2016 FFN Golden Tour Camille Muffat – Nice: Preview

2016 FFN Golden Tour Camille Muffat – Nice

• Dates: Friday, January 22 – Sunday, January 24, 2016
• Prelims 9 am GMT+1 (3 am EST/12 am PST); finals 5 pm on Friday (11 am EST/8 am PST), 4:30 pm on Saturday and Sunday (10:30 am EST/7:30 am PST)
• Brochure
• Psych sheets
• Live results
• Live streaming

The first stage of the 2016 FFN Golden Tour Camille Muffat kicks off on Friday, January 22 at the Jean Bouin pool in Nice. This year the Golden Tour has been shortened to a three-stop circuit, as the French national championships and Olympic trials will take place at the end of March. The 2016 stages are:

• Nice – Friday, January 22 through Sunday, January 24, 2016
• Amiens – Friday, February 5 through Sunday, February 7, 2016
• Marseille – Friday, March 4 through Sunday, March 6, 2016

The format of the three meets is a three-day, prelims and finals long course championship, featuring all 17 FINA events. The top three finishers in each race will be awarded medals, and the top five male and female performances will earn prize money as follows:

In addition, athletes who participate in all three stages are eligible for bonuses for their finals standings on the leaderboard:

The elite of the French national team, including Jérémy Stravius and Anna Santamans, who competed in Austin last weekend, will be out in force at the Nice stage. Other French stars include Florent Manaudou, Mehdy Metella, Fabien Gilot, Clément Mignon, Benjamin Stasiulis, Coralie Balmy, Lara Grangeon, Mélanie Henique, Cloé Hache, and Charlotte Bonnet.

Katinka Hosszu, also fresh off the plane from Austin, will once again headline the international roster. She will be joined by fellow Hungarians David and Evelyn Verraszto, Germany’s Marco Koch, Canadians Katerine Savard and Ariane Mainville, as well as contingents from Greece, Italy, Lebanon, Luxembourg, Tunisia and Turkey.

Races to Watch

In the women’s meet, Katinka Hosszu is entered in all 17 events, which will be quite a feat if she ends up swimming them all, since the 800/1500/400 IM are back-to-back events on Day One. No one holds a candle to her in the IMs but she should have strong competition in the 100 fly and 100 back. The former will feature Savard and France’s Marie Wattel, both of whom are seeded ahead of her, as well as Anna Ntountounaki of Greece, and Verraszto, who are seeded just behind. The 100 back could be exciting; both Pauline Mahieu and Mathilde Cini of France will hope to upset top-seeded Hosszu.

Italy’s Silvia Guerra is top seed in the women’s 100 and 200 meter breaststrokes, but France’s Adeline Williams, Fanny Deberghes, and Adeline Martin will all be giving chase. The 400 and 800 freestyles will pit Hosszu against French mid-distance star Balmy, while Santamans, Bonnet, and Savard will challenge at the shorter end.

Florent Manaudou is only entered in the 50 free and 50 fly, making for one event on Friday and one on Saturday; he will not contest the 100 free on Sunday. Stravius, who finished first in the 200 free and second in the 100 free in Austin, is entered in the 50/100/200 freestyles in Nice. Both Metella and Mignon will also swim the three sprint freestyles, in addition to the 50/100 fly, while sprinter Frédérick Bousquet will contest the 50 free and 50 fly.

In backstroke, Camille Lacourt is top seed in the 50, while Stasiulis leads the field in the 100/200. The breaststroke events will feature Germany’s Koch against France’s Giacomo Perez Dortona and Greece’s Samilidis Panagiotis.

David Verraszto is top seed in the 400 IM and second in the 200 IM. Joining him will be Koch, France’s Ganesh Pedurand, Andreas Vazaios of Greece, Switzerland’s Jeremy Desplanches, and Raphael Stacchiotti of Luxembourg.

Order of Events

Friday Finals

• Women’s 800 Meter Freestyle – Fastest Heat
• Men’s 800 Meter Freestyle – Fastest Heat
• Women’s 1500 Meter Freestyle – Fastest Heat
• Men’s 1500 Meter Freestyle – Fastest Heat
• Women’s 400 Meter IM – Fastest Heat
• Men’s 400 Meter IM – Fastest Heat
• Women’s 50 Meter Backstroke Final
• Men’s 50 Meter Backstroke Final
• Women’s 50 Meter Breaststroke Final
• Men’s 50 Meter Breaststroke Final
• Women’s 50 Meter Butterfly Final
• Men’s 50 Meter Butterfly Final

Saturday Finals

• Women’s 100 Meter Freestyle Final
• Men’s 200 Meter Freestyle Final
• Women’s 100 Meter Breaststroke Final
• Men’s 100 Meter Backstroke Final
• Women’s 200 Meter IM Final
• Men’s 200 Meter Butterfly Final
• Women’s 400 Meter Freestyle Final
• Men’s 200 Meter Breaststroke Final
• Women’s 200 Meter Backstroke Final
• Men’s 50 Meter Freestyle Final
• Women’s 100 Meter Butterfly Final

Sunday Finals

• Men’s 100 Meter Freestyle Final
• Women’s 200 Meter Freestyle Final
• Men’s 100 Meter Breaststroke Final
• Women’s 100 Meter Backstroke Final
• Men’s 200 Meter IM Final
• Women’s 200 Meter Butterfly Final
• Men’s 400 Meter Freestyle Final
• Women’s 200 Meter Breaststroke Final
• Men’s 200 Meter Backstroke Final
• Women’s 50 Meter Freestyle Final
• Men’s 100 Meter Butterfly Final