More than a second and four tenths. This is what Louise Maraval inflicted on her old personal best in the 400 meter hurdles on Wednesday evening at the Marseille meeting. In the Marseille city, the 22-year-old Frenchwoman won the race in 54 seconds and 44 hundredths ahead of the Italian Alice Muraro and the Moroccan Noura Ennadi, both also authors of their personal bests.
With this time, Louise Maraval achieved the minimum for the Olympic Games and at the same time signed the second best French performance of all time behind Marie-José Pérec, who completed the lap of the track in 53″21 in 1995 in Zurich.
This time gives the Vendée the sixth world performance of the year, seven tenths behind the Jamaican Rushell Clayton, who achieved a time of 53″72 on May 11.
Later in the evening, two other French people achieved the Olympic minimums, in the 3,000 meters steeplechase. Respectively second in 8′13″47 and third in 8′14″71, Louis Gilavert and Alexis Miellet only saw the Ethiopian Samuel Duguna finish in front of them.
