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Agnel Cracks 3:44 To Shatter Own Record

Mar 23, 2011  - Craig Lord

French national championships, Strasbourg - day 1 finals

Yannick Agnel (FRA) shattered the French 400m freestyle record with a commanding 3:43.85 victory at national championships and world-title trials in Strasbourg this evening. The 18-year-old, who defeated world champion Paul Biedermann (GER) for the European crown last summer in Budapest, went through in 1:52.18 and came home in 1:51.67 for a negative split that hinted at the fast finish he is preparing for come the bigger moment against the best in the world. 

Agnel's last 100m, of 54.80 took 3.06sec off silver medallist and the man who raced neck and neck with the champion for 300m of the way, Sébastien Rouault, European 800m and 1,500m champion. When Olympic champion Park Tae-hwan (KOR) set a 2010 world best of 3:41.53 at the Asian Games ahead of Sun Yang (CHN), on 3:42.47, their respective homecoming splits were 55.20 and 54.57. Agnel's best had been a 3:46.17. He now holds the best three times ever by a Frenchman, while Rouault is the third fastest Frenchman ever, behind Nicolas Rostoucher.

In other action in Strasbourg, world champion Lotte Friis (DEN) took the 800m free in 8:24.52, European champion and world No 1 in 2010 Camille Lacourt claimed the 100m backstroke in a season pace-setter of 52.44, and Sophie De Ronchi took silver in 1:07.97 in the 100m breaststroke to set the second French record of the session in the first sub-1:08 effort by a French woman. Fred Bousquet, of Auburn and Marseilles, took the 100m butterfly crown in a fantastically tight finish in which 0.53sec split the first seven men home, 0.35sec splitting silver and 7th, the bronze shared.

Men's 400m freestyle

Agnel's progress under the guidance of coach Fabrice Pellerin at Nice swept him from 43rd to 13th on the all-time list and up to 7th all-time in textile suit. The silver went to Rouault, of Mulhouse, in a best time of 3:47.42, the bronze to visitor Mads Glaesner (DEN) in 3:51.88. Rouault proved the perfect pace partner for 300m of the race (he turned just 0.01sec behind the champion at the half-way mark) until Agnel's sprint kicked in to devastating effect over the final 100m (3.06 faster than Rouault) in his negative-split victory.

  • Agnel's splits:    54.36; 1:52.18 (57.82); 2:49.05 (56.87); 3:43.85 (54.80).
  • Rouault's splits: 54.62; 1:52.19 (57.57); 2:49.56 (57.37); 3:47.42 (57.86). 

"I'm happy with this battle with Sebastian," Agnel told reporters in Strasbourg. "He didn't give up, we were always neck and neck. This morning in heats [3:48] I was able to do that time with ease and I'd never done that before and it allowed me to keep it going to do what I did tonight."

Rouault said: "Yannick was very strong. I gave it my best but I couldn't hang on when he moved away."

Here is where Agnel fits into the thread of history on the clock (textile only):

  • 3:40.08 Thorpe 2002
  • 3:41.53 Park 2010
  • 3:42.51 Hackett 2001
  • 3:42.47 Sun 2010
  • 3:43.40 Rosolino 2000
  • 3:43.80 Perkins 1994
  • 3:43.85 Agnel 2010

How they measure up:

  • 2010 podium: 3:48.57; 3:48.68, TUN; 3:49.83; 3:50.79
  • 2011 podium: 3:43.85; 3:47.42; 3:51.88, DEN
  • FRA record: 3:43.85 (3:46.17) Yannick Agnel 2010

Best FRA podium result at world titles: no medals

Women's 800m freestyle 

World champion Lotte Friis (DEN) dropped in to provide the pace as one of three overseas challengers in the final. A little down on the time it took her to win the European crown last summer, Friis won the Strasbourg race in 8:24.52 ahead of world 200m short-course champion Camille Muffat, of Nice, on 8:26.20, with third place going to Chile's Kristel Kobrich well back on 8:38.84. The chasing pack had Coralie Balmy on 8:39.09, ahead of Ophélie-Cyrielle Etienne, on 8:41.20, with 2004 Olympic 200m champion Camelia Potec (ROU) well off her best pace on 8:45.59.

How they measure up:

  • 2010 podium: 8:33.91; 8:45.04 (IRL); 8:45.57; 8:46.32
  • 2011 podium: 8:24.52, DEN; 8:26.20; 8:38.84, CHI; 8:39.09; 8:41.20
  • FRA record: 8:18.80 Laure Manaudou 2007

Best FRA podium result at world titles: silver, Laure Manaudou, 2007, 0.28sec behind Kate Ziegler (USA) in French record that still stands

Women's 200m backstroke

World short-course champion Alexianne Castel, of Dauphins Toulouse, took the crown in 2:08.75, just ahead of Marseilles-based Dutch visitor Femke Heemskerk, on 2:09.14. If the battle for the title was tight, so too was that for the last medal, the bronze going to Marie Jugnet, in 2:13.25, ahead of Alexandra Putra, on 2:13.49.

