Apostolos Siskos Fires Off 200 Back Rankings-Topper & Mary-Sophie Harvey Continues Gold Rush In Paris
European silver medallist Apostolos Siskos went top of the 200 back rankings in 1:55.18, thanks to a final 50 that saw him charge past long-time leader Yohann Ndoye Brouard at the Giant Open in Paris.
Ndoye Brouard – the 2022 European champion – was 0.32 ahead at halfway and 0.22 at the 150m mark but Siskos had plenty in reserve with a 28.73 final 50 steering him into the wall. Antoine Herlem also passed Ndoye Brouard to take second in 1:57.62 to 1:57.70.
It cut 0.30secs from his PB of 1:55.42 en-route to last year’s continental podium where just 0.03 separated the Greek and Ukraine’s Oleksandr Zheltyakov in gold. It would have been good enough for fourth at the Olympics where teammate Apostolos Christou set the national record of 1:54.82 on his way to an historic silver at Paris 2024 as he became the first Greek man to win a medal in the pool since 1896.
It was his second title in as many days following the 200 fly (1:57.40) and saw him displace Ollie Morgan at the top of the rankings after the Briton went 1:55.55 at last month’s national championships.
Harvey & Steenbergen Continue Gold Bonanza
Fresh from winning the 400IM and 200 free on the opening day – and catapulting herself into the world top five in the former – Mary-Sophie Harvey returned to the Olympic Aquatics Centre Métropole du Grand Paris to claim more silverware.
Mary-Sophie Harvey: Photo Courtesy: Peter H. Bick
First up was the 400 free. She led throughout to stop the clock in 4:05.42 and take a 2.28sec chunk from her PB of 4:07.70 set at last year’s Sette Colli meet in Rome, weeks before the Olympics held a few miles away at La Defense Arena. It propelled her to third Canadian all-time behind Summer McIntosh and her then WR of 3:56.08 at the 2023 Canadian trials and Brittany MacLean’s 4:03.43 in prelims at Rio 2016 before going on to finish fifth in the final.
Anastasia Kirpichnikova added silver to her 800 title in 4:10.54 with Anna Egorova third in 4:14.12.
Harvey returned around 20 minutes later for the 200m breaststroke. Again she was in charge from start to finish to touch in 2:24.22 and take close to a second off her best of 2:25.14 from the Canadian Swimming Open last month. Cyrielle Duhamel (2:28.38) and Adele Blanchetiere (2:31.81) joined her on the podium.
Marrit Steenbergen won the 50 free and 100m breaststroke on the opening day and she was back in the water for the 100 free in which she won gold at the 2024 Doha worlds in a Dutch record of 52.26. Out in 25.79 and back in 27.19, the 2022 European champion stopped the clock in 52.98 for her 10th voyage inside 53secs. It propelled her to third in the 2025 rankings behind Gretchen Walsh (52.90) and Torri Huske (52.95) with the trio the only women inside 53 so far this year, albeit with world trials to come in the USA, Australia and the Netherlands.
Steenbergen was in oceans of space at the head of the field with Beryl Gastaldello taking silver in 54.82 as she made it to the podium for the second time in the session following 50 back gold in 28.03. Lison Nowaczyk was third in 55.26.
Proud Clinches Sprint Double
Ben Proud: Photo Courtesy: Deepbluemedia / Insidefoto
Olympic silver medallist Ben Proud added the 50 free title to his 50 fly gold as the only man inside 22secs in 21.90. Maxime Grousset (22.01) was second with Michael Andrew claiming bronze by 0.01 from Renzo Tjon A Joe in 22.25 to 22.26.
Corentin Pouillart emerged the winner from a fine tussle in the men’s 200 free. Pouillart took the title in 1:49.33 ahead of Neo Dutriaux (1:49.43) and Roman Fuchs (1:49.46) as 0.13 separated the first three home.
Maty Ndoye Brouard – sister of Yohann – won the 50 fly in 26.58 and Lilou Ressencourt the 200 fly (2:10.18).
Marc-Antoine Olivier was the only man inside 8mins in the 800 free in 7:55.07, Tom Remy won the 400IM in 4:19.19 and Ronan Wantenaar of Namibia was the first man home in the 100m breaststroke in 1:00.53.