Marie Ta Lou storms to a PB of 10.96s at London Diamond League

Côte d’Ivoire’s Marie Josee Ta Lou twice raced to a Personal Best (PB) of 10.96s to win the women’s 100m  at the London Diamond League on Saturday.

It looked like a fluke in the heats when Ta Lou first ran that mark in the heats, taking heat two ahead of Trinidad & Tobago’s Michelle Lee -Ahye who finished 2nd in the race with a time of 11.02s, and Great Britain’s Dina Asher Smith also running an SB finishing 3rd in 11.07s.

However in the final she showed that she could a threat, and despite a poor start she gathered momentum in the last 50m and went past Lee-Ahye who was 2nd in 10.99s, and also beating World Champion Shelly Ann Fraser Pryce who was 3rd with 11.06s.

Ta Lou couldn’t