2024 Mare Nostrum Tour Canet: Day 1 Finals Live Recap

2024 MARE NOSTRUM – CANET-EN-ROUSSILLON

• Saturday, May 25th & Sunday, May 26th
• Prelims at 9am local (3am ET)/Finals at 5:30pm local (11:30am ET)
• Canet, France
• LCM (50m)
• Olympic Qualifying Event
• Meet Central
• Entries
• Day 1 Prelims Recap
• Live Results
• Livestream

We’re entering the first finals session of the 2024 Mare Nostrum Tour with action set to get underway from Canet this evening.

Stars to the tune of Siobhan Haughey of Hong Kong, Maxime Grousset of France, and Marrit Steenbergen of the Netherlands are each set to race in more than one event to kick-off their campaign.

This morning’s prelims were on the more subdued side, with no one busting out anything too crazy to kick things off. Instead, they’ll be saving their speed for tonight’s main events, as some contestants are still chasing Olympic Qualification Times to potentially score roster spots for this summer’s Games.

WOMEN’S 50 BACK – FINAL

• Mare Nostrum Record – 27.37, Anastasia Fesikova (RUS) 2018 & Ingrid Wilm (CAN) 2023

GOLD – Kylie Masse (CAN), 27.43
SILVER – Analia Pigree (FRA) 27.53
BRONZE – Ingrid Wilm (CAN), 27.71

The women’s 50m back brought the heat tonight, with Canadian national record holder Kylie Masse firing off a speedy 27.43 to take the gold.

28-year-old Masse held off French ace Analia Pigree who touched just .10 behind in 27.53 as the silver medalist while fellow Canadian Ingrid Wilm landed on the podium in 27.71 for bronze.

Masse owns the Canadian standard with a lifetime best of 27.18 logged at the 2022 Canadian World Championship Trials. She’s already been as fast as 27.27 this season, courtesy of the time she posted at February’s Spanish Open to rank 3rd in the world on the season.

Wilm is the Mare Nostrum Tour record holder, possessing the mark with the 27.37 she produced last year to tie Russian Anastasia Fesikova’s 2018 record.

Pigree’s result came within striking distance of the 27.27 French record she put on the books for gold at the 2022 European Championships.

MEN’S 50 BACK – FINAL

• Mare Nostrum Record – 24.45, Michael Andrew (USA) 2019

GOLD – Adam Jaszo (HUN), 25.46
SILVER – Srihari Nataraj (IND), 25.50
BRONZE – Scott Gibson (GBR), 25.64

Hungary got on the board in this men’s 50m back, courtesy of Adam Jaszo.

21-year-old Jaszo stopped the clock at 25.46 to get to the wall first ahead of top-seeded Srihari Nataraj of India. After hitting 25.53 this morning, national record holder Nataraj sliced .03 off to log 25.50 for silver. His PB rests at the 25.18 he logged at the 2021 Belgrade Trophy.

Great Britain’s Scott Gibson rounded out the podium in 25.64.

WOMEN’S 50 FREE – FINAL

• Mare Nostrum Record – 23.85, Sarah Sjostrom (SWE) 2017
• OQT – 24.70

GOLD – Beryl Gastaldello (FRA), 24.62
SILVER – Milou Van Wijk (NED), 24.95
BRONZE – Marie Wattel (FRA), 25.02

Last year Beryl Gastaldello placed 5th in this women’s 50m free (24.84) but the 29-year-old upgraded to gold this time around.

The French sprinter posted a season-best of 24.62 to grab the top prize, registering one of two sub-25-second results of the field.

Joining her was Dutch swimmer Milou Van Wijk who touched in 24.95, just off her lifetime best of 24.86 punched at last month’s Eindhoven Qualification Meet. That mark represented her first-ever foray under the 25-second barrier.

Marie Wattel snagged the bronze medal position in 25.02.

Both Gastaldello and Wattel will be battling for an Olympic roster spot at next month’s French Elite Championships, the competition that represents the nation’s Olympic Trials.

MEN’S 50 FREE – FINAL

• Mare Nostrum Record – 21.31, Bruno Fratus (BRA) 2019
• OQT – 21.96

GOLD – Maxime Grousset (FRA), 21.92
SILVER – Dylan Carter (TTO), 22.37
BRONZE – Ian Ho (HKG), 22.38

The 2023 world champion in the men’s 100m fly, Maxime Grousset of the host nation, controlled this fast and furious 50m free in a speedy 21.92.

