French Championships: Maxime Grousset Goes 21.68 to Lead Four Ssub-22 Sprinters
The French sprint legacy is in good hands, and it’s more than just Maxime Grousset.
Grousset went 21.68 to win the 50 free at the French Championships in Montpellier on Wednesday. He was one of four swimmers to break 22 seconds and thus the 22.05 automatic qualification standard for the 2025 World Aquatics Championships.
Second was Nikita Baez in 21.69, earning a spot in Singapore. Rafael Fante Damers tied for third in 21.98 with Nans Mazellier. Matteo Robba finished fifth.
Grousset, who earlier this week set the French record in the 50 butterfly, went 21.73 in prelims, well ahead of Fante Damers’ 22.06. Grousset ties Kyle Chalmers and Santo Condorelli for the eighth-fastest time in the world in 2025.
In a battle of Olympians, Melanie Henique got the better of Marie Wattel in the women’s 50 butterfly. Henique went 25.97 to Wattel’s 26.19, both under the A standard for Worlds.
Third was Jeanne De Murcia in 26.35, with Andreanne Bourseul fourth in 26.52. Seven swimmers, plus one in the B final, broke 27 seconds.
Damien Joly booked his spot at Worlds in the men’s 1,500 freestyle, with a time of 14:58.78 that is more than two seconds under the auto standard. He bested Marc-Antoine Olivier, who went 15:20.26. Emile Vincent was third in 15:22.56.
In fourth place, out of the morning heat, was American Colin Jacobs. Last spring’s U.S. junior champion in the 7.5-kilometer open water swims for Sarasota Sharks and has been training in Antibes. He went 15:24.74, eight seconds shy of the best time of 15:16 he set in May.
Pauline Mahieu is also headed to Singapore after a time of 2:08.28 to win the women’s 200 backstroke. That’s a best time for her by exactly one second over her performance from last June.
Lou-Anne Guiton was a half-second shy of the Worlds cut in second place in 2:11.66. Bertille Cousson followed in 2:12.19, with Switzerland’s Fanny Borer fourth.
Belgian Florine Gaspard won the women’s 50 breaststroke with a time of 30.64, which is under the automatic qualification time for Worlds. It’s within a tenth of a second of her two-year-old national record.
Second was France’s Giulia Rossi-Bene in 31.24, three tenths ahead of Chloe Braun.
Antoine Marc won the men’s 200 breast in 2:10.78, a half-second shy of the auto standard. He was more than a second ahead of Antoine Viquerat, the new national record holder in the 50 breast, who went 2:11.99. Third was Corentin Mouton in 2:13.19. Yamato Okadome, the Japanese international and University of California swimmer competing for ASEC Natation Saint-Paul Reunion, finished fourth in 2:13.30.