2026 French Elite Championships: Day 1 Finals Dwell Recap

2026 FRENCH ELITE CHAMPIONSHIPS

The first finals session of the 2026 French Elite Championships, which serves because the qualification meet for French swimmers to earn berths to this summer time’s European Championships, kicks off tonight at Piscine Raymond Sommet in Saint-Etienne, France. Finals shall be contested within the ladies’s 800m freestyle, males’s 100m breaststroke, ladies’s 200m backstroke, males’s 50m butterfly, ladies’s 100m freestyle, and males’s 400m IM.

Stay tuned for stay updates.

Women’s 800m Freestyle — Final

• World Record: 8:04.12 – Katie Ledecky, USA (2025)
• World Junior Record: 8:11.00 – Katie Ledecky, USA (2014)
• French Record: 8:18.80 – Laurie Manaudou (2007)
• French European Championship Qualifying Time: 8:29.00

GOLD – Lou-Ann Gaudaire, 8:35.08
SILVER – Alexa Reyna, 8:36.64
BRONZE – Laura Gourgeon, 8:44.25

In the midst of Anastasia Kirpichnikova‘s unknown absence, it was all about Lou-Ann Gaudaire and Alexa Reyna in the women’s 800m freestyle ultimate.

Gaudaire led Reyna from begin to end, however not more than a physique size separated the duo at one level in the course of the race, with Gaudaire finally attending to the wall in 8:35.08 to Reyna’s 8:36.64, with Laura Gourgeon rounding out the highest three with a time of 8:44.25.

According to World Aquatics’ database, Gaudaire sliced over 20 seconds off her former better of 8:55.17 from the Giant Open in March, whereas Reyna dropped simply over a second off her 8:37.65 finest from the 2022 European Junior Championships. Gourgeon has been as fast as 8:42.61, additionally on the Giant Open.

Unfortunately, no swimmers have been capable of dip underneath France’s European Championship Qualifying Time of 8:29.00.

Men’s 100m Breaststroke — Final

• World Record: 56.88 – Adam Peaty, GBR (2019) 
• World Junior Record: 59.01 — Nicolo Martinenghi, ITA (2017)
• French Record: 58.64 – Hugh Duboscq (2009)
• French European Championship Qualifying Time: 59.75

GOLD – Carl Aitkaci, 59.81
SILVER – Antoine Viquerat, 1:00.43
BRONZE – Sebastien Capogna, 1:00.79

Antoine Viquerat acquired off to the strongest begin within the males’s 100m breast ultimate, hitting the 50m flip with the one sub-28 break up of the sphere at 27.80.

The again half belonged to Carl Aitkaci, who charged residence within the sole sub-32 break up of the night, 31.61, to safe the win by 0.61 over Viquerat, 59.81 to 1:00.43, with Sebastien Capogna (1:00.79) taking bronze.

Aitkaci threw down a 59.43 within the heats, breaking the one-minute barrier for the primary time after coming into the meet with a lifetime better of 1:00.22 from when he gained bronze on this occasion a yr in the past. His time fell a painful 0.06 exterior the French European Championship qualifying time, assuming prelim swims usually are not being thought of.

Viquerat, in the meantime, was a number of tenths exterior his 1:00.04 finest from the 2024 version of those championships.

Capogna improved on his 1:00.98 from this morning’s prelims; coming into the meet, his finest was the 1:01.34 he swam on the Canet cease of the Mare Nostrum Series final month.

Women’s 200m Backstroke – Final

• World Record: 2:03.14 – Kaylee McKeown, AUS (2023)
• World Junior Record: 2:03.35 – Regan Smith, USA ( 2019)
• French Record: 2:06.64 – Laure Manaudou (2008)
• French European Championship Qualifying Time: 2:10.89

GOLD – Bertille Cousson, 2:08.67 *Qualifying Time*
SILVER – Pauline Mahieu, 2:11.71
BRONZE – Lou-Anne Guiton, 2:12.28

Bertille Cousson had the swim of her life en path to dominating the ladies’s 200m backstroke ultimate from the very first stroke.

Cousson break up 30.06/32.30/32.80/33.51 on her technique to a ultimate time of two:08.67, with Pauline Mahieu (2:11.71) and Lou-Anne Guiton (2:12.28) securing silver and bronze.

