Under the Tokyo rain, the Azuréens Makenson Gletty and Sarah Richard-Mingas experienced a day of contrasts at the world championships, concluding a rather inglorious competition for the French. A sixth-place finish in 42.81 seconds for Sarah Richard-Mingas in the women’s 4x100m relay final. Makenson Gletty finished ninth in the decathlon.
The women’s 4x100m relay final will be remembered for the rain, which descended on Tokyo’s Olympic Stadium just as Sarah Richard-Mingas and her teammates (Joseph Gémina, Hélène Parisot, Marie-Ange Rimlinger) took to the track. The French quartet, already qualified with the seventh-best time the day before, finished sixth in 42.81, a time slightly above the 42.71 they clocked in the heats.
Facing fierce competition, the French women couldn’t keep up with the fast pace set by the major favorites. The United States won gold in 41.75, ahead of Jamaica (41.79) and Germany (41.87).
Despite the disappointment of the result, the athlete from Nice wanted to highlight the journey they had taken: “We’re disappointed, we came seeking better results. We’re world finalists, which is no small feat, given that we had a rather challenging season. We didn’t necessarily believe in ourselves, but to have gotten this far is a great achievement.“
For Sarah Richard-Mingas, this first experience in the world finals is a stepping-stone: “We are undoubtedly very disappointed, but we will come back stronger.“
Makenson Gletty’s heroic climb through the pain
In the decathlon, the athlete from the Nice Côte d’Azur Athletics club delivered a performance full of courage. The previous day, Makenson Gletty finished the first day in fourteenth place with 2496 points, hampered by an Achilles tendon issue sustained during the long jump.
On the second and final day of the decathlon, the athlete from Nice tackled the last five events with determination, ultimately climbing to ninth place with 8146 points. His day was marked by impressive performances, particularly in the javelin throw, with a throw measuring 62.89m (781 points), surpassing his personal best. He also posted his season’s best performances in the 110m hurdles in 14.06 (967 points) and in the pole vault with a height of 4.90m (880 points).
After the competition concluded, he shared with France TV, “It was very difficult for me to abandon a decathlon, especially in a major championship. Yesterday I got a call from a certain Stéphane (Stéphane Diagana, former French world champion in the 400m hurdles, now a consultant for France TV since 2007). He found the right words that really helped me. I wanted to continue the decathlon, and this morning when I woke up, I knew why I was going to continue.“
This determination allowed him to achieve a spectacular comeback and regain his smile, “Ultimately, it’s a rather promising result. There are many areas for improvement, but I managed to perform despite what happened yesterday. Finishing this decathlon is what truly pleases me.“
