Engaged in the final of the long jump, an event bringing together the categories T45, T46 and T47 (amputation on the upper body), Arnaud Assoumani did not manage to pass the 7 meters (6.97 m) and had to be content of a fourth place. No medal, therefore, but a quota for the Paralympic Games in Paris 2024. “The medal is missing, and I had enough to get it”, admitted the quadruple Olympic medalist in the category (including a gold medal at Beijing 2008). “I know I can go much further. Everything is fine physically, I know what remains to be worked on. The Frenchman confided a decisive psychological aspect of these Worlds at the Charléty stadium: “Here, three years ago, I left my tendon on the track, on this same jumper. It was the most serious injury of my career, it took me a year to recover. An injury that deprived him of a medal at the Tokyo Games in 2021.
Also entered in a final, that of the 100m T37 (cerebral palsy), Mandy François-Elie could not do better than a fifth place in 13”68. An extremely tough race where the Colombian winner Karen Palomeque set a new world record (12”82). The Frenchwoman will now place her medal hopes in the 200m on Monday.
Julien Casoli qualified for the 1500m final in the T54 category (wheelchair). In a particularly fast series, led by the favorite for the final victory, the Swiss Marcel Hug, Casoli finished 5th but a time of 3’19”34 nevertheless allowed him to reach the final. “Given the speed of the race, it was better to be in the lead (until the last corner. Editor’s note) as I did,” explained the 2018 European vice-champion in the category. “The others are also strong, there were at least six strong in the race.” Engaged in the second series of the 1500 in the same category, Thibault Daurat also finished 5th, but in 3’21”92, insufficient time to qualify for the final. “It wasn’t going fast enough…” declared Daurat after the race. Indeed, the winner of his series achieved a worse time than the last of that of Casoli. The Marcel Hug effect.
In addition to Colombia’s Palomeque in the 100m T37, two other athletes set world records on Thursday morning. The Indian Sumit Antil, big favorite for the javelin throw final in F64 (amputation of lower limb(s)), established a mark at 70.83 m. In F36 shot put (cerebral palsy), Tunisian Yassine Guenichi won the record with a throw of 16.86 m. Finally, Catherine Debrunner achieved a new world championship record to win gold in the 1500m, in the T54 category. This is the third gold medal for the Swiss in these Worlds, after those in the 800 and 5000m.