2024 OPEN DES GONES
The 2024 Open des Gones wrapped up today from Lyon, France and Florent Manaudou made the most of its singular appearance.
Racing in the final of the men’s 50m freestyle, 33-year-old Manaudou stopped the clock at 21.83 to capture the sole sub-22-second result of the field.
Thomas Piron was next to the wall at 22.49 and Matteo Robba rounded out the podium in 22.60.
Manaudou’s performance today was slightly slower than the 21.71 he logged on Friday to secure the top seed. That former effort checked in as its best time of 2024, beating the 21.95 produced at this year’s Giant Series in March.
Italy’s Francesca Fresia was a one-woman show in the 400m IM, hitting a time of 4:44.42. That represented the sole performance of the field under the 5:00 threshold.
Fresia is still seeking 400m IM Olympic qualification, having missed out on the selection standard in March. At those Italian Olympic Trials, she logged 4:38.93 to fall about a second outside the Italian QT. She’ll still have the opportunity to nail down a roster spot at next month’s Sette Colli Trophy.
Maxime Grousset doubled up on his 100m free victory last night with a win in the 100m fly today. 25-year-old Grousset stopped the clock at 52.38 to hold a comfortable advantage over runner-up Michael Arkhangelsky who logged 52.64.
The women’s 100m back wound up being a 2-woman race ace Mary-Ambre Moluh and Emma Terebo battled one another from start to finish.
When it came to the touch, Moluh got there first in 59.71 as Terebo settled for silver just .12 behind in 59.83.
Moluh’s time was within striking distance of her season-best 59.67 from January’s Luxembourg Euro Meet. Terebo’s effort represents her best time of the season.
Finally, Yohann Ndoye-Brouard topped the men’s 100m back podium by nearly 5 seconds.
Ndoye-Brouard stopped the clock at 52.93, a new season-best for the Frenchman. Entering this competition, his quickest effort of the season rested at the 53.02 put on the books in Amiens last December. Like his compatriots, he’ll be seeking Olympic qualification at next month’s French Elite Championships.
