Africa’s fastest woman, Marie-Josee Ta Lou, explained what it cost her to win the Diamond League. She was forced to settle for second place in a tight race, with the race victory going to young Jamaican Tia Clayton. Tia Clayton and Marie-Josee Ta Lou recorded the same time – 10.83 sec, but the Jamaican was ahead by thousandths of a second.
The Ivorian sprinter noted that the era of sprinting has evolved significantly and athletes need to put in extra effort to impress on the world stage. She encouraged future sprinters not to give up on their dreams.
“For me, this sprint era is brutal. It is important not only for me but for all Africans, all young people who do not believe in themselves, to prove that they can achieve it. It just shows the magic that wherever you are, you can dream big and do what you want”, said Marie-Josee Ta Lou in an interview after the race.
Marie-Josee Ta Lou added that she was disappointed with herself after the Olympics and couldn’t believe she walked off the stage empty-handed after finishing eighth in the women’s 100m due to a minor injury. She withdrew from the 200 m and the Ivory Coast 4×100 m relay in which she competed was disqualified. However, her husband and her team motivated her and she was able to recover as quickly as possible emotionally.
“That 10.83 sec feels good. After the Olympics I felt very disappointed. I was mentally depressed, but I have a good team, a good husband, family and friends who support me and help me stay healthy”, said Marie-Josee Ta Lou. “I’m very happy with what I did today and we’ll move on from this. We’ll see what I can do at the next races. That’s what we have in sprints – you get the same result but finish second. But we just have to keep working to finish not with the same time, but with the best time”, added she.
