Athletics at the 1997 Jeux de la Francophonie

At the 1997 Jeux de la Francophonie, the athletics events were held in Antananarivo, Madagascar in August and September 1997. A total of 43 events were contested, of which 23 by male and 20 by female athletes. Of the forty nations present at the competition, fifteen reached the medal table in the athletics competition.

Athletics at the III Jeux de la Francophonie
Host cityAntananarivo, Madagascar
Events43
Participation30 nations
Records set8 Games records


The regional leader France easily topped the medal table with eleven gold medals and 38 in total. This was almost twice as many as second placed Canada (seven golds and twenty altogether). The hosts Madagascar had a strong showing in third place with seven golds and 16 medals – a performance which helped it into second place in the medals at the games. Senegal and Romania were the next best performers with four golds each.

A total of eight games records were set during the competition. On the men's side, Jean-Olivier Zirignon won the 100 metres in 10.07 seconds, Alejandro Argudin ran 49.22 seconds for the 400 metres hurdles, the high jump saw Mike Caza and Khemraj Naiko both reach 2.23 m, Cheikh Touré won the long jump with 8.19 m and Bouna Diop set a new javelin throw standard of 75.82 m. On the women's side Denisa Costescu ran 16:44.2 minutes to win the inaugural 5000 metres title (which replaced the previous 3000 metres event), Laurence Manfredi threw a record of 16.70 m in the shot put and Kim Vanderhoek set a heptathlon games best of 5650 points.[1]

Medal summary edit

Men edit

Event Gold Silver Bronze
100 metres
(wind: +0.3 m/s)
  Jean-Olivier Zirignon (CIV) 10.07 GR   Souleymane Meité (CIV) 10.33   Antoine Boussombo (GAB) 10.42
200 metres
(wind: -2.2 m/s)
  Joseph Loua (GUI) 20.54   Souleymane Meité (CIV) 20.94   Antoine Boussombo (GAB) 21.00
400 metres   Ibrahima Wade (SEN) 45.74   Hachim Ndiaye (SEN) 46.16   Eric Milazar (MRI) 46.67
800 metres   Arthémon Hatungimana (BDI) 1:46.83   Zach Whitmarsh (CAN) 1:48.02   Assane Diallo (SEN) 1:48.26
1500 metres   Ovidiu Olteanu (ROM) 3:45.37   Allan Klassen (CAN) 3:45.71   Halez Taguelmint (FRA) 3:47.67
5000 metres   Vital Gahungu (BDI) 14:45.3   Nicolae Negru (ROM) 14:46.1   Haja Ramananjatovo (MAD) 14:46.6
10,000 metres   Haja Ramananjatovo (MAD) 29:55.8   Tharcisse Gashaka (BDI) 29:58.02   Nicolae Negru (ROM) 30:21.33
Marathon   Pascal Fétizon (FRA) 2:24:34   Souley Oumarou (NIG) 2:34:12   Jean de la Croix Mahatana (MAD) 2:44:10
110 metres hurdles   Jonathan Nsenga (BEL) 13.56   Jean-Marc Grava (FRA) 13.71   Sébastien Denis (FRA) 13.72
400 metres hurdles   Alejandro Argudin (ROM) 49.22 GR   Jean-Paul Bruwier (BEL) 50.02   Gilbert Hashan (MRI) 50.46
3000 metres steeplechase   Graeme Fell (CAN) 8:55.56   Jean-Nicolas Duval (Quebec) 8:56.16   Thomas Toyi (BDI) 8:57.38
4×100 metres relay   Ivory Coast (CIV)
Éric Pacôme N'Dri
Jean-Olivier Zirignon
Ahmed Douhou
Ibrahim Meité
38.7   Cameroon (CMR)
Alfred Moussambani
Serge Bengono
Issa-Aimé Nthépé
Benjamin Sirimou
39.3   Benin (BEN)
Patrick Mocci-Raoumbe
Charles Tayot
Lueyi Dovy
Antoine Boussombo
39.5
4×400 metres relay   Senegal (SEN)
Seydou Loum
Hachim Ndiaye
Alpha Babacar Sall
Ibrahima Wade
3:02.0   Mauritius (MRI)
Fernando Augustin
Rudy Tirvengadum
Gilbert Hashan
Eric Milazar
3:07.3   France (FRA)
Ousmane Diarra
Jean-Laurent Heusse
David Kafka
Marc Raquil
3:07.4
20 km walk   Hatem Ghoula (TUN) 1:26:39   Sylvain Caudron (FRA) 1:27:59   Pascal Servanty (FRA) 1:29:30
High jump   Mike Caza (CAN) 2.23 m GR   Khemraj Naiko (MRI) 2.23 m GR   Olivier Sanou (BUR) 2.15 m
Pole vault   Nicolas Jolivet (FRA) 5.40 m   Mathieu Boisrond (FRA) 5.20 m   Jeff Miller (CAN) 5.10 m
Long jump   Cheikh Touré (SEN) 8.19 m GR   Franck Zio (BUR) 8.02 m (w)   Mike Laberge (CAN) 7.82 m
Triple jump   Toussaint Rabenala (MAD) 16.50 m   Oral O'Gilvie (CAN) 16.49 m   Jimmy Gabriel (FRA) 16.46 m
Shot put   Stéphane Vial (FRA) 17.79 m   Rocky Vaitanaki (FRA) 17.75 m   Raphaël Cécé (FRA) 17.14 m
Discus throw   Costel Grasu (ROM) 59.02 m   Jean-Claude Retel (FRA) 58.11 m   Mickaël Conjungo (CAF) 57.47 m
Hammer throw   Frédéric Kuhn (FRA) 70.90 m   David Chaussinand (FRA) 69.62 m   John Stoikos (CAN) 68.40 m
Javelin throw   Bouna Diop (SEN) 75.82 m GR   Vitolio Tipotio (FRA) 72.61 m   Maher Ridane (TUN) 70.63 m
Decathlon   Pierre Salamand (FRA) 7477 pts   Yves Bourgey (FRA) 7376 pts   Anis Riahi (TUN) 7356 pts

