2 National Records for Charlotte Bonnet on Day 1 of French SC Nats

2017 French Short Course Nationals – Montpellier

• November 30, 2017 to December 3, 2017
• Piscine olympique d’Antigone, Montpellier
• 25m
• Press kit
• Psych sheet

For the first time in many years, the French Elite Nationals began with a pair of National Records on Day One, and both were the product of Nice’s Charlotte Bonnet. First she lowered her own mark in the 50 breast, taking 4/10 off her old time of 30.74 to register 30.34. She then took a huge chunk out of Camille Muffat’s 100 free record (52.41), set in 2010, with a best-by-.91 swim of 52.04. Jérémy Stravius won twon national titles on the first night, as well.

Women’s 1500 Free – Fastest Heat

• French Record: 15:42.39 Laure Manaudou, 20/11/2004 La Roche-sur-Yon
• Championship Record: 15:48.67 Sharon van Rouwendaal, 22/11/2014 Montpellier

Podium:

1. Adeline Furst, Dauphins Obernai 16:08.19
2. Lara Grangeon, CN Calédoniens (Pôle France Natation Course – Nice) 16:12.39
3. Julie Berthier, Mulhouse ON 16:13.52

The evening session began with the fastest heat of women’s 1500 freestyle. Belgium’s Eva Bonnet set the rhythm early on, jumping out to lead the field through the 700. Lara Grangeon took over at that point and continued to put distance between herself and Bonnet. But 2016 champion Adeline Furst was also moving up on the leaders. She passed Bonnet and set her sights on Grangeon, and moved to the lead at the 1100. Furst wound up successfully defending her title with 16 :08.19. Grangeon finished second, while Julie Berthier (16:13.52) took third.

Naome Horter set a national age group record for 17-year-olds in the morning heats, touching in 16:49.47. She finished second to Lisa Pou (16:38.87), who recently represented France in open water at COMEN.

Men’s 100 Fly – A Final

• French Record: 50.04 Jérémy Stravius, 12/12/2013 Herning
• Championship Record: 50.06 Jérémy Stravius, 5/12/2103 Dijon

Podium

1. Jérémy Stravius, Amiens Métropole Nat. (Pôle France Natation Course – Amiens) 50.17
2. Oussama Sahnoune (ALG), CN Marseille (Pôle France Natation Course – Marseille) 51.26 / Nans Roch, CN Antibes (Pôle France Natation Course – Antibes) 51.29
3. Maxime Grousset, Amiens Métropole Nat. (Pôle France Natation Course – Amiens) 52.34

Jérémy Stravius dominated the race from the start, getting out to nearly a body-length lead by the halfway mark. His winning 50.17 was only .11 off his French National Record of 2013. Oussama Sahnoune (ALG) finished second, where he had been at every wall. He held off a hard-charging Nans Roch, 51.26 to 51.29. The pair shared the second step of the podium, as foreigners are allowed to medal in the French Championships but there is also a French medalist as well. Maxime Grousset earned the bronze medal with 52.34.

Thomas Piron, who finished sixth in the A final, took down the NAG for 17-year-olds with 53.07.

Women’s 50 Breast – A Final

• French Record: 30.74 Charlotte Bonnet, 18/12/2016 Lausanne
• Championship Record: 30.67 Fanny Lecluyse, 20/11/2014 Montpellier

Podium:

1. Charlotte Bonnet, Olympic Nice Natation (Pôle France Natation Course – Nice) 30.34 RF RcF
2. Fanny Deberghes, ASPTT Montpellier, 30.91
3. Justine Bruno, Beauvaisis Aquatic Club 31.01

Charlotte Bonnet earned the first of her two national titles on Day 1 with a signinficantly lower National Record in the 50 breast. She lowered the mark she’d set last year at the Lausanne Swim Cup by 4/10, touching well ahead of the field in 30.34. Coming in second and third were Fanny Deberghes and Justine Bruno with 30.91 and 31.01, respectively.

Men’s 400 Free – A Final

• French Record: 3:32.25 Yannick Agnel, 15/11/2012 Angers
• Championship Record: 3:32.25 Yannick Agnel, 15/11/2012 Angers

Podium:

1. Jordan Pothain, Nautic Club Alp’38 3:40.38
2. Roman Fuchs, Amiens Métropole Nat. (Pôle France Natation Course – Amiens) 3:41.24
3. David Aubry, Montpellier Métropole Natation, 3:42.63

Jordan Pothain won his second consecutive title in the 400 free with a solid 3:40.38, a mere .34 off his performance from last year’s championships. Pothain went way out front from the first turn, and held on through the end. Roman Fuchs, who was down by 2 seconds at the 200 wall, had a strong finish to pick up the silver medal with 3:41.24, explosing his personal best by 3.7 seconds. David Aubry finished third with 3:42.63; he, too, dropped an impressive 3.6 seconds in the final.

Pothain said in a post-race interview that he was “really happy that the young swimmers are moving up” and that he hopes that they will all get faster together.

