The Olympic swimmer assumed her status in the 200m freestyle, her favorite distance. A new title for Canet 66 in the most prolific day of the weekend in Montpellier for the Catalans, allowing the club to be the best in these championships.
Last day of the French short course swimming championships in Montpellier this Sunday. And it's another remarkable day for Canet 66. The most prolific, marked by two new titles. That, in particular, of Olympic swimmer Marina Jehl, on her favorite distance: the 200m freestyle.
Cyrille Gualbert's swimmer went for her second individual medal, after the 100m butterfly where she took silver. She had lost the title by only 8 hundredths two days earlier. This time, she did not miss her chance over a distance which had allowed her to discover the Olympics this summer in the women's 4x200m freestyle relay. Despite mixed heats, with a fourth time in 1'59''44, Marina Jehl reacted in the final, at the start of the evening, with a time of 1'56''63, becoming French champion for 2 tenths, ahead of the 16-year-old swimmer from Grenoble, Maeline Bessard, and another Canétoise. Pauline Mahieu, again, for a fourth podium in these championships.
The backstroker won a bronze medal in freestyle with a new personal best set in 1'57''03. Despite this title, Marina Jehl fails to secure a ticket for the World Championships in Budapest next December. She should have improved her personal best to reach Hungary. “She didn't arrive at these championships in her best form, but she showed that in difficult times, she knows how to pull herself together to win a title. It's her first!insists his coach. Winning can also be learned. She has always been a challenger. There, for the first time she was the swimmer to beat over this distance with the retirement of Charlotte Bonnet. So it’s strong what she has just done despite the difficulties.”
Eight medals in total
The Canet 66 has, a little earlier, stocked its medal cabinet for the weekend. Giulia Rossi-Bene, 17, became French champion in the 100m breaststroke. After her title in the 50m, she did it again with a new personal best smashed in 1'07''67. She was also beaten by a Belgian swimmer. But that does not take away her title, which she was able to celebrate on the podium with another Canetoise, Rosalie Abel-Thiebaut. The 17-year-old swimmer also took bronze over the distance. Camille Tissandié, in the 400m medley, also won bronze. Just like Analia Pigrée, in a new sprint (50 m), in butterfly this time. His fifth individual medal. Paul Beaugrand, too, won a new medal in the 800m freestyle, setting a new personal best in 7'44''33. He finished 2nd over the distance.
The day couldn't end without a new relay charm. As during the previous three days of competition, a quartet from Canet 66 reached the podium, this time in the 4x50m mixed medley. Pauline Mahieu (backstroke), Tim Gigante (breaststroke), Fares Houti (butterfly), Analia Pigrée (freestyle) also won a bronze medal, less than 2 tenths behind the silver Toulouse relay. Swimmers from Marseille, including Clément Secchi and Mélanie Hénique, dominated this final race of the French championships.
Eight national medals have therefore been added to the well-stocked Canet 66 swimming table since Thursday October 31 and the start of these French championships. In total, 26 charms were won. “Never seen before”rejoices Cyrille Gualbert. Especially since Canet 66 finished as the best club in these French championships in terms of points linked to the final rankings, ahead of Toulouse. A huge performance for the club, with young people who performed well and managers who were more fit than imagined.
