The 2026 French Elite Championships are underway, and the competition is heating up! With the European Championships in Paris just around the corner, swimmers are pushing themselves to the limit to secure their spots on the team. Here's a breakdown of some of the key moments from Day 5 of the prelims.
Beryl Gastaldello's Impressive Performance
One of the standout performances of the day came from Beryl Gastaldello, who is already qualified for this summer's team. In the women's 50 freestyle, Gastaldello clocked a time of 24.91, just a tenth off the qualifying time of 24.80. This performance showcases her exceptional speed and technique, and it will be interesting to see if she can improve upon this time in the finals.
Mary-Ambre Moluh's Impressive Record-Breaking Performance
Another standout performance came from Mary-Ambre Moluh, who is fresh off breaking French records in the women's 50 and 100 backstroke. In the women's 50 freestyle, Moluh earned the 2nd qualifying spot with a time of 25.07, three tenths ahead of Albane Cachot, who swam 25.33 to qualify 3rd for tonight's finals.
Men's 100 Backstroke Competition
The men's 100 backstroke was a close race, with Jules Andre earning the top spot out of prelims with a time of 54.11. Yohann Ndoye-Brouard finished 2nd in prelims just two hundredths back, stopping the clock in 54.13. Clement Secchi took 3rd in prelims at 54.47. With the qualifying time for the European Championships set at 53.95, these swimmers will need to improve their times significantly to secure their spots.
Women's 200 Fly and 200 IM
In the women's 200 fly prelims, Lilou Ressencourt swam the top time of 2:11.64, just over a second off the qualifying time of 2:10.59. Her lifetime best in the event of 2:08.81 is well under the necessary time, so she will be looking to improve upon this time in tonight's race. Tabatha Avetand took 2nd in 2:13.41, and Adelaide Meuter qualified 3rd in 2:14.56.
In the women's 200 IM, Cyrielle Duhamel swam 2:16.05 to earn the top qualifying spot by about two seconds. This was a six-second improvement from her best of 2:10.84, which she set at the Tokyo Olympics in 2021. Zoe Carlos-Broc qualified 2nd about two seconds back in 2:18.43, and Louann Soulard qualified 3rd in 2:19.43.
Men's 200 Fly
Sandro Henras-Marouf finished 1st in the men's 200 fly prelims, touching in 2:00.84, four seconds off the qualifying time of 1:56.51. His lifetime best stands at 1:57.65 from March of 2026, so he will be looking for a full second drop in tonight's race. Fares Benzidoun took 2nd in prelims, touching in 2:00.88, just four hundredths behind Henras-Marouf, and Martin Beauger finished 3rd in 2:01.16.
Conclusion
The 2026 French Elite Championships are shaping up to be an exciting competition, with swimmers pushing themselves to the limit to secure their spots on the European Championships team. With the qualifying times set at a high standard, these swimmers will need to improve their times significantly to secure their spots. It will be interesting to see how the finals unfold and which swimmers will emerge as the top performers.
