France
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| France (FRA) | |
 |
|
| Olympic Group | Comité National Olympique et Sportif Français |
|---|---|
| NOC Website | www.comite-olympique.asso.fr |
| Governing Body | Fédération Française d'Athlétisme |
| Website | www.athle.org |
| Olympic Medal Count | Gold: 216 Silver: 236 Bronze: 267[1] |
France is a nation which has played a leading role in the Olympic movement.
2008 Olympic Team
The French team for Olympic Games, composed by 52 athletes, including 18 relay members, was announced after the National Championships held last weekend in Albi. National Technical Director Frank Chevallier estimates that this team can bring back two to four medals from Beijing.
Yohann Diniz and Mehdi Baala will lead the contingent as the main medal contenders, according to Chevallier. Diniz, European 50km Race Walk champion in 2006 and World silver medallist in 2007, has been unlucky in 2008 with an injury during the winter and illness in spring, delaying his preparation. Focusing on shorter distances, he has shown raising form on four occasions at the 5000m track walk, becoming the third fastest in the world ever with 18:18.01 for this rarely contested event. His only road competition this year, 20km Race Walk at the National Championships in 1:22.31, was held under hot temperature and provided an ideal preparation for Beijing.
Mehdi Baala, the only 1500m runner to have ever won the European Championships twice (2002 and 2006), will take part in his third Olympic Games. Fourth in Sydney (2000), hampered by foot injury and eliminated in heats in Athens (2004), the 29- year-old has prepared for Beijing with two tactical races (victories in Interclub and SPAR European Cup with storming last lap) and two pace races (3:34.30 for first place in Villeneuve D'Ascq, 3:32.00 for fourth place in Rome). Now prepared for all eventualities, the 2003 World silver medallist will use his experience to try and take an Olympic medal, the only one missing in his honours.
Other hopes are based upon 2005 World champion Ladji Doucouré, who is coming back to form at 110m Hurdles; Romain Mesnil, World silver medallist last year as he is sorting out his technical problems at Pole Vault.
The men's 3000m Steeplechase and Women's Hammer Throw are the only events in which France lines-up three selected athletes.
The men's 4x100m, usually a prolific medal provider for France (five medals in 1920, 1964, 1968, 1980 and 1988) has theoretically the best team since they broke the World Record in 1990 (37.79). The addition of the individual times of Morinière, Sangouma, Trouabal and Marie-Rose was 40.78, slightly better than the 2008 crew 40.84 with Mbandjock, Pognon, Lemaîte and Alerte. The question remains if their three second differential thanks to their reputed baton exchange technique will be enough to help them challenge the U.S, Jamaican and Trinidadian teams who will line-up sub10sec individuals.
The main major name missing to the list is Eunice Barber, 33, former Long Jump and Heptathlon World Champion, who failed to qualify for her fifth Olympics during the National Championships with a 6.60w performance, a few months after a knee surgery.[2]
Men[3]
| Athlete | Events | Heat | Quarterfinal | Semifinal | Final | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Result | Rank | Result | Rank | Result | Rank | Result | Rank | ||
| Mehdi Baala | 1500 m | 3:35.87 | 4 Q | 3:37.47 | 5 Q | 3:34.21 | 4 | ||
| Romain Barras | Decathlon | 8253 SB | 5 | ||||||
| Jérôme Clavier | Pole vault | 5.65 | 3 q | 5.60 | 7 | ||||
