20th FRENCH ELITE SHORT COURSE CHAMPIONSHIPS
Day two of the 2026 French Elite Short Course Championships unfolded in Angers, with swimmers continuing to try to nail down World Aquatics ‘A’ standards as a means to qualify for December’s Short Course World Championships.
Following up on his 100m fly and 100m IM victories from last night, 27-year-old Olympic relay medalist and world champion Maxime Grousset got the job done in the 50m free.
Grousset stopped the clock at a speedy time of 20.82 to represent the sole athlete of the field to clear the 21-second barrier, as well as get under the ‘A’ standard of 21.19 needed for Beijing.
Cedric Gabali fell short en route to earning runner-up status, hitting 21.23 ahead of Clement Secchi, who bagged the bronze in 21.39.
Grousset owns one elite international medal in the LCM 50 free, a bronze from the 2022 World Championshps in Budapest. He placed 7th in the event at the 2024 Short Course World Championships, with his time tonight beating the 20.90 from that year’s edition of the competition.
On the opposite end of the freestyle spectrum this evening, David Aubry delivered a stellar performance of 7:35.30 to take the men’s 800m event.
He was joined by teammate Damien Joly, who also turned in a time under the 7:40 barrier in 7:36.65, good enough for silver.
Tunisian Olympic champion Ahmed Hafnaoui put up 7:40.68 to claim the bronze medal.
29-year-old Aubry’s outing checked in as the 4th-fastest of the veteran’s career, one which boasts a lifetime best of 7:30.32 from when he captured silver at the 2023 European Short Course Championships.
The men’s 100m back saw Lysander Osman deny both Yohann Ndoye-Brouard and Mewen Tomac the gold, with the 20-year-old University of Kentucky Wildcat crushing a time of 49.78.
Opening in 23.90 and bringing it home in 25.88, Osman kept 25-year-old Ndoye-Brouard in check down the homestretch.
Ndoye-Brouard, a two-time individual bronze medalist from last year’s Long Course World Championships, touched merely a hair behind in 49.85 for the silver.
Tomac indeed rounded out the podium, but his outing of 51.02 was outside the 50.81 ‘A’ selection time.
Osman’s performance obliterated his former lifetime best of 52.26 he established two years ago. His 49.78 tonight actually ties Ndoye-Brouard as France’s 3rd-fastest SCM 100 backstroker of all time.
Of note, Kylian Carpon raced in the B-final of the men’s 100m backstroke and registered a new PB of 53.15 to establish a new French Age Record for 16-year-olds.
On the women’s side, Beryl Gastaldello picked up her third victory of the competition, adding the 50m fly gold to the 50m back and 100m free top spots she earned on day one.
This evening, the 31-year-old stalwart delivered a time of 25.20 to lead Melanie Henique and Marie Wattel, who captured the minor medals.
33-year-old Henique, a three-time Long Course World Championships medalist in this event, put up 25.59, with 29-year-old Wattel clocking 25.60 for the bronze.
Andreanna Bourseul may have landed off the podium in 4th place; however, her time of 25.66 nailed a new French Age Record for 18-year-olds.
These women were all chasing an ‘A’ standard of 25.72 for SC Worlds.
Additional Notes
- 18-year-old Mateo Gregoire-Charmasson touched in a time of 1:55.03 to win the men’s 200m butterfly, hitting a new French Age Record as he topped the podium.
- No one cleared the 1:04.97 ‘A’ standard needed for Beijing in the women’s 100 m breaststroke, with Russia’s Nika Godun reaching the wall first in 1:05.62. The quickest French swimmer was represented by Giulia Rossi-Bene, who logged 1:06.48 as the runner-up.
- Camille Tissandie upgraded her 200m IM silver from last night with a gold in the longer IM this evening. Tissandie registered 4:38.02 to beat the pack by over two seconds for the victory.
- The men’s 200m breast saw Carl Aitkaci turn in the fastest effort, producing a time of 2:05.21 to capture a Beijing-worthy qualification result.
- Former Cal Bear Lilou Ressencourt proved too quick to catch in the women’s 200m free, posting 1:56.34 to earn the gold by over half a second ahead of her peers. She needed at least a mark of 1:55.60 for SC Worlds qualification, however.
