2024 French Elite Championships
The big news this morning from the French 2024 Olympic Trials was, unsurprisingly, Leon MarchandMarchand, who has half the medals for France at the 2023 World Championships, competed in his special event, the 400m individual medley, in Chartres. Eleven months ago, Marchand Michael PhelpsPhelps' 400m individual medley record stood for more than 20 years.
This morning, Marchand swam a smooth and controlled time of 4 minutes 14.88 seconds to beat the visiting Algerian swimmer by nearly eight seconds and comfortably win against the top seed. Jaouad Shaud (4:22.59) And other French men Emilyne Mathenet (4:23.15). The world record holder clearly still had some energy left, finishing the final 100 meters in 1:03.17, but in Fukuoka he cleared the final 100 meters in 58.22.
Marchand will be aiming for an Olympic-qualifying time of 4:12.50, which he should easily beat. His season best is 4:11.21, which he set right after the NCAAs in April.
The 100m backstroke is also sure to be an exciting event with two French stars competing. Johan Ndoye Bruard and Mewen TomacThe two will go head-to-head. With two spots up for grabs, each should be well prepared to make the team. N'Dje-Brouard took the lead this morning with a 53.25, just ahead of Tomac's 53.54. Both had already beaten the OQT of 53.74 this morning, but both are looking to finish first and be the favorites in the backstroke medley relay.
No one broke the one-minute barrier in the 100m backstroke, but the final is still expected to be fast. Top-seeded Mary Amble MorrueShe finished in 1:00.75 and will be in hot pursuit, but she has some strong competitors behind her. Analia Piggley, Emma Tereboand Pauline Matthew All in less than a second.
Other event winners
- Women's 400m Individual Medley: Cyriel Duhamel He took the lead in 4:48.31, but would need to shave about 10 seconds off his time to make the qualifying time.
- Men's 200m Freestyle: The men's competition this morning was closely fought with a relay berth at stake. Wisam Amazigh Yeba He led the group with a time of 1:47.77, but Rafael Fuente DameresThe OQT time was 1:46.26, meaning the leaders needed to improve by 1.5 seconds to qualify individually.
- Women's 200m Freestyle: As with the men's, there is expected to be fierce competition for the relay spots. The winner of the 400m Freestyle will be: Anastasia Kirpichnikova This morning he led the group by 0.26 overs. Asia TouatiLast night's 100 Fly winner, Marie Wattel, earned a DNS in this morning's competition.