Cousson’s time not solely dipped underneath the two:10.89 European Championship qualifying time but additionally obliterated her former finest of two:10.89 from the 2025 Giant Open.

Mahieu, the defending champion, boasts a finest of two:08.28 from this meet final yr, whereas Guiton was as fast as 2:11.10 at December’s 17e Meeting des Hortillons.

Men’s 50m Butterfly – Final

• World Record: 22.27 – Andriy Govorov, UKR (2018) 
• World Junior Record: 22.96 – Diogo Ribeiro, POR (2022)
• French Record: 22.48 – Maxime Grousset (2025)
• French European Championship Qualifying Time: 23.24

GOLD – Michel Arkhangelsky, 22.91 *Asian Record*
SILVER – Nikita Baez, 23.26
BRONZE – Clement Secchi, 23.38

Michel Arkhangelsky proved untouchable within the males’s 50m butterfly ultimate, clocking 22.91 to earn the win forward of Nikita Baez (23.26) and Clement Secchi (23.38), the one different swimmers to crack 23.6.

Arkhangelsky plans to characterize Bahrain internationally, making him ineligible for a spot on France’s European Championship crew. His swim nonetheless trimmed six hundredths off his lifetime finest from this meet a yr in the past, in addition to two hundredths off Joseph Schooling‘s 2017 Asian Record of twenty-two.93.

Baez fell simply two hundredths wanting the 23.24 qualifying time; he would have made the grade had he matched the 23.23 he produced on the 2025 version of this meet.

Secchi owns a PB of 23.31 from final yr’s championships.

As a reminder, French file holder and reigning world champion Maxime Grousset fractured the bottom of his second metatarsal on his left foot throughout a coaching leap and was compelled to withdraw from the competitors. According to L’Equipe, his restoration time is roughly 4 weeks, which places his attendance on the European Championships in severe doubt, although he may nonetheless be named to the crew if he returns to well being and open spots stay on the French roster in his finest occasions.

Women’s 100m Freestyle – Final

• World Record: 51.71 – Sarah Sjostrom, SWE (2017)
• World Junior Record: 52.70 – Penny Oleksiak, CAN (2016)
• French Record: 52.74 – Charlotte Bonnet (2018)
• French European Championship Qualifying Time: 54.10

GOLD – Marie Wattel, 53.96 *Qualifying Time*
SILVER – Beryl Gastaldello, 54.10 *Qualifying Time*
BRONZE – Mary-Ambre Moluh, 54.15

For the primary time on the night, not one however two swimmers secured European Championship qualifying instances within the ladies’s 100 free.

Marie Wattel led from begin to end, splitting 25.77/28.19 to submit the one sub-54 swim of the evening at 53.96.

Beryl Gastaldello was the one different swimmer to open underneath 26 seconds, splitting 25.94 earlier than holding off a hard-charging duo of Mary-Ambre Moluh and Albane Cachot over the ultimate 50 to take second in 54.06.

Moluh clocked 54.15 for bronze, with Cachot logging 54.25 to make it 4 swimmers underneath 54.6.

In phrases of private bests, Wattel owns a 53.12 from the 2021 Olympic Games, Gastaldello swam 53.30 finally July’s World Championships, Moluh notched 54.08 on the 2024 French Championships, and Cachot produced 54.17 finally summer time’s European Junior Championships.

Men’s 400m IM – Final

• World Record: 4:02.50 – Leon Marchand, FRA (2023)
• World Junior Record: 4:10.02 – Ilya Borodin, RUS (2021)
• French Record:  4:02.50 – Leon Marchand (2023)
• French World Championship Qualifying Time: 4:15.05

GOLD – Leon Marchand, 4:04.56
SILVER – Emilien Mattenet, 4:17.28
BRONZE – Jaouad Syoud, 4:23.47

As anticipated, it was Leon Marchand versus the clock within the males’s 400m IM ultimate.

The reigning Olympic and World Champion staked his declare on the race from the very first stroke, splitting 55.81/1:02.13/1:08.09/59.16 to tear the fifth-fastest swim in world historical past of 4:04.56 en path to profitable the occasion by virtually 13 seconds.