2023-06-14 21:08:10
Fourth national title for the 21-year-old prodigy at the French championships in Rennes.
Despite fatigue, Léon Marchand won a fourth French championship title, this time in the 200m medley, Wednesday in Rennes, where Mewen Tomac and Marie Wattel each won a second crown.
Asked about his state of fatigue after four gold medals in as many races, Marchand replied: “During the warm-up, it was horrible, I was no longer advancing! So I kind of went looking for that one.” Marchand had warned the day before that he wanted “try things“and try”different strategieson the race. Result: the 21-year-old Toulousain, new nugget of tricolor swimming, won in 1 min 56 sec 25/100th, one second from his best time. “I really concentrated on the technical parts, I didn’t have a lot of speed in the butterfly so I had to force myself a bit in the backstroke.“, he explained. “Now, I think it’s still a bit lacking at the end, but I’m happy, it’s a good race.»
He validates in passing a new ticket for the World Championships scheduled in five weeks in Fukuoka, Japan, where he will defend his title, hoping to go under 1 min 55 sec.
Marchand had already won three titles since the start of the competition, the 200m breaststroke on Sunday, the 200m freestyle on Monday and the 200m butterfly on Tuesday, and will compete in the 400m medley on Thursday. “It’s not going to be easy, like all 400m medleys, whether we’re in good shape or not, but I’m going to hang on“, did he declare. “I will try to do the job in the morning (in heats) and let go of the horses in the evening (in the final).»
Ndoye Brouard too fair
In the other races, the 200m backstroke gave rise to a good three-way battle, and it was finally Mewen Tomac, already titled in the 100m backstroke, who emerged victorious, winning in 1 min 56 sec 45/ 100th ahead of Antoine Herlem and Yohann Ndoye-Brouard.
The three back-runners achieved the minimums for Japan but only two tickets being allocated, Ndoye Brouard, yet the French record holder and reigning European champion in the specialty, will not be able to defend his chances. “I knew the competition was tough but I fought as best I could with my guns“, he related. The swimmer from Annecy is probably paying for the setback of several weeks endured at the start of the year due to a skiing accident which had caused him a broken elbow. “I don’t finish that far in the end but I don’t have the practice to defend my place“, he noted.
For her part, Mewen Tomac will aim for the hat-trick by starting the 50m backstroke on Friday. “I swam faster this year than at the French Championships in Limoges in 2022, so that bodes well. I will still refine the small details, in particular the cornering approaches, hoping to find a little more freshness“, did he declare.
The last qualifier of the day was Marie Wattel, winner “in painof the 100m freestyle. The Northerner, already victorious in the 100m butterfly, won in 53 sec 81 following a duel with Béryl Gastaldello. “It was much more complicated than expected. The pain came very early. I fought with Beryl because I felt we didn’t have much room. I hung on until the end to win this 100m“, she said. “I’m relieved that the hundredths are on the right side.»
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