2021 French Olympic Trials: Day 5 Prelims Live Recap

2021 FRENCH ELITE SWIMMING CHAMPIONSHIPS

• Tuesday, June 15 – Sunday, June 20, 2021
• Piscine de l’Odyssée, Chartres, France
• Long Course Meters (50M)
• Olympic Selection Event
• French Olympic Qualifying Procedures
• Meet Site (LIVE FFN)
• List of Entrants
• Live Results
• Television rights: beIN SPORTS

It’s the second to last day of the 2021 French Elite Swimming Championships which means that there are only a few chances left for swimmers to qualify for the 2021 Olympic Games.

Things will begin today with the women’s and men’s 50 butterfly which is not an Olympic event, followed by the women’s 200 breast, the men’s 200 back, women’s 100 freestyle, and finally, the men’s 1500 free.

Follow along here for live results and analysis:

Women’s 50 Butterfly – Prelims

• French Record: 25.24 – Melanie Henique (2020)

Top 8:

1. HENIQUE Mélanie ( CN MARSEILLE ) – 00:25.47
2. MOREL Emma ( A ASEC NATATION SAINT-PAUL REUNION ) – 00:26.66
3. BOUSQUIN Lena ( CN MARSEILLE ) – 00:26.94
4. DELMAS Lucie ( CNO ST-GERMAIN-EN-LAYE ) – 00:26.99
5. PIGREE Analia ( CANET 66 NATATION ) – 00:27.26
6. BOISRENOULT Emilie ( U.S CRETEIL NATATION ) – 00:27.27
7. ARLANDIS Anais ( AS MONACO NATATION ) – 00:27.50
8. (tie) HEIDEYER Mika ( CN ANTIBES ) / GUIRADO Lou ( CN ANTIBES ) – 00:27.56

French National Record-holder Melanie Henique was only .23 off her best time in morning heats of the 50 fly, winning the final heat in 25.47 to post the top time. Henique, already qualified for Tokyo by virtue of her 24.34 from December, is part of the Marseille elite sprint group and is only entered in the 50 fly and 50 free here in Chartres. Her teammate Lena Bousquin, entered with 26.37, clocked a 26.94 in heats to finish 3rd overall. Emma Morel took .73 off her seed time to post the second-fastest time of 26.66.

Lucie Delmas was just a few hundredths off her seed time of 26.91 with the only other sub-27 time of the morning. Analia Pigree, who broke the French National Record in the 50 backstroke yesterday, qualified 5th in 27.26, just .01 ahead of Emilie Boisrenoult and .24 in front of Anais Arlandis.

There will be a swim-off for 8th place between Mike Heideyer and Lou Guirado, both of whom stopped the clock in 27.56.

Men’s 50 Butterfly – Prelims

• French Record: 22.84 – Fréderick Bousquet (2009)

Top 8:

1. PIRON Thomas ( LYON NATATION METROPOLE ) – 00:23.43
2. BEROL Julien ( CN MARSEILLE ) – 00:23.83
3. DUTEL Yanis ( SC THIONVILLE ) – 00:23.97
4. COMTE Sergueï ( RC BRON DÉCINES NATATION ) – 00:24.00
5. VERMOREL Nicolas ( CN MARSEILLE ) – 00:24.08
6. BAEZ Nikita ( LYON NATATION METROPOLE ) – 00:24.13
7. SECCHI Clement ( CN MARSEILLE ) – 00:24.15
8. GUTH Guillaume ( DAUPHINS TOULOUSE OEC ) – 00:24.19

It is a changing of the guard in French sprint fly: all eight A-final qualifiers are born in 2000 or later.

The top two qualifiers in the men’s 50 fly were both A finalists in the 100 free yesterday: Thomas Piron (23.43) and Julien Berol (23.83). Yanis Dutel (23.97) was the only other sub-24 of the morning.

The rest of the A final tonight will be made up of Serguei Compte (24.00) Nicolas Vermorel (24.08), Nikita Baez (24.13), Clement Secchi (24.15), and Guillaume Guth (24.19).

Top-seeded Jeremy Stravius finished 14th with 24.29 and Switzerland’s Jeremy Desplanches tied for 12th with 24.28.

Women’s 200 Breaststroke – Prelims

• French Record: 2:25.19 – Sophie de Ronchi (2009)
• Olympic Qualifying Standards: 2:29.89 in prelims and 2:25.52 in A-final

Top 8:

1. DELMAS Justine ( CNO ST-GERMAIN-EN-LAYE ) – 02:28.11
2. DEBERGHES Fanny ( AAS SARCELLES NATATION 95 ) – 02:28.52
3. DAUBA Camille ( CN SARREGUEMINES ) – 02:28.54
4. LESAFFRE Fantine ( CN ANTIBES ) – 02:29.84
5. BARREAU Laure ( ES MASSY NATATION ) – 02:32.37
6. BRAUN Chloé ( DAUPHINS TOULOUSE OEC ) – 02:32.89
7. CUCUMEL Romy ( CSM CLAMART ) – 02:33.92
8. HERMEL Lou ( AMIENS METROPOLE NAT. ) – 02:34.69

In the first Olympic event of the day, fully half of the A-final qualifiers met the first hurdle for qualification for Tokyo. 16-year-old National Age Group record-holder Justine Delmas notched the fastest time of the morning with 2:28.11. Fanny Deberghes, who won this event last year with 2:27.65, qualified second in 2:28.52. Camille Dauba, last year’s silver medalist by .02 (2:27.67) was third out of heats with 2:28.54. Finally, Fantine Lesaffre, who has already booked her ticket to Tokyo in the 200 IM, made it just under the first time standard with 2:29.84.

All four breaststrokers will have to crack 2:25.52 in finals to make the French team in this event. Their seed times are: 2:27.05 for Delmas, 2:25.60 for Deberghes, 2:25.69 for Daubas, and 2:26.48 for Lesaffre.

Postponement for Technical Problem

A technical problem has stopped the meet: the bulkhead with the starting blocks has separated from the edge of the pool.

#EnDirect #Natation #Chartres2021
En raison d’un problème technique, la compétition est temporairement suspendue.

— FFN (@FFNatation) June 19, 2021

C'est du jamais vu : la session du matin des France de natation est arrêtée car la plage de départ (à gauche) s'est écartée du bord du bassin. Grosse interrogation sur la suite du programme et la validation des séries disputées ce matin. #natation #France #chartres @FFNatation pic.twitter.com/f6qNaS2I8H

— Benoît Gilles (@Benoit_Gilles13) June 19, 2021

Men’s 200 Backstroke – Prelims

• French Record: 1:56.10 – Yohann Nodye Brouard (2021)
• Olympic Qualifying Standards: 2:01.03 in prelims and 1:57.50 in A-final

Women’s 100 Freestyle – Prelims

• French Record: 52.74 – Charlotte Bonnet (2018)
• Olympic Qualifying Standards: 56.01 in prelims and 54.38 in A-final

Men’s 1500 Freestyle – Prelims

• French Record: 14:44.72 – David Aubry (2019)
• Olympic Qualifying Standards: 15:25.12 in prelims and 14:57.23 in A-final