2015 French Long Course Nationals in Limoges: Day Two Finals – Agnel Pops World-Leading 200 Free

2015 French Long Course National Championships

• Dates: Tuesday, March 31 – Sunday, April 5, 2015
• Times: prelims 9:00 am, finals 6:30 pm
• Location: Limoges, France (GMT +1, or 6 hours ahead of N.Y., 9 ahead of L.A.)
• Results: Available
• Championship Central

Women’s 100 Backstroke

• French Record: Laure Manaudou (Le Canet 66), 59.50, 2008
• 2014 National Champion: Cloé Credeville (Marseille), 1:01.98
• Kazan Qualifying Time: 1:01.25

The women are really on a roll here in Limoges, having made up 5 of the 7 provisional qualifiers for Kazan on Day One. They jumped right into action on Day Two as well, putting two more names into the hat for World Championships in the 100 back. Marseille’s Béryl Gastaldello, who has just finished a very successful freshman season at Texas A&M, won the event in 1:00.54, well under the qualifying time of 1:01.25. Runner-up Mathilde Cini of Valence (training with Paris-INSEP) also made the cutoff, finishing in 1:01.04. Justine Ress of Antibes placed third in 1:01.49.

Pauline Mahieu of St-André (1:02.02), Camille Gheorghiu of Antibes (1:02.14), Auriane De Premilhat of Marseille (1:02.49), Evelyn Verraszto of Hungary/Nice (1:03.11), and Maëlle Lecanu of Canet 66 (1:04.03) made up the rest of the “A” final.

Men’s 100 Backstroke

• French Record: Camille Lacourt (Marseille), 52.11, 2010
• 2014 National Champion: Camille Lacourt (Marseille), 53.73
• Kazan Qualifying Time: 54.40

It isn’t surprising that the 100 back would be the event in which the French men get two qualifiers for Kazan; perhaps the only surprising thing is that it took them four events to make that happen.

Jérémy Stravius won the event from lane 5, having qualified second this morning behind Marseille’s Camille Lacourt. Although neither backstroker had particularly head-turning performances (both swam well under their entry seed times), they earned a pair of provisional nods for Kazan. The two trade off victories on a regular basis, but this time it was Stravius in first and Lacourt in second, 53.46 to 54.20. The third rung of the podium went to Benjamin Stasiulis of Marseille in 54.50.

Eddie Moueddene of Amiens led the rest of the “A” finalists with 54.80 for fourth. He was followed by Paul Pijulet (Pontault-Roissy/Paris-INSEP), 55.91; Thomas Avetand (Beauvasis), 56.02; Thibault Delecluse (Lille), 56.34); and Eric Ress (Antibes), 56.57.

Women’s 1500 Freestyle

• French Record: Laure Manaudou (Melun), 16:03.01, 2006
• 2014 National Champion: Morgane Rothon (Dijon), 16:32.84
• Kazan Qualifying Time: 16:26.40

Since the retirement of Laure Manaudou, France has yet to develop milers who can compete on the international stage. Sharon Van Rouwendaal of Netherlands, who trains in Sarcelles, claimed victory in 16:15.09, a 20-second drop from her seed time. But no French women made the Kazan cut of 16:26.40.

The French champion was runner-up Julie Berthier of Mulhouse, who bettered her entry time by 5 seconds and finished with 16:36.04. Ireland’s Grainne Murphy produced the fastest time in the morning heats, dropping more than 14 seconds to come in third with 16:41.20.

Marion Brunel of Toulouse was third to the wall in the finals heat; she improved 12 seconds and placed fourth in 16:41.73.

Adeline Furst of Obernai dropped 10 for a fifth-place 16:43.96. She was followed by Aurélie Muller of Sarreguemines (16:46.68), Coralie Codevelle of Sarcelles (16:49.19), and Monika Czerniak of Poland (training with Saint-Dizier) with 16:59.81.

Men’s 200 Freestyle

• French Record: Yannick Agnel (then-Nice), 1:43.14, 2012
• 2014 National Champion: Yannick Agnel (then-Nice), 1:45.63
• Kazan Qualifying Time: 1:48.37

Clearly Day Two belongs to the men. In what can only be considered good news for France’s relays, the top three finalists all went under the Kazan qualifying standard and the next two were just off. Yannick Agnel of Mulhouse earned the title with a 1:45.97 finish. That swim put Agnel at the top of the world rankings so far this year, and by nearly a full second.

Grégory Mallet of Marseille, who spent the winter training in Charlotte with the SwimMAC Elite group, placed second in 1:47.96. Mallet’s Marseille teammate Clément Mignon picked up a bronze medal, coming home in a personal-best 1:48.29.

Jordan Pothain of Nautic Club ALP 38 touched in 1:48.50, just ahead of Lorys Bourelly of Toulouse’s 1:48.88. Teammates Simon Guerin and Théo Fuchs were sixth and seventh, respectively, in 1:49.97 and 1:50.64, while Ganesh Pedurand of Toulouse (1:51.47) rounded out the “A” final.

Women’s 100 Breaststroke

• French Record: Sophie De Ronchi (Massy), 1:07.97, 2011
• 2014 National Champion: Charlotte Bonnet (Nice), 1:09.25
• Kazan Qualifying Time: 1:08.36

With CM tattoos on her shoulder and her hand, wearing Camille Muffat’s too-big sneakers, and racing in her friend’s cap, Charlotte Bonnet is trying to channel the energy of her “big sister” rather than focus on her absence. And it seems to be working for her. So far she has had two huge performances in her first two events. After winning the 200 IM on Day One, Bonnet went a lifetime-best 1:08.34 to claim gold in the 100 breast. Bonnet did just what she needed to do in order to qualify to swim the event in Kazan – she made the cut by 2/100.

Fanny Deberghes of Montpellier placed second, dipping under 1:10 for the first time with 1:09.60. Antibes’ Adeline Martin was third in 1:10.27, making lifetime bests for all three on the podium.

Next up was Coralie Dobral of Montauban (1:10.37), Toulouse teammates Solène Gallego (1:10.60) and Adeline Williams (1:10.85), Géraldine Huffner of Montpellier (1:11.53), and Nolwenn Hervé from Thionville (1:11.73).