2023-08-18 17:02:04
After discovering the National Athletics Center in Budapest on Friday, a brand new stadium, the French athletes are delighted with the quality of the installation, which they consider very fast.
As soon as you enter the stadium, a smell challenges each aisle, that of new materials. And for good reason, the new National Athletics Center, located on the east bank of the Danube, in the south of Budapest, came out of the ground especially to host the world athletics championships. A brand new stadium, which can accommodate up to 35,000 spectators during the Worlds, and reduced to 15,000 following the event.
To get their bearings in this new setting, the athletes of the French team began to test the track on Friday August 18. Wilfried Happio, specialist in the 400m hurdles, is already conquered. “The track suits me well. The sensations are good. And with the structure of this stadium, we are well protected from the wind”, he confides alongside his trainer, Olivier Vallaeys. A wind protection particularly appreciated by athletes, as it is a parameter conducive to performance.
“A hard and fast track”
Mouhamadou Fall, invited to the 100m by World Athletics and the only French representative on the queen event, also walked the track on Friday, on the eve of the competition. “The conditions are perfect. The track is hard and very fast, more than in Eugene [aux Etats-Unis, pour les championnats du monde 2022]. I wouldn’t be surprised if big times were set on day one. In addition, it is hot, and we are sheltered from the wind. The conditions are ideal.” rejoiced the Habs who hope to achieve one of their best times in Budapest.
The sensations of Mouhamadou Fall are also shared by several athletes of the France team. “The track is very fast and returns well. Either way, it’s a Mondo [nom du fabricant] and we know that it is very fast. She’s even faster than last year.” confirms Wilhem Belocian, specialist in the 110 meter hurdles. “The tips hook in well, with the carbons, it returns really well”, supports Just Kwaou-Mathey, also engaged in the 110 meter hurdles.
The manufacturer of the track is indeed quite different from that of the track at Hayward Field in Eugene, confirmed to us by World Athletics. Mondo also became at the beginning of August the official “supporter” of the track and athletics equipment for the Paris 2024 Olympic and Paralympic Games. Both in Budapest and in Paris, the clock will therefore be closely observed to confirm or not this prediction of records.
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