110m hurdles: two Africans in the world top 5 at the start of the season
110m hurdles: two Africans in the world top 5 at the start of the season. They are Senegal's Louis Mendy and South Africa's Jacobs.
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This year's athletics season will be dominated by the 2024 Olympics. With 119 days to go until the start of the Games in the French capital, athletes have begun their outdoor season, and some have made a good start. That is the case for Senegal's Louis François Mendy, a 110m hurdles specialist.
The African Games champion in this event, the 25-year-old ran 13s54 in Accra on 18 March. That is the 3rd fastest time of the year over 110m hurdles. Only Brazil's Edouardo Rodrigues (29) and France's Sacha Zhoya are ahead of him for now. The former clocked 13s30 in Brazil on 16 March, while the latter ran 13s45 in the United States on 25 February.
There is another African athlete in the current top 5: young South African Denmar Jacobs (20). In Pretoria on 22 March, he won his race, crossing the line in 13s56 after the starting gun. That day he beat his 21-year-old compatriot Mondray Barnard (13s58), who is currently 6th fastest of the year over 110m hurdles.
However, this is only the start of the outdoor season. To have a hope of reaching the Olympic podium this summer, athletes will probably need to run under 13s10. At last year's World Championships, American world champion Grant Holloway ran 12s96. Jamaica's Hansle Parchment (13s07) and fellow American Daniel Roberts (13s09) completed the podium. Louis François Mendy, whose 110m hurdles personal best is 13s18, was eliminated in the semi-finals because of a false start.