If the third evening of the French championships did not get off to a flying start, it then got carried away with first the improvement of Béryl Gastaldello's French record in the 100m backstroke (56″07), event on which Pauline Mahieu also validated her ticket In the newcomers of the Blues quota for the Budapest Worlds, Mélanie Henique joined the “minima team” by finishing vice-champion of France in the 50 m freestyle (24″16) behind. a great Analia Pigrée (24″08). Roman Fuchs, already qualified in the 400m freestyle, had the time on his side in the 200m by validating his ticket for the event for a small hundredth (1'43″16) .
Béryl Gastaldello: “I really feel that I still have something under my belt”
“I didn't have time to celebrate as I had the B final of the 50m freestyle afterwards (23.81, minimum achieved but not qualified because two times were achieved in the A final). This French record is great! I'm happy, I really feel that I still have something under my belt. So there was also a bit of frustration because in the race, I told myself that I hadn't started. Afterwards, I wanted to put it off a little too much, but it was good for me to do it to have good training before the Worlds. And then there it was, it was starting to be less than 56 seconds if we want to start doing something good on the back because the girls are going very, very fast and that's already good. Plus, my grandmother was there, it's the first time she's seen me swim and she's 94 years old. In any case, it's certain, there was a little emotional thing.”
Pauline Mahieu: “A little frustrated but super happy to do the time”
“In fact, I didn't really have an idea of the level I was going to have. I was there, I wanted to have fun. I'm close to 56 seconds, so I'm a little frustrated, but I'm super happy to make the time, happy to be second I also have a big sprain in my fingers at the moment, I haven't had an MRI yet, I don't know if there is anything. more. I did this to myself at the finish on a relay and the two fingers are gone, so I hope it will go well. The good thing is that in the race I don't feel it. recovery and warming up a little.”
Analia Pigrée: “I’m in front of Mélanie, it’s really beautiful”
“I'm so happy there, really (smile). After the 100 backstroke on which I did a bit of a “wonder”, I didn't leave at all, so I really wanted to do a nice 50 crawl. is my first 25 which was undoubtedly hard to do and afterward I said to myself it's really in my head, like the pain, it's information I'm really happy to do it at the Worlds And I'm in front of Mélanie. what, it's really beautiful and really I'm in the two, outsider and I'm very happy I only have two months of training and now I'm swimming 24 zero Frankly, I think we can do a good 50. at the Worlds in less than 24 seconds, I think, that’s my goal anyway.”
Mélanie Henique: “That’s all I wanted”
“It's okay and that's the main thing (laughs). That's it, it's beautiful, that's all I wanted. I started training again a month ago and I said to myself, 'Come on, focus on the pap, we'll see about the crawl”. So that's good, it's more pleasing than it's reassuring because it's still 24″1. There should be a lot of room for improvement. But there are still two months, a month and a half left. There were big changes at the club and everything, so it was still well after the Olympic Games that we had to assimilate, three years of super intense work to digest. And so here it is, that’s what it is today. It’s cool!”
Roman Fuchs: “I took matters into my own hands”
“I obviously wanted to free myself, but as I knew that I was not necessarily going to be accompanied on this race, I took matters in hand, I left very quickly, as far as I could hold. I passed with a small hundredth, there are still quite a few things to see, but the important thing is that it passes and that I do the time with it. I thought I would do it for a little more than that. “There wasn't a lot of competition, there were a few people missing at these French championships, so for a race alone, it's not too bad. Now we'll have to be better at the world championships.”
Maxime Grousset: “There are things that are good”
“I'm happy to do better than this morning because this morning, I had already given myself a try. And there you have it, I managed to swim a little more power, it's not easy enough when it comes to explosiveness, anyway I'm not prepared enough and not in good enough shape as we've seen from the start But there are things that are good, you shouldn't take everything out of this race So I'm not. more disappointed not to qualify for the 50m butterfly because, in any case, I am still a second behind Noè (Ponti), so I am really very far away, I am happy.
In Montpellier, Louis Delvinquière
