Overview
- Marchand won the 400m individual medley in 4:04.56 on Saturday, June 27, the fifth-fastest time in history and well inside the 4:15.05 qualifying mark for the European Championships.
- He had already led the morning heats in 4:11.90, a sign he is managing effort at nationals while protecting peak condition for the home Europeans.
- Marie Wattel and Yohann Ndoye-Brouard also secured European qualification at Saint-Étienne while several swimmers missed standards by tiny margins, including Mélanie Henique by one hundredth of a second.
- The meet has been affected by extreme heat, high humidity and logistical issues that forced athletes to wait under outdoor tents, factors athletes and staff say likely cost small amounts of time for some races.
- Nationals run through July 2 to allocate remaining Paris-area European places, with injured stars such as Maxime Grousset currently sidelined and possible derogations or late selections to be decided if quotas remain open.