The French Cyrena Samba-Mayela was crowned indoor world champion in the 60m hurdles on Saturday March 19 in Belgrade. This is the first podium for the French team since the start of the World Championships on Friday. Samba-Mayela, 21, won in 7 sec 78, a new French record, ahead of Bahamian Devynne Charlton (7 sec 81) and American Gabriele Cunningham (7 sec 87).
A discipline in crisis
Samba-Mayela, one of the greatest hopes of tricolor athletics, won his first medal on the international level. The protege of Teddy Tamgho thus confirms at the highest level a potential glimpsed in the youth categories. The native of Champigny-sur-Marne was indeed vice-world champion among the cadets in 2017 and silver medalist at the Euro juniors in 2021 in the 100m hurdles.
It gives a little balm to the heart to a discipline in the midst of a crisis in France and which has been accumulating poor results for two years (2 medals at the Doha Worlds in 2019, 1 medal at the Tokyo Olympics in 2021).
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