18th June 2011 00:59
Christophe Lemaitre showed again that he currently has no equal among Europe's sprinters as he sped to a new French record of 9.95 at the Stockholm 2011 SPAR European Team Championships, the fastest time by a European for seven years.
It was not only a Championships record but also consolidated his position as the third fastest European sprinter ever, behind only Portugal's European record holder Francis Obikwelu and Great Britain's Linford Christie.
Helped by a 1.0mps following wind, Lemaitre got his long legs moving very quickly and was the fastest man out of his blocks. After that there was little doubt over who would win, only the time.
Britain's Dwain Chambers, the winner at the Championships for the last two years, was a distant second on this occasion in 10.07.
'Everything's very good,' said Lemaitre. 'I got a good start and accelerated for 50-60m before I got to my top speed. I didn't think I'd beat my record here today but I'm glad I did.'
Chambers said, ' I felt good. This competition is only for the points so I am happy that I could help us with that. I am in very good condition and am very optimistic for this season and the world champs. There's just a few more competitions and this can be good.'