Arriving in the first two of the women’s 100m final at the Games of La Francophonie, Maboundou Koné and Jessika Gbaï confirmed the domination of Côte d’Ivoire in the African women’s sprint. Good news at a time when the Marie-Josée Ta Lou and Muriel Ahouré monuments are on their last strides.
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From our special correspondent in Kinshasa,
The Ivorian women’s sprint is doing well. And this for several years thanks in particular to Marie-Josée Ta Lou, who holds the African record in the 100m, and Murielle Ahouré, holder of the African record in the 60m. For more than a decade, these two athletes have reigned over the Ivorian and African sprint. But today, they are no doubt beginning to hear the deafening footsteps of their younger sisters in the distance, who arrive with great strides. This Tuesday, August 1, Maboundou Koné (first) and Jessika Gbaï (second) dominated the women’s 100m, achieving a double that announces a kind of beginning of a passing of the baton.
At almost 35 years old for Marie-Josée Ta Lou (in November) and 36 years old for Murielle Ahouré, the queens of the sprint are indeed on their last strides. Maboundou and Jessika get closer, but, on their ambitions, they still keep the distance imposed by respect for the old ones. ” They (Editor’s note : Ta Lou and Ahouré) encourage us and are always there for us “recalls Jessika Gbaï, 24 years old.
At 26, Maboundou, the gold medalist, says no less, even if she dares timidly talk about her ambitions. “Each of us has his talent. They are our elders, we try to do our best to reach them or go beyond them. We don’t compare ourselves to them, but they are very good big sisters, very good examples. »
Reunion in Budapest
Today, it is the Technical Directorate of Athletics of Côte d’Ivoire who can rub their hands to have such a good reserve and a relief already ready. ” The double is the ideal race. That’s what we hoped for. We got it. We do everything so that there is no disruption. Even if Ta Lou and Ahouré retire, the Ivorian sprint will continue to evolve with the younger generation », rejoices Posa Sié, national technical director of Côte d’Ivoire, present in Kinshasa with his protégés.
The DTN is not surprised to see Maboundou Koné dominate the 100m final. ” She has improved tremendously this year. She is an athlete of the future, she will be talked about. We also expect him on 200m. “.
Maboundou Koné, who offered his first gold medal to Côte d’Ivoire in these Games, also wants to do the double. Although she admits that she preserve for the Budapest Worlds (August 19 to 27, 2023). She will be accompanied, in the 200m, by Jessika Gbaï in Hungary. For Côte d’Ivoire, they will run with their elders Marie-Josée Ta Lou and Murielle Ahouré for the 4X100m relay. A real handover…
The two Ivorian athletes 🇨🇮 Maboundou Koné and Jessica Gbaï pulverize 🔥 their competitors in the 100 meter Final at the 11th Francophone Games in Kinshasa 🇨🇩
They respectively won the first Gold medal 🥇 and the Silver medal 🥈 for the Côte… pic.twitter.com/mjr21i5SlQ— Edith Brou Bleu (@edithbrou) August 1, 2023