590 entrants, with the 24-year-old Olympic champion entered in a characteristically packed schedule, this time including the 200m free, 400m free, 200m breast, 200m fly, 200m IM and 400m IM.
With the competition spanning six days, Marchand’s lineup includes one event per, save the final day of the meet which will see him double up on the 400m free and 200m IM if his schedule holds.
Leon Marchand‘s Schedule
- Day 1 – 400m IM
- Day 2 – No individual event
- Day 3 – 200m breast
- Day 4 – 200m free
- Day 5 – 200m fly
- Day 6 – 400m free & 200m IM
Marchand has already put some impressive times on the books this season, ranking 1st in the world in the 200m fly (1:52.57), 5th in the 400m IM (4:09.33), 10th in the 400m free (3:44.70), 10th in the 200m IM (1:57.28) and 12th in the 200m breast (2:09.04) from the U.S. Open and Fort Lauderdale Open.
Per the French Selection Criteria for the European Championships, swimmers must clear the following time standards for individual events:
French Qualification Standards for 2026 European Championships
| Women | Event | Men |
| 24.80 | 50 free | 22.05 |
| 54.10 | 100 free | 48.54 |
| 1:58.33 | 200 free | 1:46.88 |
| 4:10.23 | 400 free | 3:47.69 |
| 8:29.00 | 800 free | 7:50.50 |
| 16:14.00 | 1500 free | 15:01.89 |
| 27.90 | 50 back | 24.89 |
| 1:00.27 | 100 back | 53.95 |
| 2:10.89 | 200 back | 1:58.45 |
| 30.75 | 50 breast | 27.30 |
| 1:06.89 | 100 breast | 59.75 |
| 2:25.91 | 200 breast | 2:10.32 |
| 26.14 | 50 fly | 23.24 |
| 58.30 | 100 fly | 51.81 |
| 2:10.59 | 200 fly | 1:56.51 |
| 2:12.28 | 200 IM | 1:59.05 |
| 4:41.57 | 400 IM | 4:15.05 |
Although most of the host nation’s top tier of athletes are entered in this affair, we reported how 27-year-old Olympic medalist and world champion Maxime Grousset will be on the sidelines. Grousset withdrew from these championships due to a foot fracture.
Additional notable names missing from the list of participants are Anastasia Kirpichnikova and Florent Manaudou.
As a refresher, France did not send a national roster to the 2024 European Championships in Belgrade, as that year’s Olympic Trials overlapped with the international competition.
Any news on Kirpichnikova? Apparently she went back to Russia and no one in France has seen or heard from her.
Seems to be with KK
nathan murathory have a great chance of taking either tomac or ndoye brouard spot in 100 backstroke, he posted a 53.45 at the junior championships, also looking forward to lucien vergnes!
I’d love to see him do a tapered 200 breast alone, no other events around it. He’d go 2.03 or something
2:03 maybe not. But he clearly has a 2:04 in his arms. I expect him to break the WR this summer. I hope so. If not, next year or in LA. But young breaststrokers arrive. Nowicki, Ohashi. Of course without forgetting Corbeau, ZSC, Coll Marti and the WR holder Qin Haiyang. I’m looking forward to seeing him at Asian Games in September.
Heat wave going on will influence pool temps indoors or outdoors unless the pools have chillers. Would be interesting to know what the actual water temp is, if someone on site with deck access will drop a thermometer in the water at session and report to us.
I mean, we have outdoor pools in California that are able to regulate pool temps even when air temps are over 100.
I agree with you. Because of extreme heatwave in France, I don’t expect big times this week. Of course many swimmers will qualify at Euros with four athletes per event. But without great performances. Big times will take place in August at Euros .
It’s an old pool, 44 years old, with only 8 lanes. But major renovations were carried out three years ago at a cost of two million euros (approximately 2.5 million dollars).
The Day 6 double would be sick after that event line-up.
Yeah, I’m doubting that one. I think the 400m makes like a tree.
He’ll swim it all.
Because he’s Marchand.
Hopefully he won’t get Longhorned again.
It probably won’t happen but I’d really like to see him to do a fully tapered freestyle event… 200 or 400.
the only time we saw this was the 1:44 in relays
Well, it’s good to hear that he has recovered!
I’m also interested in the results for Albane Cachot. She spent one semester at Arizona St as a freshman, and made the NCAAs in a couple freestyle events.
And by Jeanne Lechevalier also…
Ooh, yes, good one to watch. Hoping to see great results like 2025