Samuel Vessat breaks 17-year-old French 400m record at national championships in Albi
The 24-year-old former basketball player clocked 44.24 seconds, erasing Leslie Djhone's 2007 mark of 44.46 and posting the second-fastest European time this year.
The record run
Samuel Vessat, a 24-year-old from Saint-Denis who only took up athletics in 2024 after a basketball career, stormed to a 44.24-second victory in the men's 400m final at the French Athletics Championships in Albi on Sunday. The time broke Leslie Djhone's national record of 44.46, which had stood since 2007. Vessat, who had already set the indoor 400m record earlier in the year, was unaware of his achievement until informed in the mixed zone.
I wasn't aware. Here, we're at a championship where you have to repeat races to work under fatigue, to prepare for the European Championships (10-16 August in Birmingham).
The performance ranks as the second-fastest by a European this year. Behind Vessat, Muhammad Kounta (44.55) and Yann Spillmann (44.92) also dipped under 45 seconds, raising hopes for a strong French 4x400m relay at the upcoming European Championships.
- Samuel Vessat
- 44.24 seconds
- Leslie Djhone (2007 record)
- 44.46 seconds
- Muhammad Kounta
- 44.55 seconds
- Yann Spillmann
- 44.92 seconds
Other standout performances
In the women's long jump, Hilary Kpatcha claimed her fourth national title with a leap of 6.98 metres, the third-best European mark of the season. Yanis David took second with 6.86m, the sixth-best European performance. Defending European champions Alexis Miellet and Alice Finot both won their steeplechase events: Miellet clocked 8:24.64 in the men's 3,000m steeplechase, while Finot secured her sixth national crown in the women's race. On the 1,500m, Agathe Guillemot regained her national title in 4:23.05, while Romain Mornet won a tactical men's race in 3:41.03, with European season leader Azzedine Habz finishing seventh.
The 800m saw Renelle Lamotte edge Clara Liberman by 0.12 seconds (1:58.70 to 1:58.82) to book her European ticket, and young Louey Ouerrat (1:44.91) beat European champion Gabriel Tual (1:45.07) in the men's race. In the pole vault, world indoor champion Marie-Julie Bonnin cleared 4.60m to secure her spot at the Europeans, ahead of Margot Chevrier (4.55m), who returned to the national podium after a serious ankle fracture.
European Championships buildup
The championships served as a final tune-up for the European Athletics Championships in Birmingham from 10 to 16 August. Several athletes used the meet to test their form under fatigue, with Vessat noting the importance of repeating races. The depth in the 400m and other events suggests France could contend for multiple medals.
