Maxime Grousset went 47.89 over 100 free to book his ticket to Tokyo where he will be joined by Antoine Viquerat in the 200 breaststroke and Analia Pigree twice broke the women’s national 50 back record at the French Olympic Trials in Chartres.
Grousset split 23.14/24.75 to comfortably go inside the qualification mark of 48.57 leading home four sub-49s in Charles Rihoux (48.81), Clement Mignon (48.89), Mehdy Metella (48.93) and Julien Berol (48.94).
Florent Manaudou went 48.58 in the prelims but scratched the final.
It was a PB for Grousset who had gone 47.90 for fifth at the European Championships in Budapest, 0.16 off Andrei Minakov in third and elevated him to seventh French all-time, led by Alain Bernard and his 46.94 from the shiny-suit era of 2009.
Photo Courtesy: Peter H. Bick
He said:
“In any case, it’s done, I’m qualified for the Olympics! I didn’t like to say or hear that the selection would be a formality.
“As long as I hadn’t set the stopwatch, nothing was done. But there it is: I am relieved and super happy!”
The 22-year-old had swum 47.99 in the heats before his finals time, his objective to always swim a 47.
“We will say that it is my average level when I am in good shape.
“I would like to reach it all the time to pass levels and continue to descend at each international event.”
He will also compete in the 4×1 freestyle in Tokyo and outlined his ambitions for the Games, saying:
“The same as usual for the French 4x100m: to qualify for the final and get a medal.
“As they say in the middle: when you have a line in the final, you have a chance.”
And of the individual?
“I competed in the European Championships in Budapest last May, where the level was super dense and high.
“The Games will still be a cut above, but that doesn’t scare me. I’ll have to raise my level, but I think the semi-finals are achievable.
“For the final, we’ll see. What is certain is that you will have to swim faster.”
PB For Visquerat En-Route To Tokyo
Antoine Viquerat: Photo Courtesy: KMSP/Stéphane Kempinaire
Viquerat set a best of 2:10.21 to go 0.14 inside the cut and seal his place on the team ahead of Jeremy Desplanches (2:13.07) and Antoine Marc (2:13.51).
With a mixture of joy and disbelief, he told ffnatation.fr:
“To be honest, I had a hard time believing it – especially since I had a lot of pain in the last 50 metres.
“Hearing the TOEC Dolphins swimmers screaming, I thought it had to be okay. And then, I see the time and I understand that I did it!”
His achievement was all the greater given he hadn’t felt happy with his heat swim of 2:13.89 but now he was able to look forward to Tokyo, saying:
“I’ve been at TOEC for five years, I’ve been working very hard for it for five years.
“It was my goal when I came to this club so there is a form of accomplishment.
“I am also thinking of INSA, my engineering school in Toulouse, which allows me to study while continuing to swim.”
Analia Pigree: Photo Courtesy: KMSP/Stéphane Kempinaire
Pigree lowered Beryl Gastaldello‘s 2018 record of 27.86 to 27.81 before returning in the evening to trim a further 0.22secs in a time of 27.59.
Behind her Mary-Ambre Moluh set an age group mark of 27.76 in second.
Pigree said:
“I did not expect that. It’s always difficult to get into the race in the morning.
“To go under 28 seconds, set my best time and beat the French record for the event, that’s huge! I congratulate Mary-Ambre (Moluh) too.
“She is from 2005 and she achieves a superb performance.”
Mewen Tomac, fresh from qualifying for Tokyo in the 100 back, sped to the men’s 50 title in 24.87.
Yohann Ndoye Brouard (25.10), one place and 0.01 ahead of Jeremy Stravius in 25.11.
Lara Grangeon-de Villele won the women’s 200 fly in 2:11.16 – some way outside the cut of 2:08.43.
Lucie Delmas, born in 2005, set an age group record of 2:11.57 in second with Lilou Resencourt rounding out the podium (2:12.46).
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