Koch, Pothain Break Records on Final Day of Golden Tour in Amiens

FFN Golden Tour Camille Muffat – Amiens

• Dates: Friday, February 5 – Sunday, February 7, 2016
• Prelims 9 am GMT+1 (3 am EST/12 am PST); finals 5 pm on Friday and Saturday (11 am EST/8 am PST), 3:30 pm on Sunday (9:30 am EST/6:30 am PST)
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After two days of numerous Golden Tour record-breaking swims, the final day in Amiens was a little calmer. Only two records went by the wayside: men’s 100 breast and men’s 400 free. In the former, Germany’s Marco Koch came back from third at the 50 to touch out Felipe Lima (BRA) and Ross Murdoch (GBR), 1:00.66 to 1:00.90 to 1:01.55. With that swim Koch completed the 100-200 sweep, setting Golden Tour records with each win. Lima had rewritten the Golden Tour record books, himself, when he won the 50.

France’s Jordan Pothain was the other record-breaker. After a second-place finish in the 200 free, Pothain came back to win the 400 free in a Golden Tour best of 3:48.50, just 1.2 seconds off his seed time, and the fastest of the field by nearly 4 seconds. Countryman Damien Joly edged Sergii Frolov (UKR), 3:52.20 to 3:52.43, for second. Pothain is up against a 3:46.66 to qualify for selection to the French national team for Rio, and he will need to swim that in finals at French Trials at the end of March.

The third and final day of racing in Amiens began where the second left off: the 100 fly. This time it was the men in action, and France’s Jordan Coelho, seventh in the 50 and second in the 200, earned the top step of the podium with 53.37. Cameron Brodie (GBR) was runner-up in 54.46; Flavien Aubry (FRA) was third with 54.61. French record-holder Mehdy Metella skipped the 100 fly to concentrate on the 50 free at the end of the session.

France’s Charlotte Bonnet won her first event of the weekend with a 1:56.73 in the 200 free. Coralie Balmy (1:57.85) and Camille Gheorghiu (1:59.16) made it an all-French podium. In another strong finish for the French women, Anna Santamans (24.95), Lena Bousquin (25.38) and Mélanie Henique (25.52) went 1-2-3 in the 50 free.

Katinka Hosszu (HUN) claimed two titles on Sunday: 100 back and 200 fly. In the former she put up a very respectable 59.49, a top-5 world time for the season at the end of a super-charged weekend is a good sign. Anastasiia Fesikova (RUS) took second with 1:00.58, moving to 21st in the world, and Daryna Zevina (UKR) placed third in 1:02.40, well off her 1:00.65 from Luxembourg. After a quick warm down, Hosszu won the very next women’s event with a 2:12.17 in the 200 fly. France’s Marie Wattel was runner-up with 2:13.57, while Turkey’s Nida-Eliz Utundag rounded out the podium with 2:15.36.

Sweden’s Simon Sjodin avenged his fourth-place finish in the 400 IM with a win in the 200, going 2:00.70 for a world top-25 showing. Luxembourg’s Raphael Stacciotti edged Hungary’s David Verraszto, 2:02.20 to 2:02.51 for second. Verraszto had a very fast turnaround and managed a third in the 200 back, where he trailed winner Benjamin Stasiulis of France (2:00.58) and runner-up Ege Baser of Turkey (2:03.67).

The last race of the evening was the highly-competitive men’s 100 free. Florent Manaudou claimed the win in 48.51, holding off a fast-charging Jérémy Stravius, who finished second in 48.75. Third place went to Mehdy Metella in 49.42. The Frenchmen are shooting for a qualifying time of 48.13 at the end of March to make the Rio team.

Top Performances from 2016 Golden Tour Camille Muffat – Amiens Stage