French Olympic Trials: Laure Manaudou Has Up and Down Day; Men’s 100 Breast, Women’s 100 Fly Included

Updated April 22, 2008

DUNKIRK, France, April 21. DURING the second day of competition at the French Olympic Trials, Laure Manaudou had an up-and-down day of swimming. She took a rare loss in the women's 400 free, but she also clocked a sub-minute semifinal time in the women's 100 back.

Camelia Potec of Romania won the women's 400 free with a time of 4:06.08, while Coralie Balmy paced the swimmers from France with a second-place time of 4:06.41. In a surprise loss, former world-record holder Manaudou placed back in third in 4:06.67.

The men's 400 free relay team of Nabil Kebbab, Fabien Gilot, Romain Caffet and Fred Bousquet won the event in 3:14.81.

Alena Popchanka touched out Aurore Mongel for the victory in the women's 100 fly, 58.65 to 58.73, with both clearing the Olympic standard. Diana Bui Duyet was the hard-luck third-place finisher with a time of 59.24, also under the standard but outside the top two.

After nearly clearing a minute in prelims with a 1:00.05, and posting a 1:00.09 in semis, Hugues Duboscq settled for making the team with a winning time of 1:00.18. James Gibson of Great Britain just missed the Olympic standard with a second-place time of 1:01.71.

Manaudou clocked a sub-minute 100 back during the semifinal round with a time of 59.98 to lead qualifying into finals. The time, along with her 1:00.59 from prelims, broke her meet record of 1:00.64 from 2004. Manaudou's nearest competitor was Alexandra Putra with a 1:01.20 from the other semifinal heat.

Amaury Leveaux followed in the men's 200 free semis with a meet-record time of 1:47.10. That performance cleared his prelim record of 1:47.36, which smashed his meet record of 1:48.10 from 2006. Leveaux looks to be in open water in finals as Sebastien Bodet was the closest qualifier with a 1:49.56.

Elena Bogomazova, a Russian competing in the open meet, nearly cleared her meet record of 1:08.63 in the women's 100 breast with a semifinal time of 1:08.76. Anne Sophie Le Paranthoen qualified second in 1:09.47.

Ben Stasiulis topped the men's 100 back semis with a time of 55.48, while Pierre Roger qualified second in 56.13. Roger, however, had a 55.55 to lead preliminary swimming.

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