As usual, the Cercle des nageurs de Marseille left the Var with a harvest of national podiums, but the essentials were elsewhere this weekend in Saint-Raphaël *. These French championships were indeed for many the first competition after more than ten months of hiatus. They were also the opportunity to obtain an Olympic pre-visa.
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Gastaldello and Manaudou had shown the way
Between Thursday and Sunday, three competitors and one competitor, all from the CNM, swam the required time to qualify for a ticket to the Tokyo Games at the end of the first Olympic qualifying phase.
Beryl Gastaldello was the first in the 100 freestyle on Thursday. « I manage to transfer what I do in small bath in big bath, it is important for me. I’ve learned a lot about myself lately, about my physical and mental strength and it’s starting to show ». Like the other three pre-qualifiers, the 25-year-old native of Marseille was highlighted during the ISL, a competition that brought together the best swimmers in the world for a month in Budapest this fall. In a small basin.
Friday, even if the clock left him hungry (21”73), Florent Manaudou had achieved the minimums over 50 m freestyle. « I will not consider myself qualified. At 21:40, I was almost sure, that’s also why I wanted to swim fast. There, with this weather, there is a good chance but it is not sure », he tempered.
This first phase of Olympic qualification is in fact open until March 21, 2021. On that date, if the chronometric criterion of a distance is met by several swimmers, only the fastest will qualify for Japan. The last tickets for Tokyo will be distributed at the 2021 French Championships in mid-June in Chartres, according to lower minimums, within the limit of two qualified per race.
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Henique and Wattel complete the four aces
Saturday, Mélanie Henique succeeded in her moult, she the specialist of the 50m butterfly, a distance which is not Olympic. To go to Tokyo, the adopted Marseillaise turned to the crawl, with success. Ten days from her 28 aces, she lowered her personal best by half a second, from 24”86 in January 2020 to 24”34 this weekend in the playoffs (then 24”39 in the final). « This is my first (national) title over 50m, it represents a lot, a lot of work, time spent thinking, how to put an arm, how my body is in the water, how to progress … », whose career has not been linear.
Finally, Marie Wattel completed this square of ace yesterday, on 100 m butterfly. She won in 57”40 (for 57”51 requested). But at 23, the swimmer who trains in England, at Loughborough, wants more. « I do not close the door to 50 m and 100 m. I would like to go to the Olympics with more than an individual qualification, to have something other than the 100m butterfly to put my teeth in », she warns.
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* Read again on lamarseillaise.fr: “ Romain Barnier: + The medals do not count this weekend + »
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