Women edit

Event Gold Silver Bronze
100 metres
(wind: -1.9 m/s)
  Hanitriniaina Rakotondrabe (MAD) 11.51   Georgette Nkoma (CMR) 11.65   Lalao Ravaonirina (MAD) 11.66
200 metres
(wind: +0.1 m/s)
  LaToya Austin (CAN) 23.40   Anita Mormand (FRA) 23.53   Aïda Diop (SEN) 23.78
400 metres   Marie-Louise Bévis (FRA) 52.91   Fabienne Ficher (FRA) 52.99   Mireille Nguimgo (CMR) 53.18
800 metres   Karen Goetze (FRA) 2:06.32   Jean Fletcher (CAN) 2:06.37   Virginie Fouquet (FRA) 2:06.73
1500 metres   Cindy O'Krane (CAN) 4:19.80   Céline Rajot (FRA) 4:23.68   Martine Rasoarimalala (MAD) 4:26.32
5000 metres   Denisa Costescu (ROM) 16:44.2 GR   Rodica Nagel (FRA) 17:04.5   Nathalie Deroubaix (BEL) 17:06.7
10,000 metres   Jackie Mota (CAN) 34:27.57   Clarisse Rasoarizay (MAD) 34:59.75   Tina Connelly (CAN) 35:27.21
100 metres hurdles
(wind: -1.3 m/s)
  Nicole Ramalalanirina (MAD) 13.21   Isabelle Corréa (FRA) 13.60   Mame Tacko Diouf (SEN) 13.68
400 metres hurdles   Aurélie Jonary (MAD) 57.20   Cendrino Razaiarimalala (MAD) 57.28   Mame Tacko Diouf (SEN) 57.33
4×100 metres relay   Madagascar (MAD)
?
Lalao Ravaonirina
Monica Rahanitraniriana
Hanitriniaina Rakotrondrabe
44.45   France (FRA)
Isabelle Correa
Marie-Joëlle Dogbo
Nathalie Polin
Linda Ferga
44.46   Canada (CAN)
Erika Witter
Lisa Nicole Kosh
Dena Burrows
LaToya Austin
44.61
4×400 metres relay   Cameroon (CMR)
Myriam Léonie Mani
Georgette Nkoma
Carine Eyenga
Delphine Atangana
3:34.40   France (FRA)
Marie-Louise Bévis
Sylvie Birba
Fabienne Ficher
Anita Mormand
3:34.99   Madagascar (MAD)
Aurelie Jonary
Cendrino Razaiarimalala
Monica Rahanitraniriana
Paule Ony Ratsimbazafy
3:35.09
Marathon   Clarisse Rasoarizay (MAD) 2:56:24   Elysée Razafimahatratra (MAD) 3:02:16   Sonia Agoun (TUN) 3:06:13
10 km walk   Anne-Catherine Berthonnaud (FRA) 49:18   Fatiha Ouali (FRA) 50:51   Marina Crivello (Quebec) 56:04
High jump   Sabrina De Leeuw (BEL) 1.85 m   Nathalie Belfort (Quebec) 1.82 m   Irène Tiendrébéogo (BUR) 1.82 m
Long jump   Vanessa Monar-Enweani (CAN) 6.30 m   Linda Ferga (FRA) 6.29 m   Doris Randriamaro (MAD) 6.04 m
Triple jump   Valérie Guiyoule (FRA) 13.98 m   Françoise Mbango Etone (CMR) 13.75 m   Michelle Hastick (CAN) 13.64 m
Shot put   Laurence Manfredi (FRA) 16.70 m GR   Georgette Reed (CAN) 15.97 m   Amel Ben Khaled (TUN) 14.95 m
Discus throw   Isabelle Devaluez (FRA) 55.81 m   Catherine Gery (FRA) 47.46 m   Georgette Reed (CAN) 46.73 m
Javelin throw
(old model)
  Isabelle Surprenant (Quebec) 49.99 m   Bernadette Perrine (MRI) 49.85 m   Sandy Taylor (CAN) 46.25 m
Heptathlon   Kim Vanderhoek (CAN) 5650 pts GR   Guilaine Graw (FRA) 5544 pts   Muriel Crozet (FRA) 5296 pts

Medal table edit

  *   Host nation (Madagascar)

RankNationGoldSilverBronzeTotal
1  France (FRA)1119838
2  Canada (CAN)75820
3  Madagascar (MAD)*73616
4  Senegal (SEN)4149
5  Romania (ROM)4116
6  Ivory Coast (CIV)2204
7  Belgium (BEL)2114
  Burundi (BDI)2114
9  Cameroon (CMR)1315
10  Quebec (QBC)1214
11  Tunisia (TUN)1045
12  Guinea (GUI)1001
13  Mauritius (MRI)0325
14  Burkina Faso (BUR)0123
15  Niger (NIG)0101
16  Gabon (GAB)0022
17  Benin (BEN)0011
  Central African Republic (CAF)0011
Totals (18 entries)434343129

References edit

Notes
  1. ^ Francophone Games. GBRathletics. Retrieved on 2013-05-06.
Sources