Barber, Faumuina and Adams warm up at Pre-World meet

Eunice Barber's 12.88 second performance in the 100m Hurdles was the highlight of the Pre-World meet organised in Evry-Bondoufle – south of Paris – over the week-end. However, the meet failed to attract great participation as many World Championhips team delegations hadn't yet arrived in Paris.

The French heptathlete showed that she was ready in her quest for the gold, by cutting 37 hundredths of a second off her previous season's best, though she was hardly pushed by competition (Canada's Angela Whyte was second in 13.29).

"My challenge is to focus on my goal, whether there is competition or not", Barber commented after the race. "This result is important for me as I didn't compete a lot on the event this season. It gives a lot of confidence, especially as I hit a lot of hurdles at the beginning of the year".

She then came to the subject of her last month's preparation with Bob Kersee in the US : "It's rare that I don't feel any pain. This month, I was compelled to do very little work. I didn't train everyday, but we did essentially quality sessions. Instead of working at 50%, it was 90%. I would have crashed otherwise".

Next week will be made up by a lot of rest before tackling the challenge she has set to herself : the Heptathlon and the Long Jump.

"I won't find what I want this week. So I'll do little things to get in contact with the different events, rest a lot and pace my flat up and down".

While the season's world leader readily speaks about herself, one never manages to know what she thinks of her rivals: 

Question - "For you, is Kluft your main opponent ?".
The answer is direct and curt : "No, it's myself. I don't talk about Klüft"…

Another top world athlete present at the meet was 1997 Discus World champion Beatrice Faumuina of New Zealand. Faumuina won her event with a 63.59m throw.

"It went pretty well, considering I've come through some injuries". Asked about what was lacking her now to throw further, she answered laughingly "A 5-metre headwind. The wind was just dead flat today. Anyway it was nice to come because it's my first time here and I just wanted to have fun".

Her fellow countrywoman, Valerie Adams won the shot put with 18.65m.

For other athletes, the meet was a good opportunity to test themselves at distances they are not used to.

After his 45.50 win on the 400m from the outside lane, Congo's Gary Kikaya, who couldn't repeat his 44.53 from last year due to injury, went on to win the 200m in 20.83 the following day.

World Youth 800m champion Mohammed Al Salhi of Saudi Arabia lowered his 400m PB finishing second of the race in 45.70, followed by 800m Pan American Games winner Achraf Tadili of Canada in 46.34.

Among the squad selected for the American women's 4x400m, Crystal Cox won the 200m in 23.34, while Julian Clay, Moushami Robinson and Melissa Barber clocked respectively 37.05, 37.14 and 37.54 in the 300m.

The men's 300m attracted no fewer than 5 athletes from the Bahamian team as Dennis Darling proved the fastest in 32.58.

The 4x100m was won by France in 38.79 ahead Canada in 38.92 who were without Nicolas Macrozonaris. The expected US team didn't come to the meet.

There was still a US team in the race as the women's team, sole entrant in the women's race had asked to be included in the men's event. The quartet made up by Angela Williams, Lauryn Williams, Angela Daigle and Crystal Cox, according to the starts lists, clocked 43.66.

Full results - click here