By Spencer Penland on SwimSwam
There was some great racing at a couple of recent LCM meets in France in the past week or two, including several from 23-year-old 24-year-old Antoine Marc. Marc was racing at the Championnat Regional Juniors et Plus 50m in Mulhouse, where he put up some fantastic swims. He won the men’s 100 breast in 1:00.74, clipping his previous best of 1:00.75 by 0.01 seconds. His previous best was set less than a month prior in Chartres on June 16. At the meet in Chartres, Marc broke 1:01 for the first time in his career, going 1:00.97 in prelims before taking it down to 1:00.75 in finals. Marc started this year with a career best of 1:01.51, which he set in June of last year.
Marc, who competed for France at the World Championships in Fukuoka last Summer, would also win the men’s 200 breast at the meet, clocking a 2:09.91. That swim comes in just off his career best of 2:09.68, which he swam last June in Rennes. The performance did, however, mark a season best for the 24-year-old, clocking in as his first time under 2:10 this season.
Marc won the 400 IM as well, swimming a 4:29.25. That swim was well off his career best of 4:18.43, which he swam way back in 2019.
Also at the Championnat Regional Juniors et Plus 50m, 240year-old Louis Briesch won the men’s 50 fly in 24.56. That was a solid swim for Briesch, coming in off his career mark of 23.75, which was set last month in Chartres.
Swimming at the Championnat de Ligue AURA Ete in Claremont-Ferrand (July 5-7), 23-year-old Anastasia Urbaniak clocked a new career best of 55.81 to win the women’s 100 free. That time clipped Urbaniak’s previous best of 55.86, which she set in October of 2023.
Urbaniak, who represents SC Thionville, would win a total of 6 events at the meet, including the 50 free (26.09), 200 free (2:03.54), 50 back (29.86), 50 fly (27.55), and 200 IM (2:22.78). The majority of her swims were right on her career bests. Her 200 free stands as the 4th-fastest of her career (personal best of 2:02.71), while her 50 fly is the 5th-fastest of her career (personal best 27.33).
Also at the Championnat de Ligue AURA Ete, 17-year-old Maelle Large put up a strong swim in the women’s 400 IM, winning the race in 4:56.83. She was just off her career best of 4:54.22, which she set in April of this year at the French Junior Championships.
Read the full story on SwimSwam: French 24-year-old Antoine Marc Clocks LC 1:00.74 100 BR, 2:09.91 200 BR