2016 French Short Course National Championships
- Dates: Thursday, November 17 – Sunday, November 20, 2016
- Times: prelims 9 am, finals 5:30 pm
- Location: Angers, France (GMT +1, or 6 hours ahead of N.Y., 9 ahead of L.A.)
- Results: Available
Mélanie Henique continued to shine on Day 2 of the 2016 French National Championships (25m) in Angers. After breaking the national record in the 50 meter backstroke yesterday, the Marseille sprinter lowered her own national record in the 50 butterfly on Friday.
Men’s 800 Meter Freestyle – Fastest Heat
- RF: 7:29.17 AGNEL Yannick OLYMPIC NICE NATATION 16/11/2012 ANGERS
Joris Bouchaut of Dauphins Toulouse defended his title in the men’s 800 free, going 7:41.80, about 2.5 seconds off his 2015 winning time. Bouchaut finished third in the 400 free on Thursday. Anthony Pannier of Sarcelles Natation took second in the 800 with 7:45.79. David Aubry of Montpellier Metropole rounded out the podium; he dropped 6.3 seconds to finish with 7:48.47.
Women’s 50 Meter Butterfly – Final
- RF: 25.20 HENIQUE Mélanie AMIENS METRO. NAT. 20/11/2015 ANGERS (FRA)
For the third year in a row, Marseille’s Mélanie Henique established a new national record in the women’s 50 meter butterfly at the short course national championships. In 2014 Henique won with a record-breaking 25.33; last year it was 25.20. This time, Henique lowered the mark to 25.15, winning by over 1 second. 2015 bronze medalist in this event, Marie Wattel, now swimming for Montpellier Metropole, placed second in 26.17. Both women fulfilled the criteria for selection to Short Course Worlds.
Marseille made up three of the top four finishers in the 50 fly; after Wattel came Mathilde Cini, who swims for Valence Triathlon but trains in Marseille (26.39) and Anna Santamans, now full-time in Marseille (26.74). Santamans won the 100 free on Thursday but missed the time standard for Windsor.
Henique told the press, “I love swimming short course because that allows me to do good underwaters. I have swum two races, with two French records. With a time of 25.15 I think I can do good things at the World Championships in Canada.”
Men’s 200 Meter Butterfly – Final
- RF: 1:50.73 ESPOSITO Franck CN ANTIBES 08/12/2002 ANTIBES
There were three new faces on the men’s 200 fly podium in 2016. Last year Jérémy Stravius had taken a page out of Katinka Hosszu’s playbook and contested nearly every final. He had won the 200 fly with a championship record (1:51.33) and came within 6/10 of Franck Esposito’s 2002 national mark. This year it was Nans Roch of Antibes, which is where Esposito coaches, at the top of the podium; he won decisively with 1:55.83, after having taken fifth in 2015 (1:55.74). Paul Lemaire of Dauphins Toulouse and Romain Mrowinski of Cévennes Alès tied for second with 1:58.30 apiece. Lemaire won the consolation final in 2015 (2:00.01), while Mrowinski was sixth in the A final (1:58.92).
Arthur Cachot of Antibes broke the national age group record for 16-year-old boys twice in one day; he notched a 2:00.88 in prelims, then went exactly the same time in finals to finish second in the B final, or 10th overall.
Women’s 400 Meter IM – Final
- RF: 4:27.31 GRANGEON Lara CN CALEDONIENS 02/12/2015 NETANYA (ISR)
With French record-holder Lara Grangeon sitting this one out, Montpellier Metropole teammates Fantine Lesaffre and Sharon van Rouwendaal went 1-2. Lesaffre was runner-up in this event last year with 4:35.62; this year she won with 4:35.05. Lesaffre met the time qualifications for Windsor with her swim.
Van Rouwendaal, who suffered a foot injury during the 1500 free on Thursday, placed second in 4:41.59. Third place went to Cyrielle Duhamel of Stade Béthune Pelican Club. She lowered her own national age group record for 16-year-old girls to 4:42.27 from 4:42.70, where it had been since this meet last year. Since van Rouwendaal is not French, she was left off the podium. Duhamel picked up the silver medal and the bronze went to Alexia Saurel of Nantes (4:48.58).