How they measure up:

  • 2010 podium: 2:09.17; 2:11.78; 2:13.21
  • 2011 podium: 2:08.75; 2:09.14, NED; 2:13.25; 2:13.49
  • FRA record: 2:06.64 Laure Manaudou, 2008

Best FRA podium result at world titles: Roxana Maracineanu, world champion, 1998, in 2:11.26

Men's 100m backstroke

European champion last year in 52.11, the best-ever in textile suit, Camille Lacourt, coached by Romain Barnier at CN Marseilles, was a class apart on 52.44, off a 25.52 half-way split. The silver went to Jérémy Stravius, of Amiens, in 53.59, with bronze taking a 54.27 from Benjamin Stasiulis, of Paris Racing. That French top three locked out Spain's Aschwin Wildeboer, on 54.62. Lacourt was almost a second faster this year than he was at nationals the same time of year in 2010.

How they measure up:

  • 2010 podium: 53.29; 54.22; 54.62
  • 2011 podium: 52.44; 53.59; 54.27
  • FRA record: 52.11 Camille Lacourt 2010

Best FRA podium result at world titles: no medals

Women's 100m breaststroke

Danish visitor Rikke Moller Pedersen had a fight on her hands, with Sophie de Ronchi, of Massy, going through the 50m 0.03sec ahead of her on 32.68. On the way home, Moller Pedersen inched past De Ronchi for victory in 1:07.52 to 1:07.97, the second French record of the session and the first sub 1:08 in France. The bronze went to the second Massy contender in the race, Coralie Dobral, on 1:08.99, ahead of former French record holder Fanny Babou (1:08.37, 2009) in 1:09.74.

How they measure up:

  • 2010 podium: 1:09.73, RUS; 1:09.75; 1:09.87; 1:10.69
  • 2011 podium: 1:07.52, DEN; 1:07.97; 1:08.99; 1:09.74
  • FRA record all suits: 1:07.97 Sophie de Ronchi 2011 (1:08.37 Fanny Babou 2009
  • FRA textile best: 1:08.68 Anne-Sophie Le Paranthoen 2007

Best FRA podium result at world titles: no medals

Men's 50m breaststroke

Giacomo Perez Dortona, of CN Marseille, set a French textile best of 27.56 to win the dash ahead of Senegal's Malik Fall, on 28.10, and Hugues Duboscq, on 28.14.

How they measure up:

  • 2010 podium: 28.10; 28.13; 28.14, SEN; 28.32
  • 2011 podium: 27.56; 28.10 SEN; 28.14
  • FRA record all suits: 27.36 Giacomo Perez Dortona 2009
  • FRA textile best: 27.56 Dortona 2011 (27.73 Hugues Duboscq, 2005, 2008)

Best FRA podium result at world titles: no medals

Women's 200m butterfly 

French champion Aurore Mongel, at home in Strasbourg, lost her crown to Lara Grangeon, of Caledoniens, 2:09.48 to 2:09.97, ahead of France-based US visitor Kim Vanderberg, on 2:10.34.

How they measure up:

  • 2010 podium: 2:09.05; 2:10.68, USA; 2:11.52; 2:11.98
  • 2011 podium: 2:09.48; 2:09.97; 2:10.34 USA
  • FRA record all suits: 2:05.09 Aurore Mongel 2009
  • FRA textile best: 2:08.13 Aurore Mongel 2008

Best FRA podium result at world titles: no medals

Men's 100m butterfly

Fred Bousquet, of Auburn and Marseilles, took the crown in a fantastically tight finish in which 0.53sec split the first seven men home, 0.35sec splitting silver and 7th. Bousquet's 53.43 took gold ahead of 53.61 for Christophe Lebon and the shared 53.68 efforts of Francois Heersbrandt and Toulouse teammate Mehdy Metella. Next home came Amaury Leveaux on 53.69, Romain Sassot, on 53.87 and Florent Manaudou, on 53.96. Metella and Manaudou are the younger brothers of big medal-winning sisters Malia and Laure, respectively, while Bousquet is related to Florent via Manon, the baby girl born to Laure Manaudou and Fred Bousquet.

How they measure up:

  • 2010 podium: 52.36, VEN; 53.66; 53.73; 54.28
  • 2011 podium: 53.48; 53.61; 53.68; 53.68
  • FRA record all suits: 51.42 Clement Lefert 2009
  • FRA textile best: 52.49Franck Esposito 2003

Best FRA podium result at world titles: no medals