Sans Marchand, Maxime Grousset Powers French Championships with 50 Fly Record
The French Championships typically ignite a Leon Marchand Watch, but with the four-time Olympic medalist not in Montpellier for the meet, Maxime Grousset admirably filled the void. Grousset sparked the first day of competition by breaking his own French record in the 50-meter butterfly with a clocking of 22.70. That swim cut .02 off Grousset’s previous standard and qualified him for this summer’s World Championships in Singapore.
With his 22.70 outing, Grousset joined the all-time top-10 in the event and established momentum for the remainder of the meet. Grousset was the bronze medalist in the 50 butterfly at the 2023 edition of the World Championships, where he won gold in the 100 butterfly. Grousset has also medaled at Worlds in the 50 freestyle and 100 freestyle and another busy schedule is expected this summer.
As for Marchand, the French Federation allowed its Olympic star to qualify for the World Championships based on his performances at the Longhorn Elite Invite. Marchand met expectations at the meet in Austin, which was hlighted by his swim of 4:07.11 in the 400 individual medley.
Belgium’s Roos Vanotterdijk, competing as a visiting athlete, set a Belgian record in the 200 individual medley, thanks to her swim of 2:09.73. That time was more than a second clear of the 2:11.06 of France’s Cyrielle Duhamel, who was able to get under the qualifying mark for Worlds.
In the women’s 400 freestyle, Anastasia Kirpichnikova dipped under the qualifying time for the World Champs with a swim of 4:07.74. That initial effort at French Nationals bodes well for Kirpichnikova, who excels at the longer distance and is the reigning Olympic silver medalist in the 1500 freestyle.
The women’s 100 butterfly featured an upset as Lilou Ressencourt touched the wall in 58.02 to earn a convincing victory over Marie Wattel, who was timed in 58.36. However, Ressencourt missed out on the qualifying time set by the French Federation at 57.92.
In other action, Pierre Largeron won the men’s 400 freestyle in 3:49.84 and Jeremie Delbois won the men’s 100 breaststroke in 1:00.17. Neither performance qualified for the World Championships.
