There will be no French athlete in the 100m this summer at the Paris 2024 Games. Although Pablo Matéo was crowned French champion this Friday in Angers, neither he nor any other French sprinter is eligible for the Olympic Games in the premier distance of athletics, a first since 1932.
Matéo, 23, certainly set a personal best (10″08) on the Angers straight after a failed European Championships in Rome at the beginning of the month (8th in the 100m and disqualified in the 200m). But according to the selection procedures of the French Athletics Federation (FFA), his performance is not enough to secure a ticket to the Olympic Games which begin in less than a month in Paris.
This is the first time in almost a century that no Frenchman will be taking part in the flagship distance of athletics. “We are a young generation, we can aim for better at world level in one or two years,” reacted Jeff Erius, second on Friday (10″11). “Afterwards, it is certain that for the Games in Paris, that there are no French in the 100m, it is a shame but we are doing our best.”
Dylan Vermont (10″15) completed the podium in Angers while the French record holder in the discipline, Jimmy Vicaut, took 6th place in 10″25.
