Marie Wattel Tops Beryl Gastaldello To Win 50 Freestyle At French Championships
Over the past few years, the biggest noise made by Marie Wattel and Beryl Gastaldello has come in the short-course pool, and primarily during International Swimming League competition. But on Saturday, Wattel and Gastaldello engaged in a stellar duel in the 50-meter freestyle at the French Championships in Montpellier.
Wattel and Gastaldello each broke the 25-second barrier, with Wattel claiming the win in 24.74, more than two tenths quicker than the 24.95 of Gastaldello, who registered earlier triumphs at the meet in the 100 freestyle and 50 butterfly. Wattel came through with a performance that was faster than the 24.76 outing she managed during the semifinals of the 50 freestyle at last summer’s Olympic Games in Tokyo.
In men’s action, Maxime Grousset turned in a swim of 23.39 to win the 50 butterfly and was sixth in the 200 freestyle, an event that went to Hadrien Salvan in 1:47.52.
Russia’s Anastassia Kirpitchnikova was the runaway winner of the 1500 freestyle, as she cracked the 16-minute barrier. A finalist in a pair of distance events at the Olympics, Kirpitchnikova produced a time of 15:59.15 to prevail by almost a half-minute over France’s Adeline Furst (16:28.28). Another international guest topped the field in the men’s 400 individual medley, where Switzerland’s Jeremy Desplanches was timed in 4:15.12.
Carl Aitkaci and Antoine Viquerat shared top honors in the men’s 100 breaststroke, with both men touching the wall in 1:00.94. Other victories were claimed by Lilou Ressencourt (2:11.61) in the women’s 200 butterfly, Analia Pigree (59.88) in the women’s 100 backstroke and Justine Delmas (2:26.76) in the women’s 200 breaststroke.