World Championships, Day Seven Finals: Maxime Grousset Wins 100 Fly In 50.14; Fifth All-Time

Maxime Grousset of France competes in the 100m Butterfly Men Final during the 20th World Aquatics Championships at the Marine Messe Hall A in Fukuoka (Japan), July 29th, 2023.

Maxime Grousset: Photo Courtesy: Andrea Masini / Deepbluemedia / Insidefoto

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World Championships, Day Seven Finals: Maxime Grousset Wins 100 Fly In 50.14; Fifth All-Time

Maxime Grousset won the first individual title of his career in the international pool when he unleashed a 50.14 French record 100 fly at the World Championships, becoming the fifth-fastest performer in history a year before a home Games in Paris.

Behind him came 2022 silver medallist Josh Liendo in a Canadian record of 50.34 with Dare Rose taking bronze in 50.46.

It steered Grousset to fifth all-time performer with the two fastest men – Caeleb Dressel and Kristof Milak – not competing in Fukuoka.

Maxime Grousset of France celebrates after winning the gold medal in the 100m Butterfly Men Final during the 20th World Aquatics Championships at the Marine Messe Hall A in Fukuoka (Japan), July 29th, 2023.

Photo Courtesy: Andrea Masini / Deepbluemedia / Insidefoto

It was a third medal of the 2023 World Championships for the Frenchman who has also won bronze in the 50 fly and 100 free and the fourth French gold following Leon Marchand‘s treble.

Grousset has won individual medals across World Championships in the short and long course pool as well as the Europeans.

Until today however, the closest he had come to an individual title was silver in the 100 free at the 2022 World Championships in Budapest and silver in the 50 fly at last year’s Europeans in Rome.

Second at halfway behind Nyls Korstanje (23.20), Grousset went ahead following the turn and extended his lead with 25 to go.

Liendo – third at 50 – ate into the deficit to touch 0.20 adrift and take 0.02 off his Canadian record of 50.36 from the trials in March while Rose came from fourth at the turn with the fastest split of the field in 26.63.

Grousset splits: 23.24/26.90

Liendo splits: 23.55/26.79

Rose splits: 23.83/26.63

Grousset told the poolside interviewer:

“Pretty good. I am feeling great…..to be here in Japan and to be a world champion.

“I am in good shape and good confidence for the next year (ahead of Paris).

“Let’s go.”

All-Time Rankings

49.45: Caeleb Dressel, 2021 Tokyo Olympics

49.68: Kristof Milak, 2021 Tokyo Olympics

49,82: Michael Phelps, 2009 World Championships

49.95: Milorad Cavic, 2009 World Championships

50.14: Maxime Grousset, 2023 World Championships

Josh Liendo Edwards of Canada competes in the 100m Freestyle Men Heats during the 20th World Aquatics Championships at the Marine Messe Hall A in Fukuoka (Japan), July 26th, 2023.

Josh Liendo: Photo Courtesy: Giorgio Scala / Deepbluemedia / Insidefoto

Matthew Temple was fourth (50.81) and Korstanje set a Dutch record of 51.05 while Kastsuhiro Matsumoto (51.20), Noe Ponti (51.23) and Gal Cohen Groumi (51.32) completing the field.

Liendo had pulled out of the 50 free because of the proximity of the two events in the schedule and said:

“It was good. I wanted to focus on this event.

“Obviously the 50m freestyle was fast and my 50 wasn’t that on, so I made the decision to scratch it and go all out on the fly and it paid off.”

He added:

“I just trusted my race, trusted my strengths, and I tried to work on stuff that I found were my weaknesses, and I think it paid off.”

Liendo, the Commonwealth champion, announced in August last year that he would move to the University of Florida to work under the watchful eye of Anthony Nesty.

He has flourished in Florida although he’s had to make a lot of changes, saying:

“I’m learning a lot of stuff. But obviously school, that’s a big part of it, studying as well. I find that was a very good thing for me, a good distraction and obviously something else to balance, to distract me from swimming.

“I felt that I was good. In training, I’ve grown a lot, gotten better in the weight room, more experience.”

Rose had top seed for the final and despite winning his first senior international medal, the 20-year-old’s immediate reaction was of disappointment.

He said:

“I didn’t follow my race plan as good as I thought. That was my first thought. But I was super happy to get my first individual medal, get my hand on the wall for USA. I was super happy about that.

“It was my second international final at a big meet, so gaining some experience and super happy, super excited to be here.

“I felt pretty good going on the way home. I just think I could’ve taken it out a little bit quicker. Still a PB so nothing to be ashamed of. Super happy with that.”

Rose, sixth in the 50 fly, has learned a lot of lessons from his first international trip with the USA, saying:

“I’d say there’s tons of things to learn. Even though things didn’t go as well as the way I wanted them too, still happy with the medal around my neck.

“I‘m just striving for more, getting better every day. I’m super hyped up for next year, Paris, I think I can do something there.”

2023-07-29 (8)

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