World Series 2026: Emeline Pierre places her coaching to the take a look at on residence waters

The Para Swimming World Series lands in France for the fourth cease of the 2026 season, persevering with a journey that has already taken athletes to the Gold Coast, Barcelona and Lignano Sabbiadoro.

This marks the fourth consecutive 12 months that the competitors is held in France, underlining the nation’s rising function within the worldwide Para swimming circuit. 

That connection runs deeper nonetheless: lower than two years after Paris hosted the Paralympic Games to document crowds and widespread world consideration, the nation is as soon as once more welcoming the world’s prime Para swimmers.

From 1 to three May, 194 athletes from 39 international locations will compete in multi-class occasions on the AquaVal – Centre aquatique Alice-Milliat.

All the motion will likely be stay streamed on the YouTube channel of the French Federation of Sports for People with Disabilities*.

Key season milestones

France’s 24-strong delegation will likely be anchored by Emeline Pierre (S10), one of many standout Paralympic champions on the house roster and among the many most carefully watched swimmers on the competitors.

Pierre arrives with a transparent and structured mindset, approaching the France 2026 World Series not as a peak second however as a key step in an extended preparation cycle.

“The goal isn’t to be at peak performance but rather to validate the work we’ve done in training over the past few weeks,” Pierre mentioned. “We’ve focused a lot on power, the quality of my catch, and high intensity over short efforts. I’ve also paid close attention to technical precision, especially starts, turns, and transitions.”

Consistency and execution are the benchmarks she is measuring herself towards at this stage of the season. 

“I’m not at my best times right now, and that’s completely expected. However, I do feel progress in my consistency and in my ability to repeat technically solid races,” she added.

Racing on residence soil brings an extra layer of motivation, however Pierre’s strategy stays process-driven. Her technique includes committing absolutely from the opening stroke, gathering reference factors and fine-tuning the sort of race execution that may inform her preparation within the months forward. 

“I want to replicate what we’re doing in training: committing fully from the start, with a lot of intensity. The goal is to test things, take some risks, and then adjust,” she mentioned.

For Pierre, a profitable week will likely be outlined past medals or occasions. 

“It will be about my ability to repeat races with good sensations, to implement the power work we’ve been focusing on, and to come away with clear reference points for what’s next. There’s also an important human aspect: racing in France, being with the team, and sharing those moments,” she famous.

🔜 Prepare your “Bonjour!” and let’s make waves within the subsequent Para Swimming World Series 2026.

France, right here we go! ✈️ 🇫🇷#ParaSwimming #WorldSeries2026 #France2026 pic.twitter.com/8FTeZ9afbR

— Para Swimming (@Para_swimming) April 23, 2026

 

She is scheduled to compete within the ladies’s 100m freestyle, 400m freestyle and 100m backstroke.

Pierre is just not the one French athlete with podium credentials at France 2026. Ugo Didier (S9/SM9), a a number of Paralympic champion, is among the many most carefully watched swimmers in your entire area. Assya Maurin Espiau (S14/SB14) provides additional depth to a French workforce that enters the meet as one of the aggressive delegations within the draw.

Didier will compete in 4 occasions – the boys’s 100m and 400m freestyle, 100m backstroke, and 200m medley – whereas Espiau will concentrate on the ladies’s 100m freestyle, 100m backstroke and 100m breaststroke.

International contenders

China leads the visiting delegations with 16 athletes, making it the biggest worldwide workforce at France 2026. Their squad consists of Yu Liu (S5/SB4), a two-time Paralympic champion who will compete within the ladies’s 100m freestyle and 100m breaststroke.

Ukraine follows with 14 swimmers, reinforcing the nation’s constant presence on the Para swimming World Series circuit. Among them is Denys Ostapchenko (SB3), a two-time Paralympic champion whose most up-to-date gold got here at Paris 2024. He is entered within the males’s 50m breaststroke and 150m particular person medley.

Other standout names within the worldwide area embrace: 

Fanni Illes (S6/SB4) of Hungary, a Paralympic champion competing within the ladies’s 50m freestyle and 100m breaststroke

Isaias Sono (S3) of Peru, who strains up in 4 occasions: the boys’s 50m, 100m and 200m freestyle and 50m backstroke

Nora Meister (S6) of Switzerland, competing in her third consecutive World Series cease after Barcelona and Lignano Sabbiadoro final month, racing the ladies’s 100m and 400m freestyle, 100m backstroke and 50m butterfly.

Karolina Pelendritou (S11) of Cyprus, a three-time Paralympic champion, entered within the ladies’s 50m freestyle and 100m breaststroke.

A season gathering tempo

Four stops into the Para Swimming World Series 2026, athletes are starting to sharpen their aggressive edge forward of the World Para Swimming European Championships, scheduled for 7 to 12 September on the Gebze Olympic Swimming Pool in Kocaeli, Turkiye.