Florent Manaudou Fires Off 48.12 In 100 Free Prelims In Rennes; Fourth-Fastest Of Career

Florent Manaudou of France prepares to compete in the 50m Butterfly Men Semifinal during the FINA Swimming Short Course World Championships at the Melbourne Sports and Aquatic Centre in Melbourne, Australia, December 13th, 2022. Photo Giorgio Scala / Deepbluemedia / Insidefoto

Florent Manaudou: Photo Courtesy: Giorgio Scala / Deepbluemedia / Insidefoto

Florent Manaudou Fires Off 48.12 In 100 Free Prelims In Rennes; Fourth-Fastest Of Career

Florent Manaudou went 48.12 for the fourth-fastest 100 free of his career and his swiftest in over seven years in day three prelims of the French Championships in Rennes.

Manaudou split 23.08/25.04 to stop the clock at 48.12, just 0.14 outside his 47.98 PB from the 2014 European Championships.

It was also the three-time Olympic 50 free medallist’s fastest time since going 48.10 at the French Championships in April 2016, a month after his 48.00 at the Mediterranean Open.

It elevated him into the 2023 world top 20 and top of this year’s French rankings ahead of Maxime Grousset and his 48.50 at the Giant Open.

Grousset booked lane five behind Manaudou in 48.44 with Hadrien Salvan next through in 49.06.

Marchand, Henique & Moluh Book Centre Lanes; Aubry In Clear Water

Marchand has already booked two races for himself in Fukuoka in the 200 breaststroke and 200 freestyle following his sabre-rattling 2:06.59 in the former to become fourth fastest all-time.

On Monday he came from seventh at halfway to win the 200 free from the outside lane in 1:46.44 and became the third-fastest Frenchman in history in the process.

Leon Marchand: Photo Courtesy: Peter H. Bick

He returned on Tuesday to clock the second-fastest 200 fly prelim of 1:59.17 behind Noyan Taylan who clocked 1:58.75, the pair the only men inside 2mins.

Marchand won silver behind Kristof Milak at last year’s World Championships in a national record of 1:53.37, albeit 3.03secs outside the Hungarian’s world-record time.

French record-holder David Aubry was in a league of his own in the 800 free, the only man inside 8mins in 7:51.41.

Melanie Henique was the only woman inside 25secs in the 50 free in 24.94 ahead of Marie Wattel (25.19) and Beryl Gastaldello (25.30).

Mary-Ambre Moluh – third in the 100 back by 0.01 on Monday – heads the 50 back prelims in Rennes, the European junior champion clocking 27.84.

Analia Pigree – who won the European title in Rome last year and on the flight to Japan in the 100 – was next through in 27.96 with 100 winner Pauline Mahieu safely through in 28.72.

Elsewhere in Rennes, Clement Bidard was the first Frenchman in the 100 breaststroke prelims, clocking 1:00.82 behind Kyrgyzstan’s Denis Petrashov (1:00.54).

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