Beryl Gastaldello and Maxime Grousset each added a third event to their respective short-course worlds programmes after the second night of finals at the French Elite Championships in Angers.
Like Grousset, Gastadello made two trips to the top of the podium in the 50 back and 100 free on the opening night. She returned on Friday to make the 50 fly cut in 25.20. Melanie Henique and Marie Wattel battled it out behind her with the former taking it by the narrowest of margins in 25.59 to 25.60 with neither woman inside the QT.
Three-time world champion Grousset was the only man inside 21secs in 20.82 as he added the 50 free to his 100 fly and 100IM crowns. Cedric Gabali was second in 21.23 with Clement Secchi and Nikita Baez sharing third in 21.39.
Lysander Osman resisted a fast-finishing Yohann Ndoye Brouard in the men’s 100 back in 49.78 to 49.85 as both men booked a slot for the World Short Course Championships in Beijing next month. Osman’s time was 0.32 off Mewen Tomac’s French record of 49.46 as he won silver at last year’s European short course in Lublin, Poland.
Tomac was next home in 51.02 although he has a slot in the 200 after finishing second behind Ndoye Brouard on the opening night.
David Aubry – who will become a first-time father next year – and Damien Joly were in a tussle from the off in the 800 free with the former always having the edge. He got his hand to the wall in 7:35.30 with Joly next home in 7:36.65 with both men inside the Beijing cut. Ahmed Hafnaoui – long-course world champion in 2023 – was third in 7:40.68.
Friday’s action sees Osman, Aubry and Joly add their names to the French roster for the global championships, where they’ll join Grousset, Gastaldello, Secchi, Roman Fuchs, Tomac and Ndoye Brouard.
In other action, Giulia Rossi-Bene added the 100 breaststroke title to her 50 gold in 1:06.48, Lilou Ressencourt took the 200 free (1:56.34) and Camille Tissandie headed the 400IM (4:38.02).
Mateo Gregoire-Charmasson set an age group record of 1:55.03 in the 200 fly and Carl Aitkaci headed the 200m breaststroke (2:05.21).
