Seventy-two French athletes, with pole vaulter Renaud Lavillenie but without hurdler Pascal Martinot-Lagarde, have been selected for the Budapest World Championships (August 19-27), the French Athletics Federation (FFA) announced on Friday.
One year before the Paris Olympics, the FFA has expanded its selection with 49 athletes for individual events, the others contenting themselves with the relays. Only 28 athletes were selected individually last summer at the Worlds in Eugene (Oregon, United States). They were 43 individually (60 in total) at the Tokyo Olympics in 2021.
“One year from Paris-2024, we wanted to give all athletes able to express themselves on the international scene the opportunity to confront the world elite”, explains the director of high performance Romain Barras, quoted in a press release. “Our ambition is that no athlete arrive unselected for the Olympic Games next year.”
Only fourth at the French Championships last week in Albi, the international multi-medalist Pascal Martinot-Lagarde (31) will miss his first summer international competition since 2017. He was overtaken by his competitors Sasha Zhoya, Wilhem Belocian and Just Kwaou-Mathey, each country can only field three athletes per discipline.
Despite a failed season so far and a zero at the French Championships, Renaud Lavillenie is part of the selection, thanks to his fifth place at the World Championships in Eugène (Oregon, United States) last summer.
Sprinter Mouhamadou Fall (31), released two weeks ago after risking a suspension for failing to comply with his anti-doping whereabouts obligations, was selected for the 4x100m relay but not in the individual 100m, despite his championship title of France.
Injured, the marathon runner Nicolas Navarro, member of a pre-selection announced in June, leaves his place to Mehdi Frère. Absent from Albi for health reasons, Rénelle Lamote (800m), Hugo Hay (5,000m), Benjamin Robert (800m) and Hilary Kpatcha (length) are well on the list.
Jimmy Vicaut, not qualified individually, was not even selected for the 4×100 m relay, “a concerted choice” with an “exhausted” athlete, indicated Barras.
The French selection:
WOMEN (19)
400m: Amandine Brossier
800 m: Lena Kandissounon, Renelle Lamote, Agnes Raharolahy
1,500m: Agathe Guillemot
100m hurdles: Laeticia Bapté, Cyréna Samba-Mayela
3,000m steeplechase: Alice Finot, Flavie Renouard
Height: Solene Gicquel, Nawal Meniker
Pole vault: Marie-Julie Bonnin, Margot Chevrier
Length: Hilary Kpatcha
Disc: Melina Robert-Michon
Hammer: Rose Loga, Alexandra Tavernier
20 km Walk: Clémence Beretta, Camille Moutard
MEN (30)
200 m: Ryan Zézé
800m: Yanis Meziane, Benjamin Robert, Gabriel Tual
1,500m: Azeddine Habz, Julian Ranc
5,000m: Jimmy Gressier, Hugo Hay
10,000 m: Yann Schrub
Marathon: Morhad Amdouni, Hassan Chahdi, Mehdi Frère
110m hurdles: Wilhem Belocian, Just Kwaou-Mathey, Sasha Zhoya
400m hurdles: Wilfried Happio, Ludvy Vaillant
3,000 m steeple: Djilali Bedrani
Pole vault: Thibaut Collet, Renaud Lavillenie, Baptiste Thiery
Length: Jules Pommery
Triple jump: Enzo Hodebar, Jean-Marc Pontvianne
Hammer: Yann Chaussinand
Javelot: Kill Vahai Sosaia
Decathlon: Kevin Mayer
20 km walk: Gabriel Bordier
35 km walk: Kévin Campion, Aurélien Quinion
RELAY
4x100m women: Gemima Joseph, Mallory Leconte, Cynthia Leduc, Hélène Parisot, Marie-Ange Rimlinger, Carolle Zahi
4x400m women: Amandine Brossier, Diana Iscaye, Louise Maraval, Estelle Raffaï, Camille Seri, Sounkamba Sylla, Marjorie Veyssière
Men’s 4×100 m: Ryan Zeze, Jeff Erius, Mouhamadou Fall, Pablo Mateo, Aymeric Priam, Meba-Michael Zeze
4x400m men: Téo Andant, Gilles Biron, Simon Boypa, Thomas Jordier, Loïc Prevot, David Sombé
