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Léon Marchand breaks Kitajima meet record in 100 breaststroke qualifiers at Speedo Grand Challenge

Posted on by angelo
Léon Marchand breaks Kitajima meet record in 100 breaststroke qualifiers at Speedo Grand Challenge

GRAND CHALLENGE NOVA SPEEDO 2024

  • May 24-26, 2024
  • William Woollett Jr. Aquatic Center Pool, Irvine, California
  • Meters of long course (50 meters)
  • Results on Meet Mobile: “Grand Challenge CA NOVA-Speedo 2024”
  • Psychological sheets
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In what is likely his final tune-up before France’s Olympic trials next month, Leon Marchand got off to a scorching start at the Speedo Grand Challenge on Friday in Irvine, California.

The 22-year-old all-rounder started his day with a meet record in the men’s 100 meter breaststroke preliminaries (personal best 1:00.62), breaking the previous standard held by the four-time Olympic champion. Kosuke Kitajima (1:00.63) since 2010. Marchand lost almost half a second from his previous record of 1:01.02 obtained at the French Elite Championships last June.

Marchand will have to hold on Michel André in tonight’s 100 breaststroke final. The 25-year-old American has a season’s best time of 59.52, achieved at the US Open last November. Andrew returned late in the session in the 50 freestyle, qualifying 3rd in 22.96 behind the Romanian UNLV graduate. George Ratiu (22.83) and 2022 world champion Justin Ress (22.66).

Marchand also qualified 1st in the 200m IM preliminaries later in the session with a time of 1:59.53. He ran a personal best of 1:54.82 to win last year’s world title. He therefore seems ready to take up the challenge. Thiago PereiraThe 2010 competition record in tonight’s final. The 200 IM final is played tonight with a former university teammate Hubert Kos (2:00.44), reigning Olympic champion Chase Kalisz (2:00.98), Trenton Julien (2:01.97), and reigning Olympic silver medalist Jay Litherland (2:02.24) also in the mix.

Regan Smith boasted the fastest time in the women’s 200m individual medley during preliminaries this morning in 2:11.01, nearly breaking the meet record of 2:10.87 set by Katinka Hosszu in 2018. The 22-year-old American owns a season best of 2:09.50 at the US Open last November. Smith reached the wall more than five seconds ahead of the 23-year-old Isabelle Odgers (2:16.45) and 18 years old Katie Grimes (2:16.67).

Drew Kibler dominated the men’s 200 freestyle preliminaries with the best qualifying time of 1:49.85. The 24-year-old is the second-fastest American in the event this season (1:46.02 in March) behind Luke Hobson (1:45.26). Kibler has been as fast as 1:45.01 in 2022. The meet record stands at 1:47.33 per Ous Mellouli from 2009.

Simone-Manuel rose to the top seed in the women’s 50 freestyle with 24.94, one tenth of Jessica Hardy’s competition record (24.85) from 2008. The 27-year-old American lowered her season record at 24.34 last month, with its lifetime high at 23.97. from 2017.

The women’s 100 breaststroke final is shaping up to be a fun race tonight. Odgers led the way in the preliminaries in 1:09.55 — a few seconds shy of Hardy’s meet record (1:06.39) — after qualifying 2nd in the 200 IM earlier in the session. The USC graduate was as fast as 1:08.17 last July.

The other sub-2:10 swimmer in the 100 breaststroke was a Fresno State sophomore. Aliz Kalmar at 1:09.83, about half a second slower than his 2022 personal best of 1:09.31. Rising UCSD junior Chloe Braunnative of Toulouse, Marchand, France, beat his previous record of 1:11.22 by almost a second as the No. 3 seed in 1:10.27.

Kaitlyn Nguyen, a 16-year-old USC commit (’25), qualified 4th in 1:10.46. She was only about half a second off her best time of 1:09.92 set last July. Right behind her was the former NCAA record holder Breeja Larsontwice Nguyen’s age at 32, who clocked 1:10.54 in the preliminary round for the 5th qualifying spot. Gabby Rosethirty years older than Nguyen at 46, was close behind in 1:10.63, one second shy of his season best of 1:09.68 from last month.

In the preliminary round of the women’s 400 freestyle, 25 years old Paige Madden (4:05.37) led the Nevada Sandpipers duo Katie Grimes (4:12.72) and Claire Weinstein (4:10.23). Madden’s best time is 4:03.09 from 2021, Weinstein’s is 4:04.54 from March, and Grimes’s is 4:05.18 from last March.

The final event of the morning was a battle between Michael Brinegar, David JohnstonAnd Marwan Elkamash in the men’s 1500m freestyle. Brinegar, 24, touched first in 15:21.66, followed closely by Johnston, 22 (15:25.84) and Elkamash, 30 (15:30.08). Brinegar was as fast as 14:59.54 last July while Johnston owns a 2022 lifetime best of 15:02.37 and Elkamash owns a personal best of 14:55.19 from last July.

In the preliminary round for ages 7 to 12, Sammy Walsh earned the top qualifying spot in the women’s 100 freestyle in 1:02.01. The 12-year-old from Rancho San Dieguito fell more than a second off her previous best of 1:03.40 from last month.

Mission Viejo Nadadores, 12 years old Ben Yang led the men’s 100 freestyle in 59.08, close to his personal best of 58.86 from last August.

Irvine Novaquatics 12 years Anna Heumann paced the women’s 50 breaststroke in 36.29, taking a tenth off her previous best of 36.29 from last August.

Aquazot swimming club 12 years old Raymond Jew ran a personal best of 33.89 in the boys 50m breaststroke, shaving more than a second off his previous best of 34.91 from earlier this month.

Friends of 12 years Olivia Chi (1:12.20) and Liam Chung (1:08.50) had the best qualifying times in the girls and boys 100 backstroke, respectively.