T&T swimmer, Dylan Carter had to settle for the sixth spot in the men’s 100 metres freestyle A-final on the second and final day of the second stop of the 2021 Mare Nostrum Long Course Meet at the Centre de Natation Arlette Franco, Canet-en-Roussillon, France, on Wednesday.
This after the 25-year-old Carter got to the wall in 49.76 seconds, ahead of only Mehdy Metella and Osama Sahnoune who clocked 50.07 and 51.03 for seventh and eighth position respectively.
Host swimmer Maxime Grousset was a comfortable winner in 48.57, well clear of Cristian Quintero who was second in 49.41, and Sergio de Celis, who took bronze in 49.52.
Clement Cute in 49.64 and Cesar Castro Valle, in 49.70 were the others to finish ahead of Carter.
In the morning heats, Carter ended in the third spot in heat of three of five to qualify for the final as the seventh fastest overall.
Going into the heats, Carter and the rest of the field were given a boost towards their chances of reaching the A-final after South African Chad Le Clos and Brazil’s Bruno Fratus, co-winner of the 50m freestyle on Tuesday, as well as Croatian Nikola Miljenic scratched the 100m freestyle heats.
Spain’s Quintero took full advantage of their absence and was the top qualifier at 49.21 seconds, well ahead of Grousset who touched in 49.54 while the pair of Cute and de Celis, who won Carter’s heat tied for third in 49.71.
They were followed to the wall by Valle, second in heat three in 50 seconds flat, Metella (50.20), Carter, who was third in heat three in 50.29, and Portugal’s Sahnoune in 50.40.
The trio of Miguel Nascimento Duarte (50.71), Mathias Even (51.48) and Horus Ramirez Briseno (51.62) were the other finishers in Carter’s heat, the third of five.
Mexico’s Gabriel Castano Garcia was a non-starter in Carter’s heat
On Tuesday, Carter placed fourth in the men’s 100m butterfly A-final in 53.43 seconds to finish behind Le Clos’ 52.29, Metella’s 52.64 and Miljenic’s 53.22.
The other finishers in the A-final were Nicolas Vermorel (54.07), Dorian Pedro-Leal (54.38), Austrian Xaver Gschwentner (54.47), and Mexican Ascanio Fernandez Pinto Urbina who clocked 55.08.
In the morning heats, Le Clos was third in the 100 butterfly in 53.72 behind Mehdy (52.88) and Carter (53.03) while Vermorel (54.06) and Miljenic (54.49) were fourth and fifth fastest respectively.
On Saturday last, at the opening Mare Nostrum Swim Meet at the Prince Albert II Swimming Pool in Monaco, Carter raced to the wall in the 100m freestyle event in a time of 49.98 for the third spot behind French duo Grousset (48.28) and Charles Rihoux, silver in 49.44 while another Frenchman, Clement Mignon was fourth in 50.07.
In the heats, Carter was fourth fastest in 49.79 to trail Grousset (49.04), Mignon (49.29), and Rihoux (49.36).
However, on Sunday, in the 100m butterfly Carter ended in the tenth position in 54.87.
The tour concludes this weekend (June 5 & 6) in Barcelona, Spain.