French Team: Muriel Hurtis wants two titles
In Munich the French team will concentrate on indoor European champion Muriel Hurtis who will have two chances of winning a medal in the 200 metres race and the sprint relay. The other runners are potential gold medal candidates as well. The main focus will be to win against Mehdi Baala and Driss Maazouzi, who came third in the World Championships, over the 1500 metres distance, while Ismail Sghyr (5,000 metres) and Bouabdellah Tahri (3,000 metres Hurdles) are also top favourites.
Muriel Hurtis (Photo: Chai)
Benoit Zwierzchiewski, winner of the Paris marathon is competing with great hopes in the traditional 42.195 kilometres.Stephane Diagana, Olympic Champion in Atlanta in 1996, is also looking to win a medal in 400 metres hurdles as well as Patricia Girard, who came third in the Olympics, in the shorter distance of 100 metres hurdles.
Even Nicolas Figere and Manuela Montebrun, representing the team as hammer throwers, as well as Romain Mesnil (pole vault) can be identified as potential favourites.
The 4 x 100 metres French relay team will pose the biggest threat in the fight for the gold medal for the German quartet probably consisting of Melanie Paschke, Gabi Rockmeier, Sina Schielke and Marion Wagner. Hurtis and co. still have something to prove from last year when the German team showed courage and sensationally won the silver medal in the World Championship duel in Edmonton.
The French Team for Munich
WOMEN
100m: SIDIBE Odiah, COMBE Delphine
200m: HURTIS Muriel, FELIX Sylviane, DIA Fabe
400m: LANDRE Francine
800m: GROUSELLE Elisabeth, FOUQUET Virginie, COULAUD Aurélie
10000m: YVELAIN Fatima
100m Hürden/hurdles: GIRARD Patricia, FERGA Linda, ARON Haydy
400m Hürden/hurdles: MORANDAIS Sylvanie
Hochsprung/High jump: FINEZ Lucie
Stabhochsprung/Pole Vault: BOSLAK Vanessa, POISSONNIER Marie
Diskuswerfen/Discus Throw: ROBERT MICHON Melina
Hammerwerfen/Hammer: MONTEBRUN Manuela, EZEH Florence
Speerwerfen/Javelin: WALTER Sarah
Siebenkampf/Heptathlon: COLLONVILLE Marie
Marathon: DALLENBACH Chantal
4 x 100 m : HURTIS Muriel, FELIX Sylviane, GIRARD Patricia, DIA Fabe, SIDIBE Odiah, COMBE Delphine
4 x 400 m: LANDRE Francine, GROUSELLE Elisabeth, FOUQUET Virginie, MORANDAIS Sylvanie, BEVIS Marie Louise
MEN
100m: N'THEPE Aime, CALLIGNY Fabrice, CALI Stéphane
200m: N'THEPE Aime, POGNON Ronald
400m : RAQUIL Marc
800m: AISSAT Nicolas, BARRE Franck
1500m: BAALA Mehdi, MAAZOUZI Driss, CHOUKI Fouad
5000m: SGHYR Ismail, CHEKHEMANI Rachid
5000m/10000m: LAHSSINI El Hassan
10000m: BEHAR Addellah
400m Hürden/hurdles: DIAGANA Stéphane, JEAN THEODORE Olivier, KEITA Naman
3000m Hindernis/steeple: TAHRI Bouabdellah, LE DAUPHIN Vincent, DENIS Frédéric
Hochsprung/High jump : GABELLA Gregory
Stabhochsprung/Pole Vault: MESNIL Romain
Weitsprung/Long jump : DOMENECH Yann, SDIRI Salim
Dreisprung/Triple jump: KAPEK Julien
Kugelstoßen/Shot put : NIARE Yves
Hammerwerfen/Hammer throw: FIGERE Nicolas, EPALLE Christophe
Zehnkampf/Decathlon : HERNU Laurent
50 km Gehen/Walking : LANGLOIS Daniel, PILLER René, BOULANGER David
Marathon: ZWIERZCHIEWSKI Benoît
4 x 100 m: N'THEPE Aime, CALI Stéphane, CALLIGNY Fabrice, EYANA Jérôme, PATROS David, POGNON Ronald
4 x 400 m : RAQUIL Marc, DJOHNE Leslie, KEITA Naman, WADE Ibrahima, DIAGANA Stéphane
