Mewen Tomac went top of the 200 backstroke rankings in 1:56.74 to stamp his second ticket to world titles at the French Elite Championships in Limoges.
Tomac split 27.29/56.95/1:26.81/1:56.74 to enjoy a clear win over Yohann Ndoye Brouard whose second place in 1:57.90 followed first in the 100 as both men booked slots over both events at the World Championships in June.
It also propelled Tomac to the head of the rankings, eclipsing Ryan Murphy and his 1:56.78 from last month’s Pro Swim Series.
The six-day meet is the premier selection competition for the World Championships in Budapest in June though France is using a hybrid selection model with various meets considered.
Charlotte Bonnet qualified for Budapest in the 200 free on Thursday when she clocked 1:56.47 to leap into the world top five although the rankings are changing by the day now we are well into trials season.
The 27-year-old, who moved training base to Martigues in September 2021 where she is coached by Philippe Lucas, returned for the 100 free prelims on Friday morning where she rattled off 54.47 ahead of Marie Wattel (54.81).
It promised to be a battle royale and so it transpired: both women reached the turn in 25.93 with Wattel stopping the clock 0.03secs before Bonnet in 53.71 to 53.74, well within the cut of 54.25.
Jaouad Syoud of Algeria took the first title of the session in the men’s 200IM in 1:58.93 with Enzo Tesic, who represented France in the 4×2 in Tokyo, the first Frenchman home in 1:59.78.
Antoine Viquerat won the men’s 200br in 2:10.75 with Justine Delmas claiming the women’s title in 2:28.71 while Tabatha Avetand won the women’s 200 fly in 2:10.83.