Anna Santamans clinched a fifth consecutive title in the 50m freestyle on Thursday. The swimmer from ONN achieved an impressive time of 24.59 seconds, just one hundredth of a second off Malia Metella’s French record and two hundredths of a second from the qualifying time for Rio. Marie Wattel made it to the podium for the second time in three days with silver in the 200m butterfly.
On Thursday evening, Anna Santamans almost touched the Corcovado. Maybe a fingertip, or half a fingertip, is what she lacked to surpass that decisive qualifying mark. Maxime Leutenegger’s pupil shattered her personal record to complete the 50m in 24.59 seconds. The Nice swimmer fell short by two hundredths of the official ticket for Rio (24.57) and one hundredth of Malia Metella’s French record set in Rome in August 2009. There is little doubt that for two hundredths of a second, the National Technical Direction should make a gesture early next week and stamp Santamans’ passport for Brazil.
“Bringing out the race at the right moment”
Speaking to beinSports, the sprinter did not hide her satisfaction: “I have no regrets. This morning (Thursday in the heats), I didn’t feel that great in the water, so I didn’t expect to swim that fast in the evening. I was tense in the morning, I made a lot of mistakes that I worked on between the two races. I delivered the race that was needed at the best of times. I took risks; it’s the first time I only breathed once. It feels good to show up and lower this time.”
A few minutes later, the coach of ONN and the French women’s team, Fabrice Pellerin, congratulated Anna Santamans: “I am thrilled for Anna and the French team. She delivered a very high-level performance, all in a climate of constraint with the qualifying marks.”
A second podium for Marie
For the fourth year in a row, Marie Wattel climbed to the second step of the podium in the 200m butterfly. Despite the distance being “a bit long,” she still performed well with a time of 2:11.82, her personal best in 2016. The Nice swimmer took third place, but since the second place was held by an American student, she moved up a spot on the Montpellier podium.
The other results of the day
The newcomer to the Antibes pool, Jordan Coelho, confirmed he is the leader in the 200m butterfly. The Stade de Vanves licensee recorded a time of 1:56.49, just two tiny hundredths off his personal best. He could be selected by the federation for Rio. No surprises in the 200m backstroke with an easy victory by Benjamin Stasiulis in 1:58.48, although the Marseille swimmer aimed for a time under 1:58. Nevertheless, he secures his place for the “Europe.” A little sensation in the 400m medley with Nicolas d’Oriano winning in 4:20.03. The 19-year-old swimmer from TOEC (Toulouse) shows he could be a reliable asset in the medley in the years to come.
Photo credit: Stéphane Kempinaire / KMSP / French Swimming Federation
