Final Paris preparations for the French team

Paris, FranceThe whole French team has been gathered since Monday evening in the national training centre for Rugby located in Marcoussis, south of Paris, where sprinter Odiah Sidibe (women's) and hurdler Stéphane Diagana (men's and Overall), were elected as team captains for the World championships.

The official team picture was taken yesterday morning (19 Aug), and only the European record holder for the marathon Benoît Zwierzchiewski was absent from the roll call.

A media day was held after the photo call and at the press conference the President of the French Federation Bernard Amsalem, Robert Poirier, the national technical director and both team captains, confirmed that the first important step towards success had already been reached, as the French public had shown it’s support of the team through the high ticket sales.

In terms of competition too France is also ready for the 9th IAAF World Championships in Athletics, Paris 2003 Saint-Denis.

”As of today, we have  20 athletes (including the relays) who are amongst the first eight in the world lists on the basis of three athletes per country. I believe that we can improve on our best tally in the World Championships. As I am an optimistic, I'll go for 5 medals,” confirmed Amsalem, while Poirier has set a minimum requirement of three medals.

The athletes themselves remain naturally cautious in their predictions on the whole.

Heptathlete Eunice Barber and marathoner Driss El Himer make their intentions clear : "I'm not coming to lose" and "it's been a long time and I'd like to jump 7 metres again" said Barber.

"I dream of becoming World champion. You always have to think big" commented El Himer.

Manuela Montebrun – women’s Hammer

"My goal is to be at the same level as throughout the season and after that we'll see what it gives. The others are not to be laid aside. I beat Yipsi Moreno once, but she just came off the plane, so that doesn't mean anything. And defeating Mihaela Melinte twice or three times doesn't mean that she won't beat me. Anything is possible on one day. Victories give you confidence, but one shouldn't get over confident. In any case don't believe that we don't give our maximum because the athlete is the first one to be disappointed if he/she counter-performs".

Muriel Hurtis and Christine Arron – women’s sprints

As for the women's sprints, both Hurtis (200m) and Arron (100m) are serene about their respective events, their physical state is good and the rise of pressure has not yet been felt.

"The fact the competition takes place in Seine Saint-Denis, the department where I was born and I still live, increases my motivation" Hurtis commented. "Last year I had success on the continental stage. Succeeding on the world scene is not an easy move. Various problems affected me at the beginning of the season but I wasn't worried as the goal was to be ready for the end of August. Once in final, all the girls will have their chance to get on the podium"

Besides the 200m, Muriel Hurtis speaks readily about the relay, "We are all aware that there's every chance we can get on the top of the podium all the more since we are faster individually" she said.

Christine Arron, doesn't want to hear about relay preparations before her own event is over and is impatient for the competition to start.

"I haven't taken part in a championships for two years. It's strange to watch them on TV. You really want to be there. There are years when the girls are more or less strong. This year I’m amongst the best, which is fortunate, since I haven't got back to the level I had in 1998. I don't feel any pressure. On the contrary, knowing that there is a possibility to get a medal gives me wings".

Her race in Zurich (a third place in 11.05 a season's best) left her unsatisfied though. "My reaction time was good but not my ability to then really get into the race, so I'll have to focus on that particular point during the preliminary heats".

Men’s medal chances

On the men's side the best medal chances will be in the hands of pole vaulter Romain Mesnil, Stephane Diagana in the 400m hurdles, and middle-distance runners Mehdi Baala and Fouad Chouki.

Romain Mesnil

Pole vaulter Romain Mesnil, the current world leader this season with 5.95 failed to impress during his last outing with three no-heights in Zurich. But he deliberately wanted to take risks with an opening bar at 5.80m.

"If I had succeeded, it would have probably shaken some of my opponents' morale. On the whole it helped me to sum up my usual mistakes. The tiniest mistake is indeed felt stronger the higher the bar gets. In Paris, I'll start the qualifying round with 5.70m unless the weather conditions are extreme. Starting lower would be risky, because I'm used to starting at this height, so I'd take the risk not to get into the competition at 100%.”

