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Méline Rollin, Mekdès Woldu and Mélody Julien will represent France during the Paris Games marathon. The announcement of the men’s selection is postponed due to “open proceedings against a selectable male athlete”, Mehdi Frère.
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There were five in the running, there will only be three running in the streets of Paris on Sunday, August 11 in the morning. The French Athletics Federation announced this Wednesday, May 15, the names of the three French women who will participate in the 2024 Olympic marathon: Méline Rollin, Mekdès Woldu and Mélody Julien.
“The French National Olympic and Sports Committee (CNOSF) has validated the selection of athletes for the women’s marathon event. The selected athletes will join the French delegation as part of the Paris 2024 Olympic Games,” wrote the FFA in its press release.
Five French women had achieved the Olympic minimums in the marathon, a density never seen before in this discipline. The FFA selected the three athletes who achieved the best times.
Mekdès Woldu (2h24′44”) and Mélody Julien (2h25′01”) were preselected following their performance at the Valencia marathon (Spain) in December. Méline Rollin (2h24′12”) obtained her Olympic ticket after beating the French record in February in Seville.
Concerning the men’s selection, the FFA announced that it had postponed the announcement due to “an open procedure against a selectable male athlete”. In this case, marathon runner Mehdi Frère, to whom the Athletics Integrity Unit (AIU) notified a third alleged breach of his anti-doping obligations, the athlete’s lawyer confirmed to AFP, Me Laurent Fellous.
If this third breach, which Mehdi Frère contested, is proven, the French Anti-Doping Agency (AFLD) may open a procedure which could result in a two-year suspension.
The rest of the Olympic selection for athletics will be announced “from July 8”, after the French championships, according to the FFA.
