On the final day of competition, Anna Santamans achieved an impressive 4th place in the 50m freestyle final (24’’81). For the other girls from ONN, the results were less favorable, as Charlotte Bonnet and Marie Wattel were eliminated in the heats of the 4x100m medley relay.
Anna Santamans had a daunting task and just reaching the final was already an accomplished goal. From Nice and positioned in lane 1 (on the outside), as expected, she paid no attention to anyone else and surprised the experts. She finished in an excellent 4th place with a time of 24’’81, equaling her personal best and achieving the best international performance of her career in a long course pool.
Revealed during the London 2012 Olympics with a 12th place finish in the semi-final, she is the number one specialist for the French team in sprint distances. At 21, she also represents the future for the upcoming World Championships in Kazan in 2015 and the 2016 Olympics in Rio.
“I am very happy with this 4th place; it’s the best long course performance of my career. I executed the perfect race from start to finish, including the underwater phase and pacing. After a preparation cut short by two injuries, I can do better. I hope to swim 24’’50 in 2015,” analyzed Anna Santamans after her 50m freestyle.
On the seventh and final day of competition, the swimmers were running low on energy, with each additional race taking a toll on their arms and legs. The girls in the 4x100m medley relay felt it acutely in the morning. Finishing tenth in the heats, the young relay team of Charlotte Bonnet, Mathilde Cini, Coralie Dobral, and Marie Wattel was eliminated. With two swimmers aged 19 and one aged 17, this relay has medium- and long-term potential if the French team can find a high-level breaststroker.
“We went into this relay without pressure; we had no chance for a podium. The best outcome would have been a final, but it didn’t happen. We are all tired from our individual races, there wasn’t much energy left. It was good to start the race; we are building this team to be competitive in the future,” explained Charlotte Bonnet after her last race of the week in Berlin.
From our special correspondent in Berlin – Clément Bigois.
