Salim Sdiri - French indoor record holder for LJ (© Getty Images)
Salim Sdiri, who was felled by a Javelin in Rome on Friday 13 July 2007, came back to competition during the 3rd and last day of French Indoor Championships (Sun 17 Feb), an unexpected performance, seven months after his terrible accident.
“Like a kid taking part his very first competition”
The 29-year-old long jumper not only showed that he had managed to heal his scars and overcome his fears, he also set performances which indicate that he is now close to his best level. Under intense media attention, the national indoor record holder (8.27m set two years ago) qualified for the final on Saturday (16) with 7.81m at his first attempt, then a national seasonal best, despite allowing a very conservative margin for error on the take-off board.
“I am very, very happy”, said the delighted Sdiri after the qualification. “I’m like a kid taking part his very first competition. I wasn’t nervous before my jump, maybe my heart was beating faster than usual. It was more than a relief to be here.”
The next day (17) during the final, Sdiri fouled his first two jumps. “That was the sign that the real Sdiri was back”, he joked. Sdiri’s third attempt was measured at 7.98m, which would remain his best mark.
Kafetien Gomis, who nevertheless produced a 8m jump to retain the national title on his sixth jump just like last year, gave credit to Sdiri: “Last year, when Salim was injured, I lost my rival and my friend, now he is back in form and it was a huge motivation for me.”
Sdiri was as happy: “I really wanted to jump, although I had no idea about how far I could jump. The past years, I wasn’t much better than what I am now, so I’m really surprised”. In March 2007, the Frenchman took the European Indoor Championships bronze medal with 8.00m.
Sdiri’s coach Danielle Desmier had a more precise idea of his athlete’s current abilities: “Salim was mainly looking to find assurance, he was progressively realising that his shape was coming up gradually, but his competition this weekend is the fruit of intense physical work done this winter.”
Sdiri, a father of a two-year-old, came through various stages during these seven months, finding support through his family and friends, occupying himself with his usual hobbies, fishing and reptile breeding. Progressively coming back to physical activities after the healing of the damaged muscles and organs caused by the javelin, he started to jump again in training in late December, before breaking a foot bone in January. This minor injury delayed his preparation but Sdiri, probably finding mental energy from the past drama, was fully back on track three weeks ago.
“I told Danielle (coach) not to give me rest, I wanted to train. Now I know I have the eight metres in my legs, and, provided that I choose the right competitions, I feel I can achieve the qualification standards (8.20m) for the Olympic Games.”
Tactical 5.70m win for Mesnil over rival
Pole Vault was a more expected dual between Jerome Clavier, 5.80 this winter, and World and European Championships silver medallist Romain Mesnil.
Clavier, who has beaten his rival three times in three occasions this winter, cautiously opened his competition at 5.40m, while Mesnil started at 5.50, and it was to be a very tactical encounter. Clavier then successfully jumped 5.60, a bar Mesnil didn’t try in order to focus on 5.70, a new season best for him. Mesnil, who trains in Bordeaux’ indoor arena, cleared the bar at his third trial, while Clavier couldn’t.
Not at his ease, Clavier explained: “I wasn’t warm enough for the first attempt, then for the next ones I didn’t manage to (properly) engage my jumps”.
Mesnil then had three misses at 5.86 for a bid to improve the world indoor season leading mark. Recalling he took the title in the same arena 10 years ago. Mesnil said he estimated “I was able to do 5.80 today”. However, Mesnil confirmed he was not willing to go to World Indoor Championships in Valencia.
“One cannot compete at every championships, it is too hard psychologically. This winter, I simply didn’t have the motivation to go there, and I wasn’t ready to meet with my foreign rivals. Some years ago when I was younger, I would have come, but now the risk of injury and lack of pleasure could be detrimental to my performance”.
So Clavier will be the sole French pole vaulter in Spain, with the ambition to fight for a medal.
Indoor season finished for injured Doucouré
60m Hurdles was deprived of former World champion Ladji Doucouré, who has stopped his indoor season in order to recover from the minor injury caused by a fall in Gainesville on 26 January. In his absence, Samuel Coco-Viloin, the silver medallist at World Junior Championships two years ago, won the final with 7.72 secs to match his personal best.
Okari is back
Coming back from Achilles surgery, Reïna-Flor Okori retained her title in the women race with 8.08 secs from Cindy Billaud 8.11.
“One month ago I would have not expected this result,” said Okori. “I was worried race after race, I had to relax myself because I wanted to do too much and it could have had the opposite effect.”
“My re-education is not yet finished. As strange as it sounds, I still can’t jog because my left foot is still not yet ready to support such activity. Running fast is ok though, but this is a very long process to recover from such physical problems,” concluded Okori.
‘Busy’ Ba as expected takes Triple Jump
Tereza Nzola Meso Ba conclude her busy weekend by a 13.50m Triple Jump victory, one day after having improved her Long Jump personal best to 6.28m. “It’s not exceptional, but it’s normal after so many competitions this week”, explained the Frenchwoman who improved her National Record with 14.53m on Tuesday. “I wasn’t looking anything else but first place here”, as she summed up “There are times for records and there are times for victories.”
P-J Vazel for the IAAF
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