Frenchwoman Anaïs Bourgoin won the bronze medal in the 800m on Wednesday at the European Athletics Championships in Rome in a race dominated by the big favorite, Briton Keely Hodgkinson. For his first selection for the senior French team, Bourgoin, 27, took third place in the double lap after 1’59″30 of effort, behind Olympic and world vice-champion Hodgkinson (1’58” 65) and the Slovak Gabriela Gajanova (1’58″79).
“I don’t even realize, it was super hardshe reacted to the microphone of France Télévisions. It happened very quickly but I held on (…) I never stopped believing in it, until the end. It’s just incredible. If someone had told me that two weeks ago… I just moved up to the ranking, and now I’m in bronze with the Olympic minimums. The stadium was full, it carried me away. This is the first time I’ve experienced this. I just can’t wait to experience it again!“That’s a good thing, the Olympics have never been so close.
Silver Schrub over 10,000m
She gave France its 15th medal of the European Championships (4 in gold, 3 in silver, 7 in bronze). Just behind Bourgoin, the other Frenchwoman in the final Léna Kandissounon took 4th place in 1’59″81. Bourgoin had already impressed on Tuesday in the semi-final when she held on to Hodgkinson from start to finish to explode her record personal With 1’58″65 in the semi-final, she dropped below the two-minute mark for the first time, and even below 1’59, to reach the Olympic minimums.
In the process, Yann Schrub, third in Munich in 2022, continued the great French evening by finishing second in the men’s 10,000m. With a time of 28’00’48, he finished just behind the Swiss Dominic Lobalu (28’00″32) but ahead of the Spaniard Thierry Ndikumwenayo (28’00″96). Jimmy Gressier finished fifth (28’01″42).
Tupaia gives up in javelin
Javelin thrower Teura Tupaia, who recently set the French record with a throw of more than 86 m, gave up due to a sore arm. 44 days before the Paris Olympic Games (July 26-August 11), for which he achieved the qualifying minimums, Tupaia, despite being fifth in the final with his only throw sent to 82.98 m, “preferred to preserve” and not “not take any risks“.
“After the qualifying competition, I had some minor discomfort in my elbow, nothing very serious and today (Wednesday), from the first attempt, it was not the same pain as yesterday“, he explained, describing a “pinched nerve“who radiated”in the little finger“.”With my coach and the doctors, we said to ourselves that it was better not to take any risks. The objective this year is Paris“, added the 24-year-old Polynesian. It was the Czech Jakub Vadlejch who won, with a mark of 88.65 m.
The 4×400 m relay runners with Sounkamba Sylla, Louise Maraval, Alexe Deau and Amandine Brossier took 5th place in 3’23″77. The men’s relay (Gilles Biron, Yann Spillmann, Muhammad Kounta, Téo Andant) finished in 4th place. place in 3’01″43. The Dutch, with lap queen Femke Bol as the last relay runner, retained the European gold in this relay. The Dutch collective composed of Lieke Klaver, Cathelijn Peeters (in bronze over 400 m hurdles on Tuesday), Lisanne De Witte and Femke Bol (in gold over 400 m hurdles) retains its European title obtained in Munich in 2022.
The last runner, Femke Bol took the baton well into the lead before managing her effort throughout the lap even though her competitors were coming back on her. She crossed the line after 3’22″39 of racing ahead of the Irish (3’22″71, Irish record) and the Belgians (3’22″77). In the men’s 4×400 m, the Belgians with the new European 400m champion Alexander Doom were crowned. The collective made up of Jonathan Sacoor, Robin Vanderbemden, Dylan Borlée and Doom completed the four laps of the track in 2’59″84. The Belgian torchbearers beat the Italians (3’00″81) and the Germans (3’00″82).
Candidate for the podicum over 1500 m, Azeddine Habz finally broke down during the final straight. He finished 7th (3’33″70). The inevitable Jakob Ingebrigtsen won (3’31″95), ahead of the Belgian Vermeulen (3’33″30) and the Italian Arese (3’33″34). ).