Mary-Ambre Moluh secured the silver medal in the women’s 50-meter backstroke at the European Aquatics Championships at the Olympic Aquatics Centre in Saint-Denis, clocking a French record time of 27.06 seconds. The 20-year-old French swimmer finished behind Italy’s Sara Curtis, who won gold with a world record of 26.56 seconds, while Great Britain’s Lauren Cox claimed bronze in 27.15 seconds, according to sports.fr.
Just two days prior at the same venue, Pauline Mahieu captured a bronze medal in the 200-meter backstroke, while Moluh contributed to a European record alongside her teammates in the mixed 4×100-meter medley relay.
Reflecting on her individual podium finish, Moluh admitted she initially experienced mixed emotions after seeing the scoreboard. “I was super happy when I saw my name in second position, I really didn’t know what to expect,” Moluh told France Télévisions. “I had done a good race, I felt good, but at the finish, I let myself glide a little bit.”
Moluh acknowledged that the result helped soothe the minor frustrations from the previous evening’s relay. “After the 4x100m relay I was disappointed because I wanted to win all the medals,” she said. “I came back down to earth quickly and with a clear head I told myself that we had done a very performance. On the 50m backstroke, I wanted to win a medal and the contract is fulfilled.”
Fellow French finalist Analia Pigrée finished seventh in the same 50-meter backstroke race with a time of 27.57 seconds. “I wasn’t very well. My underwaters aren’t very fast,” Pigrée said. “I tried to come back in the swim, but it’s not enough on a 50m. I was way too much underwater. I think it’s an experience to take for the years to come. Two years out from the Olympics, it was the right time to change.”
Maxime Grousset Shines in Butterfly as French Team Builds Momentum
The success in backstroke events unfolded during a broader night of strong performances for the French delegation at the metropolitan Paris venue. Maxime Grousset captured the silver medal in the men’s 100-meter butterfly, posting a time of 49.70 seconds behind Milak.
“That means I am coming back faster than at the world championships. It’s huge,” Grousset said. “I had a great race. I think I could have started even faster, but I didn’t want to tighten up too much right at the beginning.”
The crowd atmosphere at the Centre Aquatique Olympique provided an additional lift for the home competitors. Grousset noted that finishing second felt extraordinary under the noise of the French supporters, likening the reception to an Olympic victory.
Strong Semifinal Showings and Near Misses for French Swimmers
In other events on the program, Yohann Ndoye-Brouard secured his place in the men’s 50-meter backstroke final by clocking 24.43 seconds, recording the third-fastest time in his semifinal heat. “I’m happy because I missed out on the 200,” Ndoye-Brouard said. “I’m going to give it everything tomorrow to get there, I think it can work. They need to watch out.”
In the men’s 200-meter freestyle, Sauveur Cristofini broke the French 18-year-old milestone with a personal best of 1:45.74, placing ninth overall in the semifinals but missing qualification for the final by just two hundredths of a second.
The continental championships continue at the Saint-Denis facility, with remaining finals and qualification sessions scheduled through the end of the week as French athletes chase further podium finishes.
Worth a look
