Paris 2024 Olympics: With a fiery race, Cyréna Samba-Mayela wins the silver medal in the 100m hurdles, one hundredth of a second away from gold

Cyréna Samba-Mayéla décroche la médaille d’argent. MAXPPP – Martin Rickett

Cyréna Samba-Mayela a obtenu la médaille d’argent du 100 m haies et a offert aux Bleus de l’athlétisme leur première médaille des Jeux olympiques de Paris samedi au Stade de France.

Samba-Mayela (23), crowned European champion in June, completed her race in 12.34 seconds and was only beaten by a hundredth by the American Masai Russell (12.33). Puerto Rican Jasmine Camacho-Quinn, gold at the Tokyo Games in 2021, is this time a bronze medalist (12.36).

#Paris2024 | INCROYABLE CYRENA ! 🇫🇷🔥

LA FRANÇAISE DÉCROCHE LA MÉDAILLE D'ARGENT 🥈 ET ÉTAIT TOUTE PROCHE DE GAGNER LA COURSE DU 100 M HAIES, ÇA S'EST JOUÉ À 1 CENTIÈME D'ÉCART AVEC MASAI RUSSELL !

📺 Suivez la finale en direct : https://t.co/hHHwOiAOqk pic.twitter.com/JcROhEFvGT

— francetvsport (@francetvsport) August 10, 2024

On the last day of the athletics events on the purple track of the Stade de France, Samba-Mayela saved French athletics from a zero point that he did not have better known at the Olympics since 2000.

Disturbed by Covid

The French hurdler, who has been training in the United States since the start of the 2023 school year, established herself as a contender for the Olympic podium by becoming European champion in the 100&nbsp ;m hurdles in Rome in June in a world-class time (12.31).

His Olympic preparation was then disrupted by a Covid infection. At the start of the year, Samba-Mayela already won another silver medal, the world medal in the 60m indoor hurdles. A distance for which she was crowned world champion in 2022.

Earlier in the evening, Gabriel Tual, a candidate for the Olympic podium in the 800 m, placed seventh in the final in 1 min 42 sec 14.