2023-12-09 20:21:55
Grousset, Bonnet, Moluh… The Blues continued their good momentum on Saturday at the European Short Course Swimming Championships, collecting four new medals in the Otopeni swimming pool (Romania).
One day before the end of the competition, the French have 18 medals including six titles and are in second place in the nation rankings, behind the British.
Maxime Grousset, Florent Manaudou, Charlotte Bonnet and Béryl Gastaldello concluded the evening with the bronze medal in the 4x50m freestyle relay (1 min 28 sec 35/100).
“We might have all done a little better to win this title, but it’s not easy. Over 50m, it’s a bit random,” reacted Grousset. “Everyone, we might have gone perhaps a little faster but we are still on the podium so that’s good.”
Reigning world champions, the Blues were beaten by the British of Ben Proud and the Italians.
“I had a little pressure to be in this relay and to tell myself that I was with three distance specialists,” said Bonnet, more accustomed to the 100 and 200 m. “But I held my place, my time was correct. I had a lot of fun on this relay.”
Great “encore plus en confiance”
This podium was the second of the evening for Grousset and Bonnet, who also won bronze in the 50m butterfly and silver in the 200m medley respectively, with two French records to boot.
“I am really very happy to achieve this French record and this medal,” continued Bonnet, also titled Thursday in the 100m medley.
Fourth for a long time, the captain of the Blues produced an impressive effort during the last length to grab the silver medal.
“Without knowing the time, I touch (the wall) and I see the light on the stud. It hasn’t happened often to me to see a light come on on the stud so I’m really happy,” she said. she huffed.
Maxime Grousset, not necessarily a short course specialist, also has three medals at the end of this fifth day of competition. He might further increase his collection on Sunday during the 100m freestyle final.
From his Romanian week, he especially remembers his ability to “continue the races” in view of the Paris Olympics in eight months. “It’s not something that particularly stresses me out. We don’t know what can happen at the Olympic Games so knowing that I’m capable of doing it gives me even more confidence.”
Moluh mightn’t wait
To open the evening, Mary-Ambre Moluh also won a bronze medal in the 100m backstroke final.
“I was stressed, but at the time, I knew it was good stress. I mightn’t wait,” said the 18-year-old swimmer, who won her first international medal.
“It’s an important moment, I’m super happy, knowing that I made my debut in this same pool at the Junior Euros and I came 3rd in the 100m backstroke. So for now I was disappointed, but “Winning a bronze medal makes me very happy.”
A few moments following his race, the Otopeni swimming pool, almost deserted since the start of the competition, finally woke up. In question, the presence in the final of the 200m freestyle of the local hero, David Popovici.
But the public support was not enough for the Romanian, who finished just off the podium. It was the Briton Matthew Richards, reigning world champion of this same distance in long course, who was crowned.
Popovici will be back on Sunday for the 100m freestyle final.
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