| Samuel Coco-Viloin | 110 m hurdles | 13.60 | 21 Q | 13.51 | 16 q | 13.65 | 15 | Did not advance | |
| Yohann Diniz | 50 km walk | Did not finish | |||||||
| Leslie Djhone | 400 m | 45.12 | 8 Q | 44.79 SB | 6 Q | 45.11 | 5 | ||
| Ladji Doucouré | 110 m hurdles | 13.52 | 11 Q | 13.39 | 6 Q | 13.22 SB | 3 Q | 13.24 | 4 |
| Colomba Fofana | Triple Jump | 16.42 | 29 | Did not advance | |||||
| Mickael Hanany | High Jump | 2.25 | 14 | Did not advance | |||||
| Martial Mbandjock | 100 m | 10.26 | 15 Q | 10.16 | 16 Q | 10.18 | 14 | Did not advance | |
| Mahiedine Mekhissi-Benabbad | 3000 m steeplechase | 8:16.95 SB | 2 Q | 8:10.49 PB |  |
||||
| Romain Mesnil | Pole vault | 5.55 | 14 | Did not advance | |||||
| Simon Munyutu | Marathon | ||||||||
| Yves Niaré | Shot put | 19.73 | 23 | Did not advance | |||||
| Ronald Pognon | 100 m | 10.26 | 15 Q | 10.21 | 18 | Did not advance | |||
| Eddy Riva | 50 km walk | 4:00.49 | 28 | ||||||
| Salim Sdiri | Long Jump | 7.81 | 21 | Did not advance | |||||
| Bouabdellah Tahri | 3000 m steeplechase | 8:23.42 | 15 Q | 8:14.79 | 5 | ||||
| Vincent Zouaoui-Dandrieux | 3000 m steeplechase | 8:27.91 | 22 | Did not advance | |||||
| From: David Alerte Christophe Lemaître Martial Mbandjock Issa Aimé Nthépé Ronald Pognon Manuel Reynaert |
4x100 m | 39.53 | 10 | Did not advance | |||||
| From: Leslie Djhone Richard Maunier Idrissa M'barke Brice Panel Teddy Venel |
4x400m | 3:03.19 | 11 | Did not advance | |||||
Women[3]
| Athlete | Events | Heat | Quarterfinal | Semifinal | Final | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Result | Rank | Result | Rank | Result | Rank | Result | Rank | ||
| Christine Arron | 100 m | 11.37 | 15 Q | 11.36 | 16 | Did not advance | |||
| Vanessa Boslak | Pole vault | 4.50 =SB | 2 q | 4.55 SB | 9 | ||||
| Marion Buisson | Pole vault | 4.15 | 23 | Did not advance | |||||
| Marie Collonvillé | Heptathlon | 6302 SB | 12 | ||||||
| Christelle Daunay | Marathon | 2:31:48 | 20 | ||||||
| Sophie Duarte | 3000 m steeplechase | 9:38.08 | 25 | Did not advance | |||||
| Stéphanie Falzon | Hammer | 68.94 | 14 | Did not advance | |||||
| Élodie Guégan | 800 m | 2:03.85 | 32 Q | Did not finish | Did not advance | ||||
| Muriel Hurtis-Houairi | 200 m | 22.72 | 2 Q | 22.89 | 11 Q | 22.71 | 10 | Did not advance | |
| Adriana Lamalle | 100 m hurdles | No Show | |||||||
| Manuela Montebrun | Hammer | 72.81 | 4 Q | 72.54 | 5 | ||||
| Antoinette Nana Djimou Ida | Heptathlon | 6055 | 18 | ||||||
| Teresa Nzola Meso | Triple Jump | 14.11 | 14 | Did not advance | |||||
| Reïna-Flor Okori | 100 m hurdles | 12.98 | 15 q | 13.05 | 13 | Did not advance | |||
| Amélie Perrin | Hammer | NM | NC | Did not advance | |||||
| Melina Robert-Michon | Discus | 62.21 SB | 5 Q | 60.66 | 8 | ||||
| Mélanie Skotnik | High Jump | 1.89 | 16 | Did not advance | |||||
| From: Christine Arron Muriel Hurtis-Houairi Ayodele Ikuesan Lina Jacques-Sebastien Carima Louami Myriam Soumaré |
4x100 m | Did not finish | Did not advance | ||||||
| From: Phara Anacharsis Solen Desert Élodie Guégan Aurore Kassambara Virginie Michanol Thélia Sigere |
4x400m | 3:26.61 SB | 9 | Did not advance | |||||
See also
References
- ↑ As of 2008-09-03. Does not include medals won as part of mixed teams with athletes from other nations (1896–1904). http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/All-time_Olympic_Games_medal_count
- ↑ http://www.iaaf.org/OLY08/news/kind=100/newsid=46354.html Retrieved 2008-07-31
- ↑ 3.0 3.1 La sélection française - Athlétisme (French). Comité National Olympique et Sportif Française. Retrieved on 2008-08-02.