European Athletics (EAA) – News – France to send 46 athletes to Daegu, including Lavillenie and Lemaitre

France has finalised its team going to the 2011 World Championships later this month, with the late addition of long jumper Salim Sdiri. 

Sdiri, sixth at the last World Championships, jumped a season’s best of 8.27m in Lausanne on Saturday to move him up to fifth on the 2011 European rankings and secure his place on the plane going to the South Korean city of Daegu.

In total 46 athletes – 28 men and 18 women – will be representing Les Bleus at the Championships, which will be held from 27 August to 4 September.

French officials are hoping to follow up their successful 2010 European Athletics Championships when they finished second to Russia in the medal table.

Barcelona pole vault champion Renaud Lavillenie and his team mate Romain Mesnil both got medals at the last World Championships in 2009 and will be looping to get on the podium again.

Lavillenie might be the best bet to get his country’s first gold medal since 2005 as he currently leads the world with the 5.90m clearance he achieved at the Samsung Diamond League meeting in Monaco last month.

He has won his last four outings, including three at Diamond League meetings.

Sprinter Christophe Lemaitre, steeplechasers Mahiedine Mekhissi Benabbad and Bouabdellah Tahri walk Yohann Diniz and heptathlete Ida Antoinette Nana Djimou are among the others who have a good chance of getting in the first three. 

Men – 100m: Christophe Lemaitre , Jimmy Vicaut; 200m: Christophe Lemaitre; 1500m: Mehdi Baala , Florian Carvalho, Yoann Kowal; 110m hurdles: Dimitri Bascou; 3000m steeplechase: Mahiedine Mekhissi Benabbad, Bouabdellah Tahri , Vincent Zouaoui Dandrieux; Pole vault: Renaud Lavillenie, Jérome Clavier , Romain Mesnil; long jump: Salim Sdiri; triple jump: Benjamin Compaoré; decathlon: Romain Barras; 4x100m: Christophe Lemaitre, Jimmy Vicaut, Emmanuel Biron, Yannick Lesourd, Martial Mbandjock , Pierre-Alexis Pessonneaux, Teddy Tinmar; 4×400 m: Yoann Décimus, Nicolas Fillon, Yannick Fonsat, Mamoudou-Elimane Hanne, Teddy Venel; 50km walk: Yohann Diniz, Cédrix Houssaye, Bertrand Moulinet; women – 100m: Véronique Mang, Myriam Soumaré; 200m: Myriam Soumaré; 10000m: Christelle Daunay, 100m hurdles: Cindy Billaud, Sandra Gomis; high jump: Melanie Melfort; long jump: Eloyse Lesueur; hammer: Stephanie Falzon, heptathlon: Ida Antoinette Nana Djimou; 4x100m: Céline Distel, Ayodele Ikuesan, Lina Jacques-Sébastien , Carima Louami,Véronique Mang, Myriam Soumaré; 4x400m: Phara Anacharsis , Elea Mariama Diarra, Marie Gayot, Floria Guei, Muriel Hurtis.

European Athletics (EAA) – News