Djhone is fit for European title campaign – French Champs, Final Day
Sunday 23 July 2006
Nancy, France - The third and last day of National Championships held yesterday (Sat 22) at the Raymond-Petit stadium in Tomblaine confirmed that Leslie Djhone, 45.10 at 400m, is the best gold medal hope for France at European Championships in Gothenburg (9-13 August).
Adrianna Lamalle (12.67 at 100m hurdles) and David Alerte (20.37 at 200m) lead the new generation to replace the national elite whose several members are currently injured (Ladji Doucouré, Mehdi Baala, Christine Arron and Vanessa Boslak).
Team mates Marc Raquil and Leslie Djhone
(Getty Images)
Djhone is back!
Health problems are now just bad memories for Leslie Djhone, a member of the 2003 World championship winning 4x400m relay squad, lost out on the 2005 season due to a quadriceps injury.
“2005 had been my first bad season in my career,” said the 2004 Olympic 400m finalist, “and each career contains a bad year, so I just had to be patient and look forward,” recounts Djhone. But even 2006 didn’t start in the best way either, as Djhone injured his other thigh muscle during an indoor 300m race (32.81) in Liévin. He then took a risk and rested for only four weeks instead of the recommended six. However, François Pépin’s pupil recovered well and he has worked slightly differently, avoiding too much high speed at training.
“This year, my speed is a little bit down, but to compensate, I have more endurance. That’s why I didn’t run 200m this season. At least I’m healthy now and able to run” analysed the 25-year-old former long jumper (7.91m in Junior).
From 46.81 on 2 June to 44.91, Europe’s leading mark of 2006, on 11 July, it has been a long month of training, competition and trust in his coach.
“François kept my confidence high in telling me that my times were going to get better, we knew that good things were coming.” With a training partner such as Marc Raquil, the European number-two this year with 45.01, every workout is aimed to prepare the duo for the two highest places in Gothenburg.
But while Raquil was working on his speed in Nancy (21.26 at 200m in heats), Djhone was preparing himself for a multi-round tournament: 46.65 in heats on Thursday, 46.07 in semis on Friday, and then yesterday he clearly won the final in 45.10.
“I’m deceived by the time, but the hot weather might be the cause”. In his way, Idrissa M’Barke (45.86) and Brice Panel (46.26) took second and third places. Adding the help of 400m hurdler Naman Keïta, the 4x400m French relay team has one of its best ever line-ups.
Hurdling delight too
François Pépin might have been the happiest coach of the day, as his hurdlers Cédric Lavanne (13.54) and Adrianna Lamalle (12.67) also won titles. Lamalle’s race was particularly impressive as after three labourious clearances of hurdles, she suddenly left the rest of the field in flying style to set a new personal best of 12.67, making her the 3rd best European this year behind Susanna Kallur (12.52) and Kirsten Bolm (12.65).
“I first met Susanna in World Junior Championships six years ago in Santiago de Chile. She took Gold and I took Bronze. Since then, her career has been successful year after year, while mine has been more difficult”, remembers the 23-year-old who has trained in Paris since the autumn of 2004.
Alerte sprints to 20.37
Men’s 200m winner David Alerte, like Adrianna Lamalle, was born in Martinique, but chose to stay to live and train on his island. The 1.92m tall sprinter had no rival today, since Ronald Pognon didn’t enter in this competition, an won the title in 20.37 (wind +0.8m/s), a time only bettered in Europe by Francis Obikwelu (20.18) and Christian Malcolm (20.29) this season. Alerte, who won European U23 Championships last year in Erfurt with 20.47, has shown that he knows how to be ready when it counts mosts.
“I was expecting to run at least as fast as last week (20.46) and a podium is a reasonable goal for Gothenburg”.
The women’s 200m was won by Sylviane Félix with 23.09 (wind +2.3m/s) with defending European Champion Muriel Hurtis, coming back from maternity, took third position with 23.22.
Sdiri – 8.14m
Salim Sdiri confirmed his good form at Long Jump with a last attempt at 8.14m (-0.5m/s) after an erratic series with only one non-fouled jump at 7.86m. Kafetien Gomis was second with 8.03m (w+1.4m/s).
Unlike all the above events which were dominated by clear favourites, the women’s 1500m was a tough and tactical race won by Hind Dehiba in 4:14.71. Dehiba, fourth at the World Indoor Championships in March, started the final sprint at the bell and Maria Martins was the first to lose contact with the leaders with 250m to go and eventually finished 3rd, while Bouchra Ghezielle, the outdoor World bronze medallist resisted until 50m to go and secured second place.
Senegalese Amy Mbacké-Thiam, the women’s World champion of 2001 won the 400m in 51.26 and her training partner Fabienne Feraez took the French title with 51.88 as she has double nationality for France and Benin. Both will compete in African Championships (9-13th August in Mauritius), so it looks likely that France instead will represented at the European Championships in this event by Solen Désert who finished 3rd with 52.09.
P-J Vazel for the IAAF