Yohann Ndoye Brouard: bronze in the 100m backstroke at the World Championships, his race on video

Yohann Ndoye Brouard won the bronze medal in the 100m backstroke at the World Swimming Championships in Singapore. The Frenchman produced a superb finish to secure his first world medal.

"I did it!" Very moved on France Télévisions after the race, Yohann Ndoye Brouard had just presented the French delegation at the World Swimming Championships in Singapore with the second medal of the week on Tuesday, July 29. Twenty-four hours after Maxime Grousset won the 100m butterfly, he won bronze in the same distance, but backstroke, with a monstrous comeback and a time that erased Camille Lacourt's historic French record: 51.92 seconds against 52.11 seconds.

The last qualifier for the final with a lane number 1 that was not very favorable on paper, the Olympic medalist with the 4x100m medley relay at the Paris Olympics (bronze already!) was nevertheless confident in his lucky star on Monday. "I have a lane, I have my chance," he said then. Placed in the pack at the 50m (7th), far from the South African Coetze launched towards gold, the backstroker showed his power and his return, a strength that he maintains year after year. "I spoke with my coaches (about strategy, editor's note), they said to me do you want to attack? I said: no, I'm keeping my assets, I'll have them on the return, I have to be patient. I'm so happy!"

At the touchline, Yohann Ndoye Brouard was clearly ahead of Hungary's Hubert Kos (52"20) to take the bronze, just two hundredths behind Italy's Ceccon, 2nd in 51"90 and 7 hundredths behind Peter Coetze, winner in 51"85. The Chambéry native also had the pleasure of sharing this emotion with his loved ones present in Singapore. "It's very special, my family is here, this kind of emotion is indescribable," he finally confided. A year after his 7th place at the Olympic Games in the same distance of the 100m backstroke, Ndoye Brouard, triple medalist at the 2022 European Championships (including gold in the 200m backstroke) and aged 24, is ideally launching his challenge towards the Los Angeles Olympics in 2028. Before that, he will be competing in the 200m backstroke in these World Championships. With a new hope of a medal at stake.