Mujinga Kambundji will be the focus of the Swiss aces on the first athletics weekend in Paris. The athlete from Bern wants to be in the spotlight in the 100 m final.
In the shadow of the American 100m world champion Sha'Carri Richardson, who will be looking to end Jamaica's run of four consecutive Olympic victories on Saturday evening at 21:20, Mujinga Kambundji is also aiming to reach the final in the most prestigious race in athletics at the Olympic Games. It would be her third 100m coup after finishing 6th in the Olympic final in Tokyo and 5th at the 2022 World Championships in Eugene.
After a difficult start to the season, the TGV from Bern picked up speed. The 200 m title at the European Championships in Rome was followed by some strong times over 100 m. The 10.90 seconds in La Chaux-de-Fonds, together with the altitude and tailwind, provided an extra boost.
Mujinga Kambundji can advance to the final if she at least breaks the 11-second barrier in the Stade de France. But the air will be thin, so even the Swiss record of 10.89 will probably have to fall. Because the three women from the USA and Jamaica will be hard to beat. This is despite the fact that Shericka Jackson, the winner of the Jamaica Trials, has decided not to run and let the replacement run.
Marie-Josée Ta Lou-Smith from the Ivory Coast and Gina Bass Bittaye from Gambia have also stayed under 11 seconds this season with 10.91 and 10.93 respectively. Then there is Britain's Dina Asher-Smith, the European champion from Rome, Poland's Ewa Swoboda and Italy's World Indoor Championship bronze medallist Zaynab Dosso.
It will probably take the perfect race to reach the final. Anything between 6th and 12th place seems possible for Mujinga Kambundji. Her chances will also be better in the 200m.
Salomé Kora and Géraldine Frey will already be up against the best in the heats on Friday morning. In contrast to the European Championships, the top 12 are not seeded for the semi-finals at the Olympics.
Repechage round for the first time
World Athletics is presenting an innovation with the Repechage Round. In the running disciplines between 200 and 1500 m (including hurdles), there are no longer any actual losers in the preliminary heats. A certain number of athletes will progress directly, while all others will be given a second chance to qualify for the semi-finals in the Repechage Round.
For this reason, the three 800 m runners Rachel Pellaud, Audrey Werro and Valentina Rosamilia will also be allowed to run at least twice. Friday's 4x400 m mixed relay team, on the other hand, will only have one chance to qualify for the final. A difficult undertaking.
Ehammer and Joseph have to deliver
Together with Angelica Moser, Simon Ehammer is the biggest Swiss trump card in the Stade de France. The man from Appenzell is forgoing the decathlon on Friday and Saturday so that he can compete in the long jump at full strength. He wants to avoid a nail-biter in Sunday morning's qualification. A start like in Rome, where he flew 8.41 m in his first attempt, would be ideal. Experience has shown that those who are fit also hit the bar better.
Hurdles sprinter Jason Joseph, a finalist at the World Championships in Budapest last summer, won bronze at the European Championships in June, but has yet to achieve a time that matches his potential. The Basel native has always been several tenths faster than his Swiss record (13.07) from last September.
