The women of Nice have finally claimed their first medal with the bronze won by Anna Santamans in the mixed 4x100m freestyle relay. This is the first international long-course medal for the 50m and 100m specialist.
The days were passing by in Berlin, and the tally remained at zero for the swimmers of Olympic Nice Natation. With a very young team averaging 18.3 years old, aiming for a title was difficult. The initial goal was a medal for Charlotte Bonnet, gaining experience, advancing through heats, and setting personal bests for the others.
Anna Santamans is the first woman from Nice to medal in Berlin. In the final of the mixed 4x100m freestyle relay, a novelty with two boys and two girls, she dove in third position after Clément Mignon and Grégory Mallet. With a split time of 54.64 seconds, she handed over to Coralie Balmy, who couldn’t catch up with Italy and Russia. The Niçoise adds to her achievements, creating a new entry in long-course competitions. Indeed, at 21, Anna Santamans had never stood on an international long-course podium, only having three medals, two of which were gold at the European Championships in Chartres in 2012 (short course 25m).
“This medal is gratifying. It’s a relay, so we share it with teammates, which is always special. We handled this relay well; they say those absent are always wrong (only 4 participants), so we made it to the podium, and that’s great,” analyzed Anna Santamans after the relay.
Now, she’s focusing on her goal for these European Championships, the 50m freestyle. “Not in the best shape,” the Nice swimmer hopes to advance through the heats, challenge the standings, reach the finals, and surprise everyone. She might also participate in the 4x100m medley relay, with heats scheduled for Sunday morning and the final in the evening to conclude the week of competition.
From our special correspondent in Berlin – Clément Bigois
