2024 French Olympic Trials: Day 6 Finals Live Recap

2024 FRENCH ELITE CHAMPIONSHIPS

• Sunday, June 16 – Friday, June 21
• Chartres, France
• LCM (50 meters)
• Meet
• Entry List
• Results
• Live Stream
• Prelims: Day 1 |Day 2 |Day 3 |Day 4 |Day 5 |Day 6
• Finals: Day 1 |Day 2 |Day 3 |Day 4 | Day 5

It’s the final day of the French Elite Championships, which is also serving as the Olympic selection meet. Leon Marchand has already swum qualifying times in the 200 breast, 200 fly, and 400 IM but will look to add the 200 IM to his roster. Surprisingly, Marchand was second this morning behind Enzo Tesic, who touched in 2:00.89, .07 ahead of Marchand.

In the women’s 200 IM, Cyrielle Duhamel and Charlotte Bonnet swam conservatively 2:16s this morning, but if they have any chances of swimming this event in Paris, they’ll have to drop a significant amount of time.

Maxime Grousset leads the 100 fly by a healthy margin, posting a prelims swim time of 51.03. The French record holder and 2023 Worlds gold medalist in the event has a led of over half a second on Mehdy Metella and Clement Secchi. Metella is on the rebound from injury and has yet to punch his ticket to Paris.

Also looking to book that ticket is Melanie Henique. The national record holder in this event posted a time of 24.76 this morning but will need to drop .06 to qualify. After taking 2nd in the 100 back, Beryl Gastaldello will look to add a second event, posted the fastest time this morning at 24.56.

MEN’S 1500 Free – FINALS

• World Record: 14:31.02 – Sun Yang, CHN (2012)
• World Junior Record: 14:46.09 – Franko Grgic, CRO (2019)
• French Record: 14:44.72 – David Aubry (2019)
• 2021 Winning Time: 14:59.96 – Damien Joly
• Olympic Qualifying Time: 15:00.99

Top 3

1. Ahmed Jaoudi (SC Thionville) – 14:48.69
2. David Aubry (Montpellier Metropole Natation) – 14:51.03 ***OLY QUALIFIER***
3. Damien Joly (Stade de Vanves) – 14:51.62 ***OLY QUALIFIER***

Ahmed Jaoudi of Tunisia led the field at the 200-meter mark, flipping in 1:55.52 At the 400 turn, he was 3:54.75 and led by nearly a second and a half. By the 800-meter mark, Jaoudi still was out in the front, but the margin had dropped to just .6 over  David Aubry. Aubry, who was closely followed by Damien Joly yo-yoed back and forth from Jaoudi, but the Tunisian put on a burst of speed and won convincingly by over two seconds.

Aubry and Joly settled for 2nd and 3rd but both were well under the OQT and should add ther event to their Paris schedules.

WOMEN’S 200 IM – FINALS

• World Record: 2:06.12 – Katinka Hosszu, HUN (2015) 
• World Junior Record: 2:06.89 – Summer McIntosh, CAN (2023)
• French Record: 2:09.37 – Camille Muffat (2009)
• 2021 Winning Time: 2:11.57 – Cyrielle Duhamel
• Olympic Qualifying Time: 2:11.47

Top 3

1.  Charlotte Bonnet (Olympic Nice Natation) – 2:11.18 ***OLY QUALIFIER***
2. Cyrielle Duhamel (Stade Bethume Pelican Club) – 2:13.43
3. Bertille Cousson (Stade Bethune Pelican Club) – 2:15.06

Relief, excitement, and joy would be the emotions that best describe Charlotte Bonnet‘s win in the 200 IM; already on the team as a member of the 4×100 free relay and likely the breaststroke for the 4×100 medley relay, Bonnet added her first individual event. Bonnet, who was over five seconds off the time this morning, had no choice but to take the race out fast and attached from the very first 50.

As she approached the finish, the entire pool was urging her on as the OQT of 2:11.47 was crawling ever closer, but Bonnet a bronze medalist from the 2012 Olympics, managed to stop the clock in 2:11.18 and get under the OQT by .29.

MEN’S 100 Fly– FINALS

• World Record: 49.45 – Caeleb Dressel, USA (2021)
• World Junior Record: 50.62 – Kristof Milak, HUN (2017)
• French Record: 50.14 – Maxime Grousset (2023)
• 2021 Winning Time: 50.87 – Mehdy Metella
• Olympic Qualifying Time: 51.67

Top 3

1. Maxime Grousset (CS Clichy 92) – 50.59 ***OLY QUALIFIER***
2. Clement Secchi (CN Marseille) -51.17 ***OLY QUALIFIER***
3. Mehdy Metella (Martigues Natation) – 51.30

Three swimmers got under the Olympic Qualifying time of 51.67, but due to the limit of two swimmer per event, Mehdy Metella‘s home Olympic dreams appear to be over. A silver medalist from Rio, Metella was returning from injury and looking to make another Olympic team, this time in front of a home crowd.

National record holder Maxime Grousset took the race out fast, splitting 23.29 as did, Metella, who was out in 23.9 but Grousset was able to hold on and close in 27.30 whereas Metella’s last 50 of 27.36 was not enough to hold off the fast charging Clement Secchi‘s whose 27.12 was enough to pass the veteran.

Grousset’s swim jumps him up to 4th in the world while Sechi’s 51.17 cracked the top 15 (pre- US trials.

WOMEN’S 50 Free – FINALS

• World Record: 23.61 – Sarah Sjostrom, SWE (2023)
• World Junior Record: 24.17 – Claire Curzan, USA (2021)
• French Record: 24.34 – Melanie Henique (2020)
• 2021 Winning Time: 24.54 – Marie Wattel
• Olympic Qualifying Time: 24.70

Top 3

1. Beryl Gastaldello (Etoiles 92) – 24.51
2. Melanie Henique (CN Marseille) – 24.53
3. Marie Wattel (CN Marseille) – 24.57

There were dueling celebrations at the end of the Women’s 50 free as both Beryl Gastaldello and Melanie Henique both were fast enough to get under the OQT time 24.70. Gastaldello who placed 2nd in the 100 back earlier in the week, recorded her first win at the Elite Championships and in a new course record as well.

Henique, who won the non-Olympic event 50 fly, placed 2nds just .02 behind to qualify to represent France at her home Olympics.

MEN’S 200 IM– FINALS

• World Record: 1:54.00 – Ryan Lochte, USA (2011)
• World Junior Record: 1:56.99 – Hubert Kos, HUN (2021)
• French Record: 1:54.82 – Leon Marchand (2023)
• 2021 Winning Time: 1:58.06 – Leon Marchand
• Olympic Qualifying Time: 1:57.94

Top 3

1.  Leon Marchand (Dauphins Toulouse OEC) – 1:56.33
2. Yohann Ndoye-Brouard (Dauphins D’Annecy) – 1:59.12
3. Jaouad Syoud (Dauphin Toulouse OEC) – 2:00.34

Leon Marchand, in his last race of the week, was out fast, and his lead of three-quarters of a second at the 100 over Yohann Ndoye-Brouard balloned to 3.24 after the breaststroke. He appeared to be close to challenging his French record of 1:54.82 but let up in the end as he came home in 29.39.  His time this evening was not as fast as the 1:55,74 he swam in May and he remains ranked #2 in the World

Yohann Ndoye-Brouard added a third silver medal to his collection after finishing 2nd in both the 100 and 200 back, but failed to get under the OQT this evening.