That kept his position out of the heats, with Dylan Carter of Trinidad & Tobago securing silver in 22.37. Just .01 behind was Ian Ho who produced 22.38 for the bronze medal.

Grousset’s season-best rests at the 21.81 put up last December while Carter has already captured Olympic qualification, courtesy of his season-best 21.69 posted that same month. Ho, too, earned Paris 2024 qualification as a result of the 21.83 national record he put on the books at this year’s World Championships.

The top Frenchman at the moment is multi-Olympic medalist Florent Manaudou, not in contention here, who turned in a time of 21.71 in Lyon earlier this month to rank 10th in the world.

WOMEN’S 1500 FREE – FINAL

• Mare Nostrum Record – 15:51.68, Delfina Pignatiello (ARG) 2019
• OQT – 16:09.09

GOLD – Anastasia Kirpichnikova (FRA), 15:56.92
SILVER – Viktoria Mihalyvari-Farkas (HUN), 16:12.03
BRONZE – Diana Duraes (POR), 16:25.78

Russian-turned-French swimmer Anastasia Kirpichnikova was the decisive winner of this women’s 1500m freestyle, turning in the sole time of the field under 16:00.

Kirpichnikova touched in 15:56.92, the 5th-best time of her career. Her PB remains at the 15:48.53 which garnered her a 4th-place finish at last year’s World Championships in Fukuoka. Her performance this evening now inserts her into the season’s ranking in slot #5, ousting American Katie Grimes.

2022 European Championships silver medalist Viktoria Mihalyvari-Farkas touched in 16:12.03 and Diana Duraes of Portugal also earned a medal in 16:25.78.

MEN’S 400 FREE – FINAL

• Mare Nostrum Record – 3:41.71, Ian Thorpe (AUS) 2001
• OQT – 3:46.78

GOLD – Ahmed Jaouadi (TUN), 3:48.62
SILVER – Tommy-Lee Camblong (FRA), 3:52.19
BRONZE – Tyler Melbourne-Smith (GBR), 3:52.26

As reigning Olympic champion Ahmed Hafnaoui of Tunisia has stated he’s most likely out of this year’s Paris Games, teammate Ahmed Jaouadi is left to carry the torch in the men’s 400m free.

Jaouadi has been as rapid as 3:45.95 this season, a time he scored in March at the Giant Series to rank 15th in the world.

This morning he produced 3:52.88 as the top seed and he shaved another .04 off that result to check in with 3:48.62 as the gold medalist.

Frenchman Tommy-Lee Camblong scored silver in 3:52.19 and British freestyler Tyler Melbourne-Smith collected bronze in 3:52.26.

WOMEN’S 200 BACK – FINAL

• Mare Nostrum Record – 2:06.66, Emily Seebohm (AUS) 2017
• OQT – 2:10.39

GOLD – Emma Terebo (FRA), 2:08.45
SILVER – Dora Molnar (HUN), 2:10.07
BRONZE – Africa Zamorano (ESP), 2:10.24

25-year-old Emma Terebo of France continues to improve in this women’s 200m backstroke nearly every time she races.

Entering this competition with a lifetime best of 2:08.88 from just this past March, Terebo hacked another .43 off to register a head-turning 2:08.45 for gold.

Opening in 1:0.44 and closing in 1:06.01, Terebo earned gold in the only time of the pack under the 2:10 threshold. For perspective, Terebo topped the podium at the 2023 edition of this competition in a result of 2:12.10.

Hungary’s reigning European Junior Championships gold medalist Dora Molnar was next to the wall in 2:10.07 while Africa Zamorano of Spain hit 2:10.24 for the bronze.

Terebo inserts herself into the season’s world rankings as the 15th-swiftest performer and remains the 3rd-fastest French performer of all time.

MEN’S 200 BACK – FINAL

• Mare Nostrum Record – 1:54.34, Ryosuke Irie (JPN) 2011
• OQT – 1:57.50

GOLD – Hidekazu Takehara (JPN), 1:58.37
SILVER – Antoine Herlem (FRA), 1:58.94
BRONZE – Yohann Ndoye-Brouard (FRA), 1:59.40

Hidekazu Takehara of Japan denied 2 Frenchmen the top of the podium as he earned his nation’s first Mare Nostrum Tour gold of 2024.

