Lucas Henveaux wins the 400m freestyle final at the Belgian swimming championships: “A good omen at this stage of the season” (LIVE VIDEO)

Roos Vanotterdijk (100m backstroke) and Lucas Henveaux (400m freestyle) perfectly seized the opportunity last year. Since then, both swimmers have been joined by Florine Gaspard (50m free) and Valentine Dumont (200m free and 400m free) in the list of qualifiers for Paris.

The Bastognarde will try to validate an Olympic qualification in a second event, the 100m breaststroke, this weekend while the Namuroise, who is devoting herself to her preparation for the Games on the Barcelona side, is largely absent from the National.

These Belgian championships will also allow entrants to qualify for the European Championships in Belgrade (June 17-23), a meeting at the end of which the Olympic qualification period will end.

At the dawn of these championships, Alisée Pisane (1,500m freestyle), Grace Palmer (200m breaststroke), Sarah Dumont (1,500m freestyle), Roos Vanotterdijk (50m backstroke, 50m butterfly) and Valentine Dumont (200m and 400m freestyle) responded already meets the qualification criteria.

Just like Lucas Henveaux (200m, 400m and 800m free) but the Liégeois has already announced that he will favor the Sept Collines meeting at the Euro in June.

Henveaux unfolds

This Friday evening, Henveaux flew through the 400m freestyle final as expected, winning his first Belgian championship title of the weekend. He signed a time of 3.47.14, the 4th performance of his career, just behind his time last year at the same place (3.46.59).

“I'm happy! We're a little less than 100 days away from the Games. I came here not super prepared, so times like this, close to those of last year, bode well for this period of the season”, comments Lucas. Whose ambition for this Saturday will be “to also do time A for the Games” over 800m freestyle. But, he adds cautiously, “We’ll see if it’s for tomorrow or not.”

Pisane confirms, Hanquet follows

In the final of the 1500m freestyle, an event which she won this Friday at the end of the afternoon, Alisée Pisane confirmed her European minimum by achieving her best time of the year (16.32.86) despite a sprain. “I hope to do the same in the 800m free this weekend”she slips.

The swimmer from Villers-le-Bouillet, who is training again under the direction of Philippe Lucas in the south of France, is banking on the European Championships in Belgrade in June to qualify for the Games.

Second in the race in 16.38.59, Lucie Hanquet also qualified for the Euro.

Dumont in great shape

In the 200m freestyle, Sarah Dumont won the national title in 2.00.02, ahead of Camille Henveaux (2.01.36) and Lana Ravelingien (2.03.04). The Namuroise thus improved her morning time (2.00.50) and confirmed her European ticket which the Liégeoise won (minimum: 2.02.00).

In great form, Sarah Dumont also won the title of Belgian champion in the 100m butterfly, in a very good time of 59.87, European minimum (1.00.36).

In the 50m freestyle, it was Leo Verschooten (22.90) and Vincent Van Hooydonck (23.00) who achieved the qualifying time set at 23.05 for their age category.

Qualified Zeller

In the morning, Pauline Zeller (100m butterfly) and Sarah Dumont (200m freestyle) had achieved a qualifying time for the Euro in Belgrade. The first, aged 17, swam in 1.00.30 during the heats, thus falling 6 hundredths below the required minimum. The second, already qualified in the 1,500m freestyle, therefore added a second qualification, in the 200m, in 2:00.50. She was scheduled to swim in 2.02.00.

Unfortunately neither Pauline Zeller nor Sarah Dumont will participate in this European meeting in Serbia. In exams in June, they both favor the Euro juniors which will take place the following month.

