Maxime Grousset Hits 48.87 100 Fly/50.56 100 IM Double At French SC Championships

2025 FRENCH ELITE SC CHAMPIONSHIPS

• Thursday, October 23rd – Sunday, October 26th
• Alice Milliat Aquatic Center
• SCM (25m)
• SC European Championships Qualifier
• Live Results

Day one of the 2025 French Elite Short Course Championships wrapped up tonight from the Alice Milliat Aquatic Center. Swimmers are vying for potential slots on the nation’s roster for this year’s European Short Course Championships set for Lublin, Poland in December.

Staking his claim on two events right off the bat was 26-year-old world champion Maxime Grousset.

Grousset took on the 100m fly and the 100m IM to kick off his campaign, capturing golds handily in both races.

In the former, Grousset stopped the clock at a speedy mark of 48.87, beating the field by over a second.

Egypt’s Youssef Ramadan was next to the wall in 49.91 while fellow Frenchman Clement Secchi placed third in 49.96.

Grousset opened in 22.82 and closed in 26.05 to get the job done, falling just .30 shy of the 48.57 national record he put on the books at last year’s World Championships when he earned silver.

Both Grousset and Secchi qualify for the European SC Championships with their outings and Grousset ranks #2 in the world on the season.

Grousset’s next victim was the 100m IM, where he turned in a gold medal-worthy mark of 50.56.

Splitting 23.20/27.36, Grousset got to the wall two seconds ahead Nikita Baez, the next-closest competitor who snagged silver in 52.66. Tom Remy rounded out the podium in 53.38.

Grousset’s time tonight checks in as a lifetime best, easily beating the 51.49 notched at the 2022 edition of this competition.

The Olympic relay medalist now froghops Florent Manaudou to be positioned as France’s #2 100m IM performer of all time. Only four-time Olympic champion Leon Marchand has been faster, owning the national record of 49.92, also the European Record he established last year.

Grousset ranks #2 in the world at the moment.

After tonight’s session, Grousset told the French Swimming Federation, “”It’s very good for the moment. I didn’t ask for more. It’s exactly what I wanted to do. I didn’t think I’d swim this time in the 100m medley. I’m happy but I know I still have a lot of things to work on, especially explosiveness on the turns, especially in butterfly.

“I’m not at my best yet, I haven’t prepared for this like a major championship. It’s just a step. I’m not at my best yet but there are some good things. It’s also a little message for Noè Ponti. I know he’s very strong underwater but I’m working a lot on these parts and the work is paying off.”

24-year-old Mewen Tomac collected gold in the men’s 200m backstroke, posting a podium-topping effort of 1:50.00.

That sneaked to the wall just .26 ahead of Yohann Ndoye-Brouard who settled for silver in 1:50.26 as Antoine Herlem bagged the bronze in 1:51.36.

Both Tomac and Ndoye-Brouard qualified for Lublin with their performances, although both have been quicker in their careers and the nation’s 2nd- and 3rd-best performers of all time.

Behind Marchand’s national record of 1:47.68, Tomac’s PB rests at the 1:48.55 earned in 2023 while Ndoye-Brouard’s PB of 1:49.23 was put on the books in 2022.

Finally, for the men, Roman Fuchs got it done for gold in the 400m free, getting to the wall first in 3:38.07.

He qualified for SC Euros with his outing but was not alone, as teenager Sauveur Cristofini put up an impressive performance of his own en route to silver.

Cristofini, just 15, nabbed a time of 3:39.69 to establish a new French Age Record and also qualify for Lublin.

On the women’s side, Olympic silver medalist Anastasia Kirpichnikova established her dominance in the 1500m freestyle.

The former Russian-turned-French national record holder clocked 15:47.44 as the sole performer of the field to delve under the 16:14 barrier. She qualified for Lublin en route to her gold medal.

Analia Pigree put up a time of 26.61 to take the women’s 50m backstroke, albeit narrowly ahead of teenager Jeanne Lechevalier.

Lechevalier, just 16 years of age, touched in 26.63 to reap a new French Age Record as she earned silver

Melanie Henique also landed on the podium tonight, clocking 26.77, good enough for bronze.

Olympian Beryl Gastaldello was also in the water on night one, contesting the women’s 100m freestyle.

The 30-year-old veteran split 24.90/27.28 to earn the top prize in 52.18, out-touching Anastasia Urbaniak who snagged the silver just a hair behind in 52.78.

Eloise Riley rounded out the podium in 53.02.

Gastaldello’s lifetime best remains at the super speedy 50.63 logged at last year’s World Championships when she earned the silver medal behind winner Gretchen Walsh (50.31) of the United States.