Takehara posted a winning effort of 1:58.37 to hold a healthy advantage over last year’s gold medalist Antoine Herlem. Herlem settled for silver this time around in 1:58.94 and teammate Yohann Ndoye-Brouard registered 1:59.40 for the 3rd place finish.

At the Japanese Olympic Trials this past March, Takehara put up the swim of his life to qualify for the Olympic Games in this event. The 19-year-old ripped a time of 1:56.28 to knock well over half a second off the 1:56.93 previous PB he established at the 2023 World Championships Trials.

WOMEN’S 100 BREAST – FINAL

• Mare Nostrum Record – 1:04.82, Yulia Efimova (RUS) 2017
• OQT – 1:06.79

GOLD – Siobhan Haughey (HKG), 1:07.01
SILVER – Reona Aoki (JPN), 1:07.09
BRONZE – Kara Hanlon (GBR), 1:07.11

Despite Japanese national record holder Reona Aoki earning the top seed with a morning swim of 1:07.21, it was Hong Kong Olympic medalist Siobhan Haughey who ultimately got the job done for gold.

Former University of Michigan Wolverine Haughey scored a time of 1:07.01 to touch first, with Aoki next in line only .08 behind in 1:07.09.

British swimmer Kara Hanlon was also right there at the finish, hitting 1:07.11 to capture bronze.

Aoki owns a season-best of 1:05.76 to rank 7th in the world this season, with the time qualifying her for this summer’s Olympic Games.

Haughey ripped a new lifetime best and Hong Kong national record of 1:05.92 en route to earning bronze at this year’s World Championships.

As for Hanlon, the Edinburgh veteran put up a time of 1:06.60 at this year’s British Olympic Trials, not enough to earn a spot on the nation’s Paris roster.

MEN’S 100 BREAST – FINAL

• Mare Nostrum Record – 58.15, Adam Peaty (GBR) 2019
• OQT – 59.49

GOLD – Yu Hanaguruma (JPN), 59.76
SILVER – Ippei Watanabe (JPN), 1:00.28
BRONZE – Taku Taniguchi (JPN), 1:00.77

It was an all-Japanese podium resulting from tonight’s men’s 100m breaststroke final, with the trio of Yu Hanaguruma, Ippei Watanabe and Taku Taniguchi monopolizing the race.

Hanaguruma touched first in the sole sub-minute outing of the field, logging 59.76 as the gold medalist.

Former 200m breast world record holder Ippei Watanabe touched next in 1:00.28 followed by Taniguchi’s 1:00.77.

These are the same 3 men who finished top 3 at this year’s Japanese Olympic Trials. There in Tokyo, Taniguchi topped the podium in a time of 59.43 while Hanaguruma and Watanabe identically clocked 59.47 to settle for silver.

WOMEN’S 200 IM – FINAL

• Mare Nostrum Record – 2:08.49, Katinka Hosszu (HUN) 2017
• OQT – 2:11.47

GOLD – Anastasia Gorbenko (ISR), 2:08.63
SILVER – Shiho Matsumoto (JPN), 2:10.33
BRONZE – Yui Ohashi (JPN), 2:12.41

Israeli national record holder Anastasia Gorbenko soared to the wall first to handily take this women’s 200m IM.

After notching 2:11.02 in the morning, Gorbenko crushed a new lifetime best of 2:08.63 to not only take the gold, but clock a new Israeli standard.

Entering this competition, the 20-year-old’s PB and national record stood at the 2:09.28 from the Monte Carlo stop of last year’s Tour. Tonight’s performance destroyed that effort and fell just .14 outside of Hungarian Olympic champion Katinka Hosszu‘s longstanding Tour record of 2:08.49 from 2017.

Japan took the next 2 spots on the podium, with Shiho Matsumoto hitting 2:10.33 while reigning Olympic champion Yui Ohashi turned in 2:12.41.

These two women earned Olympic qualification in the event at the Japanese Olympic Trials where Ohashi got the edge over Matsumoto in 2:09.17 to the latter’s 2:09.90 effort.

MEN’S 400 IM – FINAL

• Mare Nostrum Record – 4:07.96, Laszlo Cseh (HUN) 2008
• OQT – 4:12.50

GOLD – Tomoyuki Matsushita (JPN), 4:13.77
SILVER – Thomas Jansen (NED), 4:18.87
BRONZE – David Verraszto (HUN), 4:19.21

Japan kept its medal haul moving with a gold secured at teh hands of Tomoyuki Matsushita.

