Yesterday was the final day of the FFN Golden Tour meeting in Nice. The last day was highlighted by Jérémy Stravius’s victory in the main event, the 100-meter freestyle, in the absence of Florent Manaudou. It also featured the victory of Nice’s own Anna Santamans in the 50-meter freestyle.
A Mastered 100 Meters
This final in the men’s 100-meter freestyle could have been overlooked (especially due to Florent Manaudou’s absence)… but still, there was an impressive lineup.
Present at the start were: Jérémy Stravius, French champion at this distance, Olympic and world champion in the 4×100 relay. Beside him, Fabien Gilot, also a member of that gold-medal-winning relay team in London in 2012. Completing the lineup was Medhy Metella.
In the absence of the giant Manaudou, Amiens’s Jérémy Stravius took the opportunity to claim victory. Although he struggled during the first fifty, he made up ground on leader Fabien Gilot, once more thanks to his glide. In the final meters, he held off a lightning-fast comeback from Medhy Metella. Stravius finished with a time of 48.89.
Metella would later make up for it in the 100-meter butterfly final, where he won the race with a time of 53.24.
Reactions from Jérémy Stravius: https://on.fb.me/1nsS62t
Santamans Dominates the 50 Meters
After the thrill of Charlotte Bonnet’s victory in the 100-meter freestyle yesterday, the Nice audience could once again cheer for one of their champions. This time, it was Anna Santamans, who had placed third in the 100-meter freestyle on Saturday night, who claimed victory in the 50 meters.
Leading throughout the race, she was never in doubt. She posted a time of 25.02, finishing ahead of Mélanie Hénique and Greek swimmer Theodora Drakou.
The next event for the swimmers will be in Amiens from February 5th to 7th, for the second leg of the FFN Golden Tour.
by Désiré Teivao
