Four-time world champion Maxime Grousset has been forced to withdraw from the upcoming French Elite Championships after suffering a foot fracture.
The 27-year-old said on Instagram that he fractured the base of his second metatarsal on his left foot while doing a “training jump.”
According to L’Equipe, Grousset didn’t initially understand the severity of the injury before an MRI revealed the fracture.
View this post on Instagram
Translated From French:
It is with great disappointment that I announce my withdrawal from the upcoming French Championships in Saint-Étienne.
During a training jump, I fractured the base of the second metatarsal in my left foot. I will need to rest and undergo the necessary treatment. I
am very disappointed, but all my energy is now focused on my recovery.
The 2026 French Elite Swimming Championships, scheduled for June 26-30, will serve as France’s qualifying meet for the 2026 European Aquatics Championships, which will be contested on home soil in Paris.
Grousset’s withdrawal from the selection meet certainly puts his attendance at the European Championships in doubt, though he’ll have a chance to still be named to the team if he’s healthy and if there are open spots on the French roster in his best events.
His recovery time will be approximately four weeks, according to L’Equipe.
Grousset is the reigning world champion in the men’s 50 and 100 butterfly, having won double gold at the 2025 World Championships with a new French Record in the former (22.48) and a new European Record in the latter (49.62). He also won silver on the French men’s 4×100 medley relay in Singapore, having produced a blistering 49.27 fly split, and also made the final of the 100 free, placing 7th.
Since then, Grousset continued his run of good form, winning six medals at the 2025 European Short Course Championships last December, including claiming individual golds in the 100 free and 100 fly, silver in the 50 free and 100 IM, and bronze in the 50 fly.
During the 2025-26 long course season, Grousset ranks 4th in the world in the 50 fly (22.78), 6th in the 50 free (21.51) and 100 fly (50.95), and 19th in the 100 free (48.02). His swim in the 50 free, done in December, marked a new personal best.
In Grousset’s absence, Nikita Baez likely takes over as the frontrunner in the men’s 50 free and 50 fly at the French Elite Championships, while Nans Mazellier is the next-fastest man from last year in the 100 free and Clement Secchi headlines the 100 fly after placing 13th at the 2025 World Championships.
Nooooo! Aw, bad news. Really hope he has a swift and smooth recovery. Hope to see him back swimming soon.
NOOOOOOOOO
Could be a huge blow for France’s medley relay hopes at the euros assuming he doesn’t recover in time
Russia will win it if he doesn’t recover in time.
I think Russia will win either way…
Speedy recovery Maxime!!!
Adam Peaty also fractured his foot at 27, and we saw how that turned out for him…
And if I must go and die at 27
Then at least I know I died a legend
Peaty is a legend. Grousset is arguably not.
There are fractured feet that need lengthy time out of sport and long recovery and rehab periods, then there is the other type of fractured foot where the athlete seems to be able to resume full training within a few days.
Man, Dressel’s WRs (including SCY) really do keep getting lucky breaks, don’t they
Nah Hubi and Liendo are definitely threats for it to go down. I mean Caeleb’s 42.80 was an insane time.
You mean Shaine
Ponti, Kharun, Milak(?)
I’d say presently it’s Ponti, Grousset and Milak (if he gets his act together) that are most dangerous to his 100 fly WR. Kharun could get close, because he is still pretty young, and Liendo dropped a huge chunk of time in SCY this spring, but that might just be because his former PB wasn’t actually optimised or up to his potential. Hubi went bonkers in SCY but the 100 fly is not much of a main event for him, and he didn’t look that good in LCM this season in the event (51.6 and 51.3 when his other events were more up to his usual standard). I love the guy, but I also do not see Shaine dropping 8… Read more »
Grousset’s 27. Shaine’s 26. I do think Grousset is the biggest threat to the WR in the 100 fly right now, only if Kristof doesn’t get it together/wherever he’s at right now.
I don’t think Ilya will get a proper 100 fly down until he learns how to not be afraid that first 50. Shaine put the race away that first 50 at the US Open and it’s liek dude you’re a 22.6 50 flyer, what are you doing.
I’m pretty sure Shaine consistenly touched in front of Ponti at the 25m mark in every 100 IM at the World Cup stops, which personally I did not expect. Shaine’s more built for LCM compared to Ponti and Ponti is better… Read more »
I mean, just looking at your last line: “but I also do not see Shaine dropping 8 tenths at 27.”
Did you think he would drop a second at 25?
I think that was more in the works because a) the 200IM is a more aerobic race and that’s where he improved the most under Bowman b) it’s a more multi-factored event, with 4 different strokes and improvement possibilities, but also – a similar improvement in the 100 butterfly still wouldn’t get him the WR.
I suppose my point is more that it’s difficult to calibrate improvement from another event. Just look at Hubert: he improved 4.5 seconds in the 200 back since january of 2023 – if he improved similarly in the 200IM he would be faster than that insane Marchand WR.
Yeah, I agree with this to an extent I think. Like if someone’s on and they’re starting off a meet with a bang I think it’s easy to think “oh they’re just gonna demolish their PBs”
But then you see Kornev, drops .4 in his 50 free and .3 in his 100 free. Doesn’t always correlate
There’s a talk on the USA Swimming University thing where Bob says the 200 IM/100 Fly/100 Free are a family of events like the 500 Free/400 IM/200 Fly are.
I get what you mean though. I think I look at it by the various stages in his life. Like 1:55.24/50.40 at 2022 US Nationals. 1:55.73/50.51 at 2025 US Nationals then 1;54.30 at Worlds but the 100 fly pooped out. Just think there was something in there a little better than what he showed last year.
That’s also reasonable. We will see soon enough I suppose. He’s never quite put together the 100 fly on the world stage yet.
Even crazier is that he went 50.40 in 2022 and until last year he never tackled it at a trials meet. I’m also holding out hope that this summer will be a good one since it’s at the same pool he swam 50.4 in, haha.
Yes, plus Pan Pacs is a lower stakes meet somewhat, which might help him put it together mentally.
I don’t think Ponti is going to threat it, at least not this season. He doesn’t look as sharp as last year.
My list is Grousset (before the injury of course), Milak (if he actually swims) and Liendo.
Hubi and Shaine have 49 potential for sure, but I think WR is a stretch. 49.4 is very different from 49.9.
Oh man that’s rough 🙁 hope he recovers well and we see him at Euros!
French Dressel is down. At least we got Russian Dressel now.
There could be only one Dressel. Have you ever seen the original American Dressel, French Dressel and Russian Dressel peak at the same time? Never.