18-year-old Matsushita stopped the clock at 4:13.77 to beat the field by over 5 seconds. The next-closest competitor was Dutch swimmer Thomas Jansen who touched in 4:18.87 followed by Hungarian mainstay David Verraszto who put up 4:19.21.

Matsushita qualified for Paris in this event, courtesy of the 4:10.04 lifetime best he produced at this year’s Japanese Trials. That beat 2016 Olympian Daiya Seto who missed out on qualifying in the event.

WOMEN’S 100 FLY – FINAL

• Mare Nostrum Record – 55.76, Sarah Sjostrom (SWE) 2017
• OQT – 57.92

GOLD – Louise Hansson (SWE), 57.91
SILVER – Sara Junvik (SWE), 58.44
BRONZE – Marie Wattel (FRA), 58.71

World Championships bronze medalist from Doha, Louise Hansson of Sweden, maintained her pole position out of the heats with a gold medal-worthy result of 57.91 in this women’s 100m fly.

Splitting 27.90/30.82, Hansson led a 1-2 Swedish punch, with teammate Sara Junevik clocking 58.44.

Host nation ace Marie Wattel rounded out the podium in 58.71 to pair this bronze with the one she collected in the 50m free earlier in the session.

Hansson’s time of 56.94 from Doha represents her season-best while Junevik posted 58.48 at April’s Swim Open Stockholm. Her outing here sliced .04 to check in as her new PB.

MEN’S 100 FLY – FINAL

• Mare Nostrum Record – 50.95, Kristof Milak (HUN) 2021
• OQT – 51.67

GOLD – Genki Terakado (JPN), 51.90
SILVER – Maxime Grousset (FRA), 51.92
BRONZE – Nyls Korstanje (NED), 52.05

The 2023 World Championships gold medalist took a backseat tonight in the men’s 100m fly, as Maxime Grousset fell just .02 shy of gold.

It was Japan’s Genki Terakado who touched first, establishing a time of 51.90 to Grousset’s 51.92. Nyls Korstanje of the Netherlands also landed on the podium with a 52.05 time for bronze.

Tomoru Honda, also of Japan, and Chad Le Clos of South Africa, were also in tonight’s final, with Honda hitting 52.18 and Le Clos registering 52.35.

Terakado owns a season-best of 51.33 from when he finished 3rd in this event at the Japanese Trials. He missed Paris qualification in that sprint but made the cut in the men’s 200m fly.

The men’s 100m fly is one of the most competitive on the planet. At the moment, it takes a time of 51.06 to rank among the top 10 performers thus far this season, with newly-minted Canadian champion and Olympic qualifier Josh Liendo holding the fastest time in the world at a scorching 50.06.

WOMEN’S 200 FREE – FINAL

• Mare Nostrum Record – 1:54.66, Camille Muffat (FRA) 2012
• OQT – 1:57.26

GOLD – Siobhan Haughey (HKG), 1:55.39
SILVER – Lilla-Minna Abraham (HUN), 1:58.46
BRONZE – Nikolett Padar (HUN), 1:58.55

26-year-old Siobhan Haughey impressively captured her 2nd gold of the session, cranking out a massive time of 1:55.39 to take this women’s 200m free.

Haughey masterfully split 27.32/29.51/29.22/29.34 to score a time that beat the pack by over 3 seconds.

Lilla-Minna Abraham of Hungary and teammate Nikolett Padar finished in respective 2nd and 3rd, with Abraham posting 1:58.46 to Padar’s 1:58.55.

Haughey’s result was still short of the 1:54.08 she notched on the World Aquatics Swimming World Cup circuit which rendered her the 3rd-fastest woman in the world this season.

MEN’S 200 FREE – FINAL

• Mare Nostrum Record – 1:44.88, Paul Bidermann (GER) 2009
• OQT – 1:46.26

GOLD – Katsuhiro Matsumoto (JPN), 1:47.47
SILVER – Hadrien Salvan (FRA), 1:48.46
BRONZE – Enzo Tesic (FRA), 1:48.80

Nothing too crazy happened in the men’s 200m free, with Katsuhiro Matsumoto getting teh job done in 1:47.47.

That was enough to hold off 2 French swimmers, with Hadrien Salvan snagging silver in 1:48.46 and Enzo Tesic bagging bronze in 1:48.80.

Matsumoto, the 2019 World Championships co-bronze medalist in this event, took the 2free title at this year’s Japanese Olympic Trials where he turned in a season-best of 1:45.29 to qualify for the Olympics.