Still no medal for Côte d’Ivoire at the Olympic Games… The competition was not exciting the country until the entry into the competition of the flag bearer of the Ivorian delegation, sprinter Marie-Josée Ta Lou. The 35-year-old athlete had achieved the best time in the qualifying series and was among the favorites for the 100m final this Saturday evening. But she was injured just before her last race.
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With our correspondent in Abidjan, Marine Jeannin
The evening was well underway for Marie-Josée Ta Lou. In the semi-finals, the Ivorian sprinter finished second with a time of 11.01 seconds, and secured her place in the final to the cheers of confident spectators like Zachée Yanagbé, who applauded her wildly.
“ It is a great joy to see our compatriot, Marie-Josée Ta Lou, worthily representing the Ivorian nation. We hope that in the final, she will do even better than that. Ta Lou, today, all Ivorians know her because she represents us worthily, we are so proud of her. From the country, we are behind [elle]. The whole nation carries her in its heart. We boost her so that she can give us the medal we want: gold! »
The injury
But before the final, Marie-Josée Ta Lou appeared to be limping during the warm-up. Her injury became evident after the whistle, and if the sprinter managed to finish the race, she finished in last place in 13 seconds 84.
In front of the screen, Guy Hasman says he is disappointed for her, but above all worried about her health. Your Lou was our favorite… She took a hit, it’s not sure she’ll be able to come back. Well, what’s she going to do? ? We saw in training that she slammed her thigh. Since she’s a girl [une fille, ndlr] brave, she tried to force, but unfortunately it didn’t work. Next time will be the right one for her! Courage to her, because frankly, it’s not easy. And then, even if Ta Lou is eliminated, we’ll continue to follow… »
The Ivorians’ medal hopes now rest on taekwondo, where they are counting on their stars, Ruth Gbagbi and Cheick Cissé, and rising star Astan Bathily, who will take to the tatami on August 9 and 10, 2024.