”I think I have the potential for 6m, but in the Stade de France, it will be difficult because the conditions are never ideal. The stadium is magnificent but so huge that the wind rushes in, a hurling wind that can drastically change the jumping conditions.  I try not to think about the result but about technique, maybe it'll help delay the stress coming. I've never felt that I had jump THE perfect jump yet. But championships are not about perfection."

Stéphane Diagana

1997 World and 2002 European 400m Hurdles champion, Stéphane Diagana delayed his debut several times this season due to injury. He only ran below 49 seconds once with 48.68 at the beginning of August, a performance that doesn't rank him among the top favourites. He is taken very seriously though, as his experience is feared. But Diagana prefers to be realistic about his current means.

”I would have liked to say, I'm coming to win, but that's not the case at the moment. As for now, I can't reasonably have a higher objective than a mere podium. It's probably the most difficult preparation I've been through. The fact the championships are held at home certainly helped me to persevere. One will have to transcend oneself to beat Felix Sanchez, because he is excellent in technique. A fast start isn't enough to disconcert him for example. "

Fouad Chouki and Mehdi Baala

It is by pure chance that two athletes born the same year (1978) and in the same town (Strasbourg) are currently ranked third and fourth in the world lists for the 1500m. They have known each other for a long time but they didn't follow the same route to success and don't have the same approach to the competition about to take place in Paris.

While Mehdi Baala progressively came to the limelight, Fouad Chouki who dominated the French middle-distance field as a U16, kept only dabbling with athletics because of an unlimited passion for football, which he played to a good level. Only two years ago did he came back seriously into running, when he realised he was too old to join a football training centre.

Chouki’s progress has been dazzling since then even though he's stayed in the shadow of Baala because the latter won the European title last year, while Chouki was fourth, "by lack of experience", only 21 hundredths adrift. "But now I try to run very fast so that the media also talk about me. That's why my performance in Zurich where I broke the French record (in 3:30.83) just comes at the right time.”

”In Paris I'd like the final to start on a fast tempo. This way I can aim both for the place and a good time. But that will depend on the semi-finals. If the semi is run in 3:33 then it'll be difficult to clock a good time. But if it's in 3:42, everything is possible. Recovery between the rounds will be the key element".

For Chouki, Morocco's Hicham El Guerrouj remains out of reach : "I really don't see who could get him worried. But it will be unbelievable if we joined him on the podium both Mehdi and I".

Mehdi Baala on the contrary wouldn't like the final to look like a Grand Prix race.

"I dream of a final where there isn't a second Moroccan so that there won't be a rabbit but a man-to-man confrontation instead. Though he may not be at his 1999 level, Hicham is still very strong. I was surprised by his race in Zurich though. I never saw him go so slowly through the 1200m. I believe he wanted to test his finish.”

”The level of performance hasn’t soared that much this season, that is why I remain careful. I'll keep an eye more on the guys who are able to finish fast than on the entry times."

Baala confirmed that he won't take part in the 800m giving the third spot on the team to Jimmy Lomba, unless a disaster prevented him from reaching the 1500m final.

Other hopes….

Bouabdallah Tahri in the steeplechase is another name who could surprise, though the clearance of Saif Saaeed Shaheen (Stephen Cherono) to compete for Qatar came as bad news for the European record holder, who'll be facing no fewer than 5 Kenyan-born athletes. Despite this, Tahri would prefer a fast race around 8:10 because "the pack stretches and it is then easier to watch the obstacles."

Other hopes will rely on marathoner Driss El Himer, who has directed all his efforts to get a medal in the same town where he ran 2:06:48 earlier this year, on a different course though. "I expect the championships race to be more difficult with more uphills though".

In the 400m training partners Marc Raquil and Leslie Djhone both broke the 45 seconds barrier this season, but the 4x400m relay squad has lost one of its key elements, with the last minute withdrawal of Ibrahim Wade due to injury.