Chartres (AFP)

For his last 50m before the Tokyo Games (23 July-8 August), Florent Manaudou, who aims to win back Olympic gold in the one-way ticket, was beaten by Maxime Grousset at the French Championships, Sunday in Chartres.

At the national level, that had not happened to him for nine years.

At the time, in March 2012, it was Amaury Leveaux who had beaten Manaudou in the Olympic selections for London, by two hundredths (21.93 against 21.95).

Sunday evening, Grousset (22) won in 21 sec 74, with just one tenth ahead of the 2012 Olympic champion and 2016 Olympic vice-champion in the 50 m (21.84).

In addition to affording a second ticket to Tokyo after the one obtained over 100m, the New Caledonian lowered his personal best by twelve hundredths.

"When you swim fast, you can beat me, I'm not unbeatable, far from it," said Manaudou, who had remained on seven 50m above 22 seconds since the beginning of June before this final.

The last in the morning series, 22 sec 20 precisely, already behind Grousset (21.94).

It has become a major trend since his post-containment recovery: the Marseille sprinter, who hastened to withdraw his silver medal once he got off the podium, did not manage to accelerate frankly, and swam in the waters its fifth place in Europe in mid-May (21.81).

During this time, Caeleb Dressel, reigning world champion and contender N.1 for Olympic gold, rocketed him in 21 sec 29 at the American selections.

- "Not yet developed" -

If Manaudou "did not necessarily expect much better" and repeated that "the objective is in six weeks", he admitted having had bad feelings.

"I really didn't feel good tonight. I lack a little strength in the water, I don't have too much feeling, I didn't feel my support too much, I do a very, very short flow, one less ripple, and after that, it disturbs a lot of things, I can't quite hit the wall, he describes. I wouldn't have done 21 sec 2 / 10th either, maybe 21 sec 6 / 10th or 21 sec 7 / 10th. "

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"My 50m swim is not too good yet, I ask myself too many questions, he agrees. Tonight, I tried to pose the brain, unfortunately it was a little slower, but the The weather is not bad either. I will take a day or two off and fill up with good energy to arrive at the Games in the best conditions and try to be competitive. "

Still far from the score two days ago over 100 m (4th in 48.93 for 48.57 requested), Mehdy Metella, in slow motion since an operation on the left shoulder a year and a half ago, experienced a sudden improvement over 100 m butterfly.

What to invite hands down in Tokyo.

- The sudden embellishment of Metella -

The 28-year-old Guyanese won in 50 sec 87 (for 51.96 requested), a time of the level of a world final, and only two hundredths of his French record dating from spring 2019.

In the morning series already, he had impressed by completing his return trip in 51 sec 18.

And to think that a month ago, at the European Championships in Budapest, Metella had not even passed the series mark (52.31, 19th fastest).

"I won my bet," comments the 2017 world bronze medalist in the 100m, who, now that he has obtained his individual qualification, could still swim it in the complementary event in Tokyo. I told Flo (Manaudou) that it was the worst year of my career. It was a mess in my private life, at the pool, it was rubbish. And he said to me: + You always manage to get by + . "

"It had a roller coaster year, it was really ups and downs," said Arnaud Rondan, one of the Marseille coaches, in Budapest.

But "you never know with him, we are not immune to a surprise".

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Metella, fifteenth and last individual Olympic qualifier, proved it once again.

Marie Wattel and Léon Marchand took advantage of this final day to expand their Tokyo menu: the first with the 50 m (24.54, personal best, for 24.77) in addition to the 100 m and the 100 m butterfly, the second with the 200 m Medley 4 (1: 58.03 for 1: 59.67) in addition to the 400m Medley.

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