A week after winning his gold medal at the French National Championships, Youssef Benzamia claimed his first elite French high jump title on Sunday in Liévin (Pas-de-Calais).
Just days before his 25th birthday, the Nice native gave himself a wonderful gift by matching his recent record of 2.18 meters, which also constitutes the best French performance of the year.
Youssef Benzamia concluded the elite French championships on a triumphant note this Sunday in Liévin, following a first day marred by two major disappointments for the Nice Côte d’Azur Athletics club.
On Saturday, Frédéric Dagée and Rouguy Diallo were unable to live up to their status as national leaders in the shot put and triple jump: the former had to withdraw from the competition “as a precaution,” while the latter was prematurely eliminated from the final after fouling her first three attempts. But the Nice club is not short on resources!
Also at the top of the French rankings (tied with rising star Dorian Tharaud) since his record jump of 2.18 meters last weekend in Aubière (Puy-de-Dôme), Youssef Benzamia confirmed his status as the favorite by confidently capturing the elite French title, the very first of his career.
Competing against multiple titleholder Abdoulaye Diarra (record: 2.27 m), the Nice native delivered a perfect performance up to 2.14 meters, a height cleared on his first attempt, which was sufficient to secure the victory. Determined to confirm his return to form after several injury-plagued seasons, the former junior prodigy then successfully cleared 2.18 meters on his third and final attempt, before narrowly failing at 2.21 meters.
Youssef Benzamia: “I’m extremely satisfied. I had a lot of pressure. I hadn’t competed at the Elite French Championships for four years, mainly due to a sports hernia that lasted two years. And overnight, all eyes were on me. After my 2.18 meters, I managed to relax. At 2.21 meters, I was missing nothing on the second attempt. It’s a good omen for this summer.”
Among the Nice delegation present in the Hauts-de-France region, several other athletes stood out against the best French athletes, starting with Malagasy runner Avotrinaiaina Rakotoarimiandry, who finished fifth in the 400 meters with a time of 48.13 seconds. In the shot put, Dean-Nick Allen and Joël Fabreguettes took the 10th and 12th places in the final with throws of 16.45 meters and 16.03 meters, respectively.
On the women’s side, notable mentions include Manon Eple’s good ninth place in the 1,500 meters (4:38.44), while Marine Tanguy and Sacha Alessandrini held their own in the 800 meters heats (7th in 2:13.72) and 60 meters (5th in 7.64 seconds), respectively.
by Camille Vandendriessche
