2026 French Elite Championships: Day 4 Finals Stay Recap

2026 FRENCH ELITE CHAMPIONSHIPS

Welcome to the 4th finals session for the 2026 French Elite Championships!

There has been some quick swimming thus far this week, and we might be in for some extra tonight, even with the just lately introduced withdrawal of Leon Marchand, on account of a hip damage.

On the schedule tonight, there are six particular person occasion finals:

• Women’s 1500 freestyle
• Men’s 50 Breaststroke
• Women’s 100 Backstroke
• Men’s 50 Backstroke
• Women’s 200 Breaststroke
• Men’s 200 Freestyle

Ines Delacroix is the highest seed within the girls’s 1500 freestyle tonight in 16:29.24, about 15 seconds off the Paris choice time of 16:14.00.

In the lads’s 50 breaststroke, Carl Aitkaci earned the highest spot in 27.19, a tenth beneath the qualifying time of 27.30. He is just not formally on the European Championships crew but, and will likely be trying to keep beneath that qualifying time in tonight’s closing to lock up his spot.

The girls’s 100 backstroke will see Mary-Ambre Moluh as the highest seed and the one swimmer beneath 1:00 on this morning’s prelims session along with her 59.66. Beryl Gastaldello is seeded 2nd after swimming 1:00.25.

Lysander Osman took the highest seed within the males’s 50 backstroke prelims, touching in 24.89 to be the one sub-25 swimmer this morning. He will likely be attempting to duplicate that swim tonight after precisely tying the qualifying time of 24.89.

In the ladies’s 200 breaststroke, Melina Giraudeau and Lucie Vasquez will likely be racing for the highest spot with Giraudeau holding the highest seed at 2:30.38 and Vasquez coming in seeded 2nd at 2:30.86.

The closing occasion of the session would be the males’s 200 freestyle, the place 16-year-old Sauveur Cristofini swam 1:47.61 to be the highest swimmer in prelims. He presently holds the French U17 file at 1:47.56, and he will likely be chasing a person qualification within the occasion tonight.

Women’s 1500 Freestyle — Timed Final (Fastest Heat)

• World Record: 15:20.48 — Katie Ledecky, USA (2018)
• World Junior Record: 15:28.36 — Katie Ledecky, USA (2014)
• French Record: 15:40.35 — Anastasia Kirpichnikova (2024)
• French European Championships Qualifying Time: 16:14.00

Top 3 Finishers

Lou-Ann Gaudaire received the ladies’s 1500 freestyle closing warmth along with her time of 16:22.76, nearly 12 seconds forward of the remainder of the sector.

Gaudaire’s time was a 23 second drop from her lifetime better of 16:45.86, which she set in March of this 12 months. She got here in somewhat greater than eight seconds off the European Championships qualifying time of 16:14.00.

Ines Delacroix took 2nd in 16:34.06, a 5 second add from her better of 16:29.24, which she set, additionally in March of 2026.

Alexa Reyna, who swims collegiately at ASU, tok third in 16:36.66, a 15 second add from her better of 16:21.46, which she set in July of 2022.

Men’s 50 Breaststroke — Final

• World Record: 25.95 — Adam Peaty, GBR (2017)
• World Junior Record: 26.95 — Jan Malte Grafe, GER (2025)
• French Record: 26.93 — Antoine Viquerat (2025)
• French European Championships Qualifying Time: 27.30

Top 3 Finishers

After simply lacking a spot within the 100 breast, Carl Aitkaci formally earned his roster spot for the 2026 European Championships along with his win within the males’s 50 breaststroke.

He stopped the clock in 27.21, profitable the occasion by three hundredths over Ronan Wantenaar‘s 27.24 in 2nd overall. Aitkaci’s time was 9 hundredths sooner than the French qualifying time of 27.21.

Aitkaci’s swim was a slight add from his prelims time of 27.19, however was nonetheless sooner than his pre-meet better of 27.51.

Wantenaar’s finest stands at 26.85 from the World Championships final summer season.

Pierre Goudeneche completed third in 27.35, simply lacking the QT by 5 hundredths.

Women’s 100 Backstroke — Final

• World Record: 57.13 — Regan Smith, USA (2024)
• World Junior Record: 57.57 — Regan Smith, USA (2019)
• French Record: 58.79 — Emma Terebo (2024)
• French European Championships Qualifying Time: 1:00.27

Top 3 Finishers

Mary-Ambre Moluh picked up her 2nd French Record of this meet within the girls’s 100 backstroke, stopping the clock in 58.25 to take greater than half-a-second off Emma Terebo‘s 2024 file of 58.79, splitting 27.91/30.34.

