Gold medallist US' Masai Russell celebrates with the national flag after winning the women's 100m hurdles final of the athletics event at the Paris 2024 Olympic Games at Stade de France in Saint-Denis, north of Paris, on August 10, 2024.KIRILL KUDRYAVTSEV/Getty Images
America’s Masai Russell won a photo finish Saturday in the women’s 100-meter hurdles where the biggest cheer came for Cyrena Samba-Mayela, whose silver medal marks the first of any colour for France at the Olympic track meet.
In a close-as-can-be race down the straightaway, Russell finished in 12.33 seconds, but had to wait another 15 seconds to learn she had beaten the Frenchwoman by .01.
Defending champion Jasmine Camacho-Quinn, who competes for Puerto Rico, was another .02 back for bronze.
No cheers were louder than those for Samba-Mayela, who broke a shutout for the host country on the last day of action at the Stade de France.
The stadium has been packed all nine nights, cheering for sports stars from the United States, Kenya, Norway and all corners of the globe.
Still, the biggest cheer for a French athlete up to this point came for a swimmer, Léon Marchand, who won a gold medal in the pool on the opening night of the track meet, prompting race officials to ask for quiet while a crowd watching on tablets and phones went crazy.
Now, Samba-Mayela gave them a moment to cheer in person. It’s a nice break for a country with a rich track tradition, producing Olympic champions such as Marie-José Pérec and Renaud Lavillenie. Even with this medal, France remains without an Olympic gold on the track since Lavillenie won the pole vault in 2012.
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