Women’s 50 Back – A Final

• French Record: 26.58 Mélanie Henique, 17/11/2016 Angers
• Championship Record: 27.06 Mélanie Henique, 30/11/2017 Montpellier

Podium:

1. Mathilde Cini, Valence Triathlon (Pôle France Natation Course – Marseille) 26.85 RcF
2. Mélanie Henique, CN Marseille (Pôle France Natation Course – Marseille) 26.92
3. Valériya Egorova (RUS), Montpellier Métropole Natation 27.42 / Camille Gheorghiu, Montpellier Métropole Natation (Pôle France Natation Course – Antibes) 27.46

After taking down the Championship Record in heats (27.06), national record-holder Mélanie Henique had to settle for second place in the final. There, Mathilde Cini came off the wall at 25m and edged Henique over the last 10-15m to win the national crown and break the hours-old CR with 26.85. Henique also finished under her morning record-breaking time, but fell short of the title with 26.92. Valériya Egorova (RUS) was third to the wall, and shared the bronze medal with Camille Gheorghiu.

Louise Lefebvre of Mulhouse broke both the 14-year-old and 15-year-old NAG Records with her 28.42 in the A final; she finished in 8th place out of 10.

Men’s 200 Back – A Final

• French Record: 1:49.89 Benjamin Stasiulis, 6/8/2009 Leeds
• Championship Record: 1:51.31 Benjamin Stasiulis, 2/12/2011 Angers

Podium:

1. Maxence Orange, Nantes Natation 1:53.15
2. Geoffroy Mathieu, Stade Clermont Natation 1:54.55
3. Simon Brefuel, Canet 66 Natation (Pôle France Natation Course – Font-Romeu) 1:55.40

Runner-up in 2016, Maxence Orange was crowned national champion in the 200 back this year with 1:53.15. He dominated the race from start to finish, and came to the wall 1.4 seconds ahead of national LCM champion Geoffroy Mathieu (1:54.55). Simon Brefuel (1:55.40) took third ahead of Mewen Tomac (1:56.52), who broke the NAG for 17-year-olds in morning heats with 1:55.90.

Women’s 200 IM – A Final

• French Record: 2:07.69 Camille Muffat, 10/12/2009 Istanbul
• Championship Record: 2:07.69 Camille Muffat, 10/12/2009 Istanbul

Podium:

1. Fantine Lesaffre, Montpellier Métropole Natation (Pôle France Natation Course – Marseille), 2:09.25
2. Sharon van Rouwendaal, Montpellier Métropole Natation 2:11.75 / Camille Dauba, CN Sarreguemines 2:11.94
3. Cyrielle Duhamel, Stade Béthune Pélican Club 2:12.57

Sharon van Rouwendaal (NED) blasted off to lead the field by a half body length after the butterfly leg; she increased her lead after the backstroke and had a nearly 2-second margin over the field heading into the breaststroke. However, Fantine Lesaffre outsplit her by 4.7 seconds on the third leg (35.8 to 40.5), and van Rouwendaal was never able to regain control of the race. She did, however, come back to touch just ahead of Camille Dauba who had also passed her on the breast. Dauba and van Rouwendaal shared the silver medal, while Cyrielle Duhamel took third with 2:12.57..

Men’s 100 IM – A Final

• French Record: 50.96 Florent Manaudou, 7/12/2013 Dijon
• Championship Record: 50.96 Florent Manaudou, 7/12/2013 Dijon

Podium:

1. Jérémy Stravius, Amiens Métropole Nat. (Pôle France Natation Course – Amiens) 52.46
2. Jeremy Desplanches (SUI), Olympic Nice Natation (Pôle France Natation Course – Nice) 52.83 / Jean Dencausse, CN Marseille (Pôle France Natation Course – Marseille) 54.15
3. Théo Berry, Angers Natation (Pôle France Natation Course – Paris (INSEP)) 54.87

Stravius picked up his second gold medal of the night with a 52.46 win in the 100 IM. He built up a strong lead from the start, and turned 1.8 seconds ahead of the field at the 50m wall. Breaststrokers Jeremy Desplanches (SUI) and Queens commit Jean Dencausse made up some of the distance on the third 25, but Stravius held on for the win. Desplanches lopped 1 second of his previous PB and shared the silver medal with Dencausse, who improved his previous best by 0.68. Théo Berry was the third Frenchman to the wall with 54.87.

Mateo Girardet took another 0.64 off the NAG for 16-year-olds that he had established in morning heats; he wound up 2nd in the B final with 55.95.

Women’s 100 Free – A Final

• French Record: 52.41 Camille Muffat, 17/12/2010 Dubai
• Championship Record: 52.61 Femke Heemskerk, 19/11/2015 Angers

Podium:

1. Charlotte Bonnet, Olympic Nice Natation (Pôle France Natation Course – Nice) 52.04 RF
2. Marie Wattel, Montpellier Métropole Natation, 52.56
3. Lena Bousquin, CN Marseille (Pôle France Natation Course – Marseille) 54.18

Charlotte Bonnet closed out the evening with a superb French Record in the 100 free, her second of the night. This time she broke a mark that her close friend Camille Muffat had set in 2010. Bonnet took a huge .37 chunk out of the old record, lowering her own PR by 0.91. Marie Wattel who trains in Loughborough, took 1 second off her previous best time to earn the silver medal with 52.56. Wattel pushed Bonnet, staying even with her at the 50 wall. Bonnet proved too strong over the second half of the race, though, and outsplit Wattel by a half-second. Lena Bousquin took third with 54.18, a PB by 0.32.