Moluh’s swim will transfer her as much as the fifth quickest performer on this planet this season, simply behind Katharine Berkoff‘s 58.20. The subsequent quickest European athlete this season is Pauline Mahieu with the 59.44 she set in March, which is ranked fifteenth on this planet.

Moluh’s pre-meet finest stood at 59.01 from early in June. She got here into the season at 59.16 from final summer season’s French Championships.

Mahieu chased down Beryl Gastaldello on the again half to complete 2nd in 59.57. Mahieu break up 29.14/30.43 to outsplit Gastaldello’s 28.69/31.07 by about six tenths on the 2nd 50.

Gastaldello nonetheless earned her personal qualification within the occasion, touching in 59.76 to be the ultimate swimmer sub-1:00 this night.

Men’s 50 Backstroke — Final

• World Record: 23.55 — Kliment Kolesnikov, RUS (2023)
• World Junior Record: 24.00 — Kliment Kolesnikov, RUS (2018)
• French Record: 24.07 — Camille Lacourt (2010)
• French European Championships Qualifying Time: 24.89

Top 3 Finishers

There had been no particular person males’s qualifiers within the 50 backstroke with no athletes coming in beneath the qualifying normal of 24.89.

Yohann Ndoye-Brouard swam the highest time of 25.00. He is already on the crew for his efficiency within the 200 backstroke. His lifetime finest is 24.62 from June of 2025.

Lysander Osman took 2nd in 25.01 after precisely tying the qualifying time within the prelims to earn the highest seed.

Jules Andre and Michel Arkhangelsky tied for third general in 25.13. This swim was a 3 hundredth drop for Andre from the 25.16 he set in December of 2025. Arkhangelsky, additionally set a brand new finest, dropping three tenths from his time of 25.52, which he set in May of 2025.

Women’s 200 Breaststroke — Final

• World Record: 2:17.55 — Evgenia Chikunova, RUS (2023)
• World Junior Record: 2:19.64 — Viktoriya Zeynep Gunes, TUR (2015)
• French Record: 2:25.12 — Justine Delmas (2021)
• French European Championships Qualifying Time: 2:25.91

Top 3 Finishers

For the 2nd occasion in a row, there have been no swimmers who earned French Qualifying Times for the European Championships within the girls’s 200 breaststroke.

Lucie Vasquez swam the highest time within the occasion of two:28.13. This swim was an eight tenth drop from her earlier finest of two:28.99, which she set in December of 2023. She break up 1:09.82/1:18.31 to win the occasion by seven tenths over silver medalist Zia Dupont.

Dupont swam 2:29.09, splitting 1:12.19/1:16.90, practically closing the hole on the ultimate 100. Her swim was a tenth add from the two:28.12 she swam in June of 2024. She did shut the hole on the bronze medalist Melina Giraudeau

Giraudeau completed third in 2:29.25, including two tenths from the two:29.17 she swam in July of 2022. She break up 1:11.95/1:17.30.

Men’s 200 Freestyle — Final

• World Record: 1:42.00 — Paul Biedermann, GER (2009)
• World Junior Record: 1:42.97 — David Popovici, ROM (2022)
• French Record: 1:43.14 — Yannick Agnel (2011)
• French European Championships Qualifying Time: 1:46.88

Top 3 Finishers

There was a tie for the win within the males’s 200 freestyle closing with Sauveur Cristofini and Roman Fuchs each swimming 1:46.86 to cease the clock two hundredths beneath the qualifying time of 1:46.88.

Fuchs was out sooner, splitting 51.32 on the opening 100 to Cristofini’s 51.55. On the 2nd 100, Cristofini got here again tougher, splitting 55.31 to catch Fuchs’ 55.54.

Cristofini’s swim was barely off his lifetime better of 1:46.44 from the French Junior Championships, whereas Fuchs’ lifetime finest stands at 1:46.11 from the World Championships final summer season.

The bronze medal went to Pierre Largeron‘s 1:47.84, a close to three tenth drop from the 1:48.00 he set in June of 2025. He break up 52.39/55.45

The French males’s crew additionally certified their 4×200 freestyle relay to the European Championships with the mixture occasions from the highest 4 athletes within the closing including as much as 7:09.43, half-a-second beneath the QT of seven:10.00. Neo Dutriaux completed 4th in 1:47.87. This is essential for the crew that didn’t qualify a 4×100 freestyle relay.