NARBONNE, France, 27 July 2003 — Former European champion Christine Arron showed she is in the form to win a World Championships medal when she burned off Muriel Hurtis to claim the French 100 meters title here on Friday.
Arron’s time of 10.95sec, with an over the limit following wind of 2.5m s, put her five hundredths ahead of second-placed Hurtis, the reigning European champion over 200m.
After a string of injuries and the birth of a son, the woman who set the European record of 10.73sec five years ago will be back in contention for a major title when the World Championships take place in Paris in the last week of August.
Rising star Aime Nthepe won the men’s 100m in 10.09sec, with a following wind.
Eric Milazar of Mauritius ran an impressive 45.28sec to win the men’s 400m, ahead of Marc Raquil, who is feeling his way back from injury with a time of 45.89sec.
Patricia Girard produced a top-class 12.74sec to take the 100m hurdles title.
Rising Star Danvers Hit by Injury
In Birmingham, England, the rising star of British athletics Natasha Danvers pulled out of the World Championships trials on Friday after injuring a foot.
Danvers, the third quickest in the world at 400 meters hurdles this year, felt pain in her right foot as she was warming up for the heats of her event.
“I felt a pain in my foot and didn’t think much of it at first as I’ve had a similar pain before,” said Danvers.
“I kept warming up but the pain wouldn’t go away.”
But the 25-year-old is confident of recovering in time for next month’s championships in Paris. “I am not going to be stopped,” said Danvers. “I am highly disappointed at not competing this weekend but hopefully there will be good news when I have a scan next week.”
Saidi-Sief Cleared to Qualify for World Championships
In Paris, Olympic silver medalist Ali Saidi-Sief has been cleared to attempt to qualify for next month’s World Championships in Paris two years after being suspended for doping, the IAAF announced on Friday.
The Algerian’s two-year suspension ends on Aug. 17, but the International Association of Athletics Federations (IAAF) has decided to allow him until Aug. 27 to gain the 5,000 meters qualifying standard of 13min 21.50sec. The normal deadline is Aug. 16.