Men’s 100 Meter Backstroke – Final
- RF: 49.57 STRAVIUS Jérémy AMIENS METRO. NAT. 07/12/2013 DIJON
Defending champion Benjamin Stasiulis of Marseille repeated his national title in the men’s 100 back, but his winning time of 51.04 wasn’t fast enough to earn him an automatic spot on the French roster for Windsor. Stasiulis needed to be at 50.91 or better, while boys born in 1993 and later could qualify with 51.75. That’s just what Thomas Avetand of Amiens did; the 2015 bronze medalist in this event touched second with 51.55, 1.1 seconds faster than his time from a year ago, and earned a ticket to SC Worlds. Oleg Garasymovytch from Avignon/Marseille, who won the 200 back on Thursday, finished third in 51.95.
Stanislas Huille from Versailles, but who trains at INSEP in Paris, broke the national age group record (17 years) with his sixth-place finish of 53.56.
Women’s 100 Meter Breaststroke – Final
- RF: 1:05.43 DE RONCHI Sophie ES MASSY NATATION 14/12/2008 RIJEKA (CRO)
Solène Gallego of Dauphins Toulouse won her second event of the meet with a surprising drop of 3 seconds from her seed time of 1:09.70. Gallego, who picked up her first national title of the meet with a win in the 50 breast on Thursday, went 1:08.65 in heats to qualify fourth for finals; she then ripped a 1:06.77 to win by a full second over Fanny Deberghes of ASPTT Montpellier (1:07.61). Gallego declared, “I didn’t think I could do the [Windsor selection] time in the 100, I thought it was more accessible in the 50. I had nothing to lose in this race. At the end I made the time standard, I’m super happy.”
Camille Daubra, second in this event in 2015, earned the bronze medal with 1:07.71, .23 faster than a year ago. Daubra swims for Sarreguemines.
Men’s 200 Meter Breaststroke – Final
- RF: 2:04.50 DUBOSCQ Hugues CN LE HAVRE 10/11/2009 STOCKHOLM (SWE)
Top-seeded Jean Dencausse of Marseille, who came in with a time that was 2.7 seconds faster than the rest of the field, won the men’s 200 breast in a personal-best 2:06.71. After earning his spot on the SC Worlds roster, Dencausse said, “I’ve been working on the 200 breast for two years. I beat my personal best by more than a second and I’m very happy with this time. I qualified for World Championships, and I hope this is the start to a good season.” [Author’s note: Dencausse was entered with 2:07.12, a time he swam at Short Course Nationals two years ago in Montpellier. So it’s more like a best time by 4/10.]
Second and third places went to Thomas Dahlia of Antibes (2:08.01) and Théo Charrade of Sarcelles Natation 95/INSEP Paris (2:11.93), respectively. Carl Aitkaci of Courbevoie took down the national age group record for 15-year-old boys with his 2:14.76; he finished fourth in the B final. Last year he broke the NAG for 14-year-olds with 2:18.93.
Women’s 200 Meter Freestyle – Final
- RF: 1:51.65 MUFFAT Camille OLYMPIC NICE NATATION 18/11/2012 ANGERS (FRA)
Nice’s Charlotte Bonnet won her bread-and-butter event with 1:53.17, beating her lifetime best by .11. Bonnet swam the 200 free in Rio, and while she made the final, she didn’t lower her time (1:56-low) in three individual swims (she also went 1:58 on the 4×200 free relay), so this was a positive step for her.
Toulouse’s Assia Touati finished second in 1:55.97, just ahead of van Rouwendaal (1:56.54). Alizée Morel of Toulouse ascended to the third step of the podium with 1:56.79.
Men’s 50 Meter Freestyle – Final
- RF: 20.26 MANAUDOU Florent CN MARSEILLE 04/12/2014 DOHA (QAT)
In the absence of Florent Manaudou, who is now trying his hand at professional handball, last year’s runner-up, Clément Mignon of Marseille, earned the national sprint title with a win over Amiens’ Jérémy Stravius, 21.32 to 21.46. Stravius missed the cut for Windsor, but both Mignon and his Marseille teammate Yonel Govindin, who took third in 21.63, came in under the time standard for those born in 1993 and later.
Maxime Grousset of Amiens took down the national age group record (17 years) in the event with 22.41, which tied him with Robin Coquerel of CNM Dieppe to win the B final.