Swimming: Heading towards Paris 2024

Maxime Grousset, supported by Caisse d’Epargne Ile-de-France, Pauline Mahieu, supported by Banque Populaire du Sud, and Mewen Tomac, supported by Banque Populaire du Nord, have qualified for the Paris 2024 Olympic Games.

Stringent qualifications

The die is cast for swimming. Following the French Championships in Chartres, the French Swimming Federation has announced the names of the swimmers who have qualified for the Paris 2024 Olympic Games. It was estimated that there would be between 25 and 30 potential qualifiers. In the end, it will be at the higher end: 16 men and 14 women have secured their spot, five more than in Tokyo. Indeed, the swimmers, incredibly motivated by the fantastic prospect of the Olympic Games at home, gave their best. Among these thirty winners, there are three swimmers supported by the Groupe BPCE: Maxime Grousset, supported by Caisse d’Epargne Ile-de-France, Pauline Mahieu, supported by Banque Populaire du Sud, and Mewen Tomac, supported by Banque Populaire du Nord.

It is a huge relief for all three, considering that Olympic swimming selections are difficult. In fact, after Atlanta in 1996 and a lack of results in French swimming, the national technical management decided to make the Olympic selections extremely stringent in order to only bring competitive individuals to the Olympic Games. As a result, the Olympic qualification in swimming has been, for nearly thirty years, a trial before the trial…

Medals in sight

There was little suspense surrounding the Olympic qualification for Maxime Grousset. But beyond the qualification, Grousset impressed with his performance during the week in the Chartres pool. He first won the 50m butterfly, although it is not an Olympic distance. He then secured an Olympic quota in the 50m freestyle, taking 2nd place in 21.67 seconds. The New Caledonian particularly shone in winning the 100m in an impressive 47.33 seconds, breaking his record, before logically becoming the French champion in the 100m butterfly, a discipline in which he is a world champion. He thus has three tickets for Paris 2024. The question remains whether he will be able to do it all or if he will have to prioritize certain races to preserve energy for pursuing a title. This will be a matter of strategy that he and his coach Michel Chrétien will decide based on the circumstances.

Pauline Mahieu also had a good but contrasting week, full of emotional ups and downs. She was the favorite in the 100m backstroke, which was probably the most uncertain race of these French Championships with several candidates for the two Olympic spots. Alas, Pauline finished 4th in the race, “beaten,” as she very sportingly acknowledged, “by someone stronger than her.” But it was from there that she showed great strength of character and composure. After this disappointment – even though she had given her all – she managed to secure her qualification for the Olympic Games in the 200m backstroke. A great relief and a sign of a champion capable of quickly recovering after a setback.

On the other hand, Mewen Tomac had a clean sweep. The student from the University Institutes of Technology of Amiens (IUT) indeed won all the titles in the backstroke, 50m, 100m, and 200m. At 22 years old, Mewen can legitimately aim for a podium in the 200m backstroke this summer. This would truly be a remarkable achievement. He may also be part of the 4x100m medley relay, which has huge potential to achieve something immense on the last day of swimming in the Olympic pool in Nanterre.