The results of the finals:

• 1500m F: 1. Alisée Pisane 16.32.86; 2. Lucie Hanquet 16.38.59; 3. Georgia Makri 16.41.54.
• 100m butterfly M: 1. Sébastien De Meulemeester 52.95; 2. Gjon Vata 55.74; 3. Vincent Van Hooydonck 55.81.
• 200m medley F: 1. Ambre Franquinet 2.18.41; 2. Ante Van Dooren 2.19.53; 3. Bo Van Speybroeck 2.20.43.
• 400m medley M: 1. Noah Martens 4.31.89; 2. Simon Laviolette 4.32.67; 3. Niels De Meyer 4.38.67.
• 200m freestyle F: 1. Sarah Dumont 2.00.02; 2. Camille Henveaux 2.01.36; 3. Lana Ravelingien 2.03.04.
• 100m breaststroke M: 1. Andrius Sidlauskas (Lit) 1.00.02; 2. Charles Grondel 1.01.60; 3. Clément Bidard (Fra) 1.01.90.
• 200m breaststroke F: 1. Grace Palmer 2.32.13; 2. Ante Van Dooren 2.36.15; 3. Zinke Delcommune 2.36.64.
• 50m freestyle M: ​​1. Sébastien De Meulemeester 22.56; 2. Thomas Thijs 22.79; 3. Leo Verschooten 22.90.
• 50m backstroke F: 1. Fleur Verdonck 29.21; 2. Marthe Vanheuverbeke 29.68; 3. Noor Broeckaert 29.70.
• 100m backstroke H: 1. Stan Franckx 55.09; 2. Erikas Grigaitis (Lit) 55.77. 3. Jules André (Fra) 56.03.
• 100m butterfly F: 1. Sarah Dumont 59.87; 2. Pauline Zeller 1.00.93; 3. Rachel Rinchon 1.02.50.
• 400m freestyle M: ​​1. Lucas Henveaux 3.47.14; 2. Logan Vanhuys 3.56.81; 3. Noah Martens 3.57.60.
• 4x100m freestyle M: ​​1. Liège Natation 3.24.98; 2. Brabo 3.27.89; 3. Trust 3.28.92.
• 4x100m freestyle F: 1. Brabo 3.53.01; 2. ENLN 3.54.36; 3.Mega 3.56.89.

Series results:

• 100m butterfly H (series): 1. S. De Meulemeester 53.39; 2. V. Van Hooydonck 56.53; 3. N. De Boer (PB) 56.81.
• 200m medley F (series): 1. A. Franquinet 2.20.12; 2. A. Van Dooren 2.20.85; 3. B. Van Speybroeck 2.21.72.
• 400m medley H (sets): 1. S. Laviolette 4.34.60; 2. N. Martens 4.39.51; 3. J. Lecocq 4.43.31.
• 200m freestyle F (series): 1. S. Dumont 2.00.50; 2. L. Ravelingien 2.03.02; 3. C. Henveaux 2.03.22.
• 100m breaststroke H (heats): 1. A. Sidlauskas (Lit) 1.00.31; 2. C. Grondel 1.02.09; 3. N. De Schryver 1.02.52.
• 200m breaststroke F (heats): 1. G. Palmer 2.31.60; 2. A. Van Dooren 2.34.19; 3. Z. Delcommune 2.36.58.
• 50m freestyle H (sets): 1. T. Thijs 22.89; 2. J. Aerents 22.90; 3. S. De Meulemeester 23.01.
• 50m backstroke F (series): 1. F. Verdonck 29.24; 2. L. Durez 29.81; 3. M. Vanheuverbeke 29.85.
• 100m backstroke H (sets): 1. S. Franckx 55.53; 2. E. Grigaitis (Lit) 55.89; 3. J. André (Fra) 56.34.
• 100m butterfly F (series): 1. P. Zeller 1.00.30; 2. S. Dumont 1.00.47; 3. R. Rinchon 1.03.22.
• 400m freestyle H (series): 1. L. Henveaux 3.50.86; 2. L. Vanhuys 4.00.75; 3. F. Lovens 4.00.77.
• 4x100m freestyle M (series): 1. Liège Natation 3.40.75; 2. Brabo 3.41.18; 3. ZGeel 3.42.52.