But in the Blues camp, satisfaction was tarnished by the injury to the leg of pole vaulter Margot Chevrier, who fell next to the mat during a jump and was urgently evacuated to a hospital. Kwaou-Mathey won his first world podium at the age of 24, having already finished third in the European outdoor championships in 2022 and the European indoor championships in 2023.
“I went for that one, I didn’t do the perfect race but I’m happy to leave with a medal, it’s my first world,” he reacted in the mixed zone. The race was dominated by world distance record holder Grant Holloway, who outclassed his opponents to cross the line in 7 sec 29 (championship record), ahead of Italian Lorenzo Simonello (7 sec 43, Italian record ) and Just Kwaou-Mathey (7 sec 47).
For “JKM”, it’s “a third place as usual”. “I don’t know what I have with the third places but this one is the best,” he added, frustrated however at not having done better. “I was so focused on the medal that I forgot technical points,” he explained. “The second one is within my record time so I would have liked to beat it.”
The Frenchman, who trains in Créteil under the leadership of Giscard Samba, ended a complicated evening for the Blues on a good note. Also a contender for the podium over hurdles, Wilhem Belocian was eliminated in the semi-finals after a failed start to the race.
A few minutes later, pole vaulter Margot Chevrier injured her left leg when she fell into the pole vault pit and was urgently evacuated to the hospital. The French Athletics Federation has not released further details on his condition but AFP photos appear to show an open fracture in his left ankle.
The second evening of these world championships was marked by the world record of the Dutchwoman Femke Bol, who beat her own record in the 400 meters indoors (49 sec 17). Femke Bol, 24, beat her compatriot and friend Lieke Klaver (50 sec 16) and the American Alexis Holmes (50 sec 24). Impressively relaxed as usual, she took off like a bomb and took the lead without ever being worried.
Bol, world champion in the 400 meters hurdles and 4×400 last summer, had already improved her world record in the 400 meters indoors in mid-February. At 24, she has now won in every major international championship (Europe and world, indoor and outdoor) with the exception of the Olympic Games. Just after Bol, Karsten Warholm, also king of the 400 meters hurdles in the summer, tried to achieve a similar feat but the Norwegian, who started at full speed, broke down in the last meters and was beaten by the Belgian Alexander Doom ( 45 sec 25, Belgian record).
In an electric atmosphere, the Scotsman Josh Kerr won the 3000 meters (7 min 42 sec 98). A few minutes later, the British Molly Caudery once again made the public roar by winning the pole vault competition (4.80 meters). Disappointment, however, in the women’s 3000 meters for the big favorite Gudaf Tsegay: the Ethiopian who came very close to the world record last month was beaten in the last meters by the American Elle St. Pierre.
Burkinabe Hugues Fabrice Zango, who trains in France with former world champion Teddy Tamgho, won the triple jump competition with a jump of 17.53 meters. This is his second world title after his coronation in Budapest last summer. “It’s never easy to win a championship. I wanted to do something when I came here but my season wasn’t as good as I hoped. So I tried again and again and I was able to do 17.53m on the fifth try,” he said.
The competition continues on Sunday with, among others, the finals of the 800 meters and the men’s pole vault.
