The Nikaïa Meeting took place on Saturday, June 15. Despite being an international event, it did not prevent regional athletes present from performing. Here’s a look back at the evening’s results.
The Nikaïa Meeting was held at the Charles Ehrmann stadium on Saturday evening. Four athletes were present to represent the region in this international event. The results are rather mixed, but promise a bright future for the athletes from the Côte d’Azur.
Disappointment at the Rendezvous
For the men’s javelin, Lenny Brisseault opened the results for the athletes from the Côte d’Azur. Though his last year’s record was 74.16 meters on this same field at the Nikaïa Meeting, luck was not on his side this time. His best throw was 69.38 meters. He finished in sixth place, 8.23 meters behind the event’s winner, Finnish Tobias Laine.
The same scenario unfolded in the shot put with Yoan Rago. Out of six attempts, three were not validated. His best attempt was 18.06 meters. He also finished sixth, 4.85 meters behind his fellow Frenchman Franck Elemba. It is also worth noting the strong performance by Nice Côte d’Azur Athletics member Frédéric Dagée, who placed third with 19.47 meters.
Hope for the Niçois
Pole vaulter Diane Scheer delivered a great performance for the juniors. She cleared 3.62 meters in one attempt. The 3.82 meters proved tricky, but she managed to clear it on her third try. However, there was some disappointment for the 3.92 meters as she failed to clear it, knocking over the bar three times. She finished second behind Léa Mauberret, with other competitors having either withdrawn or failed to clear their attempts.
In the men’s 1000 meters, Youssef Benzama achieved a very impressive second place in 2:18.25, just twenty-three milliseconds behind Britain’s Elliot Giles. He was also surprised by his performance, “I was like, damn, I’m doing too well, I should have attacked earlier! To think I was almost at Elliot Giles’s level, that motivates me even more.”
Two Notable Performances
The athletics races continued to amaze the spectators present with two records broken for the French. In the men’s 3000 meters steeplechase, Hicham Errbihih broke the French junior record with a time of 8:35.88. Happiness was evident on his face, “Finally, I have a result that reflects my training effort.”
The other surprise of the evening was Maël Gouyette in the men’s 1500 meters. With a time of 3:32.67, the runner from Saint-Brieuc broke his personal record of 3:34.12 and, most importantly, achieved the qualifying standard for the Paris 2024 Olympics. An explosion of joy ensued on the track and in the stands.
