This Friday until Sunday, the best of French swimming and some international headline athletes will gather at the Jean-Bouin swimming pool. Nice is the first of the four stages of the Golden Lanes circuit, but more importantly, it is the beginning of the long course season.
It’s time for the swimmers to get back into action in the long course pool, with the highlight being the World Championships in Kazan (August 2-9). The Jean-Bouin pool is expected to be packed once again for three days of high-level competition. On home turf, Nice locals Charlotte Bonnet, Anna Santamans, Marie Wattel, and Cloé Hache will have their work cut out for them against top continental and international competitors. While the main goal is to get back in the swing of things, achieving good times could kickstart the swimmers’ season.
This first stage will primarily provide an opportunity to see the star of French swimming, Florent Manaudou. The Marseille swimmer is returning to the long course format (50m) and will compete in the 50m Freestyle, his favorite event, as well as the 50m and 100m Backstroke. The Marseille Swimming Club will be out in force, with all the big names attending: Frédérick Bousquet, Fabien Gilot, Camille Lacourt, Mehdy Metella, Clément Mignon, and Giacomo Perez Dortona. Additionally, Jérémy Stravius and Mélanie Hénique, members of the Amiens club, will make the trip. Only Yannick Agnel, who is training in Thailand, will be absent.
The event, sponsored by Arena, will feature international stars like Hungarian Katinka Hosszu, who won four world titles in the short course in Doha last December. Sweden will bring their heavy artillery with Sarah Sjöström (3 world titles, 9 European titles), Michelle Coleman (four-time medalist at the European Championships in Berlin), and Germany with swimmers Steffen Deibler and Christian Deiner. Let’s not forget the Russian, Manaudou’s great rival, Vladimir Morozov, and the Ukrainian Andrii Govorov.
With about fifty races in the morning for the heats and exciting finals in the late afternoon, the Nice public is in for a treat. This weekend, Nice will be the capital of French swimming.
Photo credit: FFN
