New French hurdles star is born | 22.07.2012
That supplants the USA’s Wayne Davis’s world youth best of 13.18 from Ostrava five years ago and, more importantly for the French, elbows aside Ladji Decouré’s French record of 13.26 which has survived for 13 years.
Rising first to the first hurdle, Belocian hurtled down the Lens track on the second day of the French Youth and Junior championships and quite simply pulverised the opposition and the record books.
With one eye on the clock as he crossed the line, Belocian at first saw 13.14 flash up before it was adjusted to 13.12. With the slightest of following winds – 0.8mps – it was an impeccable display of hurdling.
Only ten days ago, Belocian had lifted world junior bronze in Barcelona with the promise of better days ahead. No one suspected those better days were so close at hand.
Over the Youth category 91.4cm hurdles, Belocian’s previous best of 13.44 had come in May this year. So his Lens time improved on that by a full 0.32.
In the world juniors, where the hurdles are 99cm, he also set a national junior record of 13.29 hard on the heels of his previous record of 13.30 in the semis.
A member of Stade Lamentin, Guadeloupe, Belocian also lifted bronze in the world youth championships last year where he clocked a more modest 13.51.
This winter he set PBs for 60m indoors of 6.82 for 60m and 7.73 over the 60m hurdles (91.4cm).
Coached by Rico Vaitilingon, as a 14-year-old he clocked 15.46 into a headwind, progressed to 14.38 the following season, last year reduced that to 13.50 and now has swept into the record books at the very top.
Not since the early days of Christophe Lemaitre has a French youth excited so much interest. A star is born.
