Sunday 18 February 2007
Aubière, France - The second day of French Indoor Championships (Sat 17) provided no surprises as favourites Bouabdellah Tahri and Ronald Pognon (current European season best performers at 3000m and 60m, respectively) easily won their titles, and confirmed their amibitions for European Indoor Championships in Birmingham, 2 - 4 March 2007.
…
Third title for Pognon
European Record holder (6.45 two years ago) Ronald Pognon won his third consecutive 60m national title. The 24-year-old sprinter had a good reaction to the gun (0.132) but Emmanuel Ngom Priso (Cameroon) was the quickest out of the blocks.
At the midway point, Pognon went from 4th place to take the lead within a few steps and crossed the finish lane in relaxed style in 6.60 seconds, a time which was later corrected to 6.62 (50m intermediate time was 5.73).
“I wasn’t happy with my start, which was okay during the preliminary rounds, I felt it wasn’t a good race but the time is still not bad”, says the French who shares the fastest European time of the season with Briton Craig Pickering (6.55).
Ngom Priso took second place with 6.69, close to the personal best he set in the semi final (6.67, and 5.77 at 50m).
…
Tired Hurtis sidelined…
The women’s 60m was the most highly contested race as the seven fastest sprinters qualified for the final with times within a one tenth range. Carima Louami, 7.34 in semi-final, couldn’t overcome a poor reaction time (0.190) as she place second in final only a frw thousandth of a second behind Sylviane Félix (7.38 for both). Favourite Muriel Hurtis –Houairi, 7.38 in heats, couldn’t start in final due to poor form : “I had a flu and a sinusitis last week, and today I simply had no energy left to take part to the third race of the afternoon.”…
P-J Vazel for the IAAF