Maxime Grousset Blasts 50.61 In 100 Fly To Lower Mehdy Metella’s French Record In Rennes

Maxime Grousset: Photo Courtesy: KMSP/S.KEMPINAIRE

Maxime Grousset Goes 50.61 In 100 Fly To Lower Mehdy Metella’s French Record In Rennes

Maxime Grousset set a French 100 fly record of 50.61 as he sliced a chunk off the PB he set in prelims to go second in the 2023 rankings on the final evening of the national championships in Rennes.

Grousset had served notice with a 51.71 PB in prelims where he shaved 0.01 from his previous best of 51.72 at the Giant Open in March.

He returned in the evening to slice a further 1.10secs from that time, splitting 23.46/27.15 as he went 0.25secs inside Mehdy Metella‘s 2019 record of 50.85.

Up until Grousset’s blast, Metella owned the top 22 times in French history with the former standard-bearer poignantly also in the final in Rennes, finishing eighth in 53.39.

Only world bronze medallist Josh Liendo has gone quicker this year with a time of 50.36 at the Canadian trials.

It concluded a fine week in Rennes for the 24-year-old with 100 free gold in 47.62 and 50 silver in 21.78 behind Florent Manaudou‘s 21.62 to add to the 100 fly.

He also won the 50 fly but his time of 23.06 was 0.02 outside the cut of 23.04.

Grousset said:

“I started quickly and I trusted myself, I swam on instinct.

“When you don’t really know what you are capable of, it is better not to set limits, trust yourself and go for it.

“I only did crawl this year in training. The few times I did butterfly, my shoulders hurt. It seems that the overall work pays off anyway.”

Grousset – coached by Michel Chrétien at Clichy – won 100 free silver at last year’s World Championships, one place ahead of Liendo, and 50 bronze, two places and 0.04 in front of the Canadian.

He looked forward to a reunion in the Fukuoka water, saying:

“Josh was already a good freestyle opponent, now he will be a butterfly opponent.

“We will meet at the Worlds and we will see who will be the strongest. I am really happy. I will tell Michel (Chrétien) that he did well to listen to me. The week is positive, I got three titles and a nice silver medal”

#EnDirect #Natation #Rennes2023
La joie de Maxime GROUSSET après avoir réalisé le nouveau record de France du 100m papillon en 50.61 🔥 #TeamFrance #TeamFFN pic.twitter.com/EFkPpDhOPK

— FFN (@FFNatation) June 16, 2023

Tomac Completes Backstroke Treble In Rennes

Mewen Tomac completed a backstroke clean sweep when he won the 50 in 24.80 ahead of Yohann Ndoye Brouard (25.29).

Although neither man was inside the worlds cut, they’ll both travel to Fukuoka with Tomac having claimed the 100 and 200 and Ndoye Brouard punching his ticket in the 100 after a difficult few months following a skiing accident.

Fantine Lesaffre won the 400IM in 4:37.55 to book her second swim in Fukuoka following the short medley with Cyrielle Duhamel also inside the cut in 4:39.38.

Mewen Tomac: Photo Courtesy: KMSP/ S.KEMPINAIRE

Damien Joly added the 1500 to his 800 slate in 14:56.46 with David Aubry also inside the cut in 14:58.94.

Marie Wattel claimed the 200 free title, adding to the 100 she won earlier in Rennes although her time of 1:58.83 was outside the cut.

Wattel though has qualified in the 50 and 100.

Charlotte Bonnet lowered the French 50 breast record to 30.85 in the heats, consigning to history Sophie de Ronchi‘s 30.96 that had stood since the 2009 French Championships amid the super-suited era.

She clocked 31.17 in the final, the first Frenchwoman home behind Florine Gaspard of Belgium (30.73).

Bonnet leaves Rennes with both the 50 and 100 standards after going 1:07.54 over two lengths and will compete in the 200IM in Fukuoka.

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