Morhad Amdouni came to Spain with qualifying for the Olympics in mind, but he did much better.
By taking second place in the Seville marathon this Sunday, behind the Ethiopian Deresa Geleta, the Seine-et-Marnais smashed the French record: 2h03′46′', or 1′35′' less than his previous mark , established in Paris in 2022.
Deresa Geleta Ulfata wins the Seville marathon ahead of Frenchman Morhad Amdouni, who breaks the French record!
#lequipeATHLE pic.twitter.com/LUvgywA2zA
— L’ÉQUIPE (@lequipe) February 18, 2024
The Frenchman even played for victory under the Andalusian sun for a long time, being the only one to keep pace with Geleta, who started at a pace of 2h04′.
He finally broke down after 38 kilometers of racing, letting the future winner slip away, who finished in 2h03'25'', but continuing his effort to the end to set a benchmark time.
He is now the second best European in history over the distance.
The leading roles at the Paris Games?
This phenomenal time almost ensures his presence at the Olympics.
Because if Mehdi Frère and Nicolas Navarro had been declared “priority athletes” by the Athletics Federation two weeks ago, thus confirming their selection, there is still a place to be taken in the blue contingent.
It should logically go to the Frenchman who set the best time over the distance between now and April 30.
The equation is now simple for Hassan Chahdi and Félix Bour, Amdouni's main rivals for this ticket: there remains a little more than two months to improve the national record...
Tenth in the 10,000m and 17th in the marathon at the last Games in Tokyo, Amdouni has never hidden his desire to play the leading roles in a discipline crushed by runners from the highlands and mourned by the accidental death of Kelvin Kiptum, the record holder in the Kenyan world, a week ago.