On August 19, 1998, Christine Arron won the 100m final of the European Athletics Championships in Budapest and set a record time in the process.
All sprinters know this. When running a 100 m, the first seconds following the starter’s gunshot are decisive. A good reaction time, a powerful push and you are propelled to the front of the race. A failed implementation can, however, cause you to lose any chance of ranking well in the final ranking. On August 19, 1998, when Christine Arron appeared on the starting line of the final of the European Athletics Championships in Budapest, the Guadeloupean was obviously aware of what was at stake. The one who started athletics at the age of 11 to follow one of her friends first excelled in the 400m before turning to the 200m, then finally the 100m. A distance over which she obtained a fourth place at the world championships in 1997. A year later, it is time for the 24-year-old athlete to confirm her status at continental level.
Believe in your abilities
With short peroxide hair, Christine Arron presents herself in lane 5. Earlier in the day, in the semi-final, she set a time of 10’80 s, synonymous with a new French record. But in the final, only first place counts. Before obeying the starter’s orders, the Frenchwoman stands back from her opponents, already positioned behind their starting blocks. “On your marks. Get set”. The shot rings out in the sky over Budapest. The newspaper ReleaseChristine Arron says: “I didn’t feel like I was leaving well. But I didn’t become disunited.” From the first meters, the French sprinter chased the Greek Ekateríni Thánou and the Russian Irina Privalova, whose actions were much faster. But the Frenchwoman has an advantage. Confident in her abilities, she applies her running technique, without any tension, and picks up speed. A point which allows him to return to second place, then to first, in the last 30 meters. And it is alone in the lead that she crosses the finish line, her fist high in the sky and a huge smile plastered on her face. Christine Arron already knows it: she is European champion. But if winning gold was what mattered most to Jacques Piasenta’s protégé that day, the time she has just achieved is not insignificant.
A record that still stands today
By covering her 100 m in 10’73 s, Christine Arron has just taken the European record for the distance (previously established at 10’77 s by Irina Privalova). As of this writing, more than 25 years later, he has never been beaten. A stratospheric time which at the time placed the French sprinter in the top 3 best performances of all time. In front of her, we find the Americans Florence Griffith-Joyner and Marion Jones. Right behind her, Merlene Ottey. It is also the Jamaican sprinter who will give him his medal a few hours later on the podium before the first notes of the Marseillaise. Three days later, Christine Arron won another gold medal, this time with her teammates in the 4 x 100 m. Another legendary race during which, in the final straight, she closed a gap of more than 6 meters with her opponents. At Parisian in 2023, she explains: “Not a week goes by without someone talking to me about my career or this race. It’s a great gift to say that after so much time, I’m still present in the minds of the French – It really touches me.”