Swimming: best club in the French championships in short swims, Canet 66 shows that it continues to grow with its own values

A small consecration. A historic weekend. An explosion in the eyes of the small swimming world of what the Canet 66 is. This is how these French short course championships could be summarized, which ended this Sunday, November 3, in Montpellier. Because, in the Angelotti pool, Cyrille Gualbert's swimmers shone. They, first, made their coach “proud to lead this group”but, also, they made their yellow caps sparkle which became the star of this weekend of national competition.

For good reason, Canet 66 is the first club in France in these championships. He has the most points. Nearly 400 in front of the Toec club in Toulouse. Taking first place from the Haut-Garonnais, who had occupied it during the last three editions, relieved this year of their Léon Marchand points machine. But the satisfaction is partly there. Canet did not shine with a standard bearer. He relied on all these athletes. Those at international level, such as Analia Pigrée (5 medals including 2 titles), Pauline Mahieu (4 medals including 1 title), both qualified for the world championships in Budapest next December, and Marina Jehl (2 medals including 1 title). But also the young people: Pierre Largeron, Paul Beaugrand, Giulia Rossi-Bene, Camille Tissandié, Louna Candelon, Rosalie Abel-Thiebaut, Tim Gigante, Farès Houti.

“Something is happening that cannot be explained”

Everyone left with a medal, at least, counting the relays. A success all the more beautiful as it shows the wide range of distances over which Cyrille Gualbert's swimmers can shine. “We perform from 50 m to 800 m on several swimsrejoices the coach. We are not a club specialized in sprinting or anything else. Nor a club that wants to promote girls because they have status. A boy like Paul Beaugrand, who medaled in the 800m freestyle, achieved his best performance since 2018. It's great progress which proves that the field is quite open for us.”

But it also shows that there has been something special in this club for several years.“Something is happening in Canet that cannot be explained, you have to experience it to understand it”confided to Free Midday Pauline Mahieu, who will compete in the short course Worlds in the 100m backstroke and the 200m backstroke. An osmosis has been created, with young talents, who have gleaned important points in Montpellier for the club and who are using them to shine. “I think I took time at the start of the season from a physiological point of view. On the other hand, we placed a lot of emphasis on group dynamics because with 10 swimmers this year instead of 6, I knew that I was going to have changessays Cyrille Gualbert. It took me a while for the mayonnaise to set. We did lots of outings outside the pool, all together. And I think the new ones, like Giulia (Rossi-Bene), He is crying (Pigeon) or Camille (Tissandié), That’s a bit of what they were missing. I was attentive to that, but, anyway, it's a bit of my trademark and that of the club. We are certainly a big club, but we have this identity which remains family.”

Promises in the small bath to be confirmed in the big bath

However, the dynamic remains fragile. Cyrille Gualbert knows it. This is also why he is not the only one to maintain it. Florent Poirier, junior coach, Antoine Dubois, physical trainer, Coralie Dobral, physiotherapist, Walter Geyer, mental trainer, and Christophe Zegre, sports director, were all present in Montpellier. Everyone at their level participated in the performances of the Canetois swimmers. These famous shadow workers. “There is something huge that is being created, in terms of atmosphere. And once that takes hold… In these championships, it has increased to a crescendo. And I think that indeed, when you have a team which shines like that, it makes the youngest want it. It creates emulation for those who could ask questions when they start again and for the youngest because it is aspirational.develops the coach.

This is how surprises took place, especially in the last days, with seven and eight medals. This is also how Marina Jehl, a step lower in terms of time than what she could have hoped for, re-mobilized to get her first national title in the 200m freestyle and assume her status as favorite. It's not nothing. Twenty-six medals, including eight gold, and four qualifications for the Worlds, that's not nothing either. But this should only be the beginning. “This competition clearly confirms what we thought about the fact that we have a group that is one of the best in France”enthuses Cyrille Gualbert, before tempering: “It's still a short swim, at the start of the season. It's still less hard than the big swim. We shouldn't delude ourselves by saying that the job is done. The big swim part will be a lot more difficult. But it starts the season and builds confidence.” Important confidence before approaching the interclubs, this Sunday, November 10, in Montauban, where Canet 66 is aiming for victory with its swimmers. But also to prepare for the Worlds, from December 10 to 15. Before that, everyone was entitled to two well-deserved days of rest after having proven that the Canet 66 is once again on an upward slope.