French hurdler Laëticia Bapté secured the bronze medal in the 100-meter hurdles at the European Athletics Championships in Birmingham, clocking a time of 12.73 seconds. Her podium finish on Tuesday evening marked the second bronze medal for the French delegation at the continental tournament, following Étienne Daguinos’s third-place finish in the 5,000 meters earlier in the week.
A Breakthrough Podium Finish in Birmingham
Laëticia Bapté’s performance in the 100-meter hurdles final delivered a crucial result for France at the European Athletics Championships in Birmingham. Crossing the finish line in 12.73 seconds, the French athlete captured bronze and provided her delegation with its second podium finish of the event, according to reports from Le Parisien.
Reflecting on her performance after the race, Bapté shared her emotional reaction to the milestone. “I am still shocked. I’ve been waiting for this medal for a long time, after a complicated year,” she said, visibly moved in remarks reported by Le Parisien.
The race itself proved fiercely competitive at the front of the pack. Dutch athlete Nadine Visser claimed the gold medal, while Poland’s Pia Skrzyszowska took silver. Both Visser and Skrzyszowska crossed the line in identical times of 12.67 seconds, requiring officials to separate them by thousandths of a second. Meanwhile, fellow French finalist Sacha Alessandrini completed the event in sixth place.
Building on Early Success for the French Delegation
Bapté’s bronze adds to a steady start for the French team at the Birmingham championships. On Monday, distance runner Étienne Daguinos established the delegation’s initial momentum by securing the bronze medal in the men’s 5,000 meters. In that same race, high-profile French competitor Jimmy Gressier finished just outside the medals at the foot of the podium in fourth place.
For Bapté, the result validates a determined response to a challenging competitive season. As the European Championships continue, the French athletics team will look to build upon these early podium performances across the remaining track and field events.
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