World bronze medallist Hugues-Fabrice Zango Shines at Meeting de Paris with Stunning African Record
(Paris, France – February 2, 2020) World bronze medallist Hugues-Fabrice Zango produced a career-defining performance at the Meeting de Paris on Sunday, soaring to an outright African triple jump record of 17.77m. The 26-year-old from Burkina Faso opened his competition with an impressive 17.42m before unleashing his record-breaking leap in the third round.
The remaining rounds saw Zango compete in a unique format, with the fourth and fifth rounds treated as a ‘semi-final’ where he faced off against Yoann Rapinier. In the other semi-final matchup, Melvin Raffin took on Benjamin Compaore. The two semi-final winners, Zango and Raffin, then clashed in the sixth and final round. Although Zango was unable to improve on his earlier effort, his 17.47m jump was enough to secure the victory.
Zango’s stunning 17.77m performance not only rewrites the African record books but also moves him up to equal fourth on the world indoor all-time list. The new mark falls just 15 centimetres short of the world indoor record set in 2011 by his coach, Teddy Tamgho. It also exceeds Zango’s own outdoor personal best by 11 centimetres, which he set when claiming bronze at the World Championships in Doha.
Elsewhere, British hurdler Andrew Pozzi got his 2020 season off to a flying start, winning the men’s 60m hurdles in a world-leading time of 7.52. European champion Pascal Martinot-Lagarde finished second in 7.62, with Aurel Manga third in 7.66. However, world decathlon record-holder Kevin Mayer was forced to withdraw after feeling discomfort in his Achilles tendon.
In the women’s 60m hurdles, world indoor silver medallist Christina Clemons claimed victory in a season’s best of 7.91, with two-time European indoor champion Alina Talay taking second in 7.97.
The indoor season has also seen several breakthrough performances, most notably from Britain’s Jemma Reekie. The double European U23 champion broke the British indoor 800m record at the 4J Studios Championships in Glasgow, clocking a stunning 1:57.91 to move up to 11th on the world all-time list.
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