She had a big scare when she hit the last hurdle. But it finally went through for the European 100m hurdles champion Cyréna Samba-Mayela who narrowly qualified for the Olympic final which will take place on Saturday evening at the Stade de France. Among the rare medal chances for French athletics, the hurdler achieved the fourth fastest time in her semi-final in 12”52, securing the last qualifying ticket for the final by three hundredths of a second.
“I knew that today I was going to play one of the biggest races of my life and that I had to be able to give everything,” said Cyréna Samba-Mayela in the mixed zone. “I didn’t sleep very well, but today I knew how to get my legs out, I knew how to be there. I made a little mistake at the end but in any case my legs are there, the job is done, I’m through to the final.”
The French athlete also surprised everyone by running with large sunglasses, which is not her usual style and the sky was overcast. “I had a technical problem with my makeup, that’s it,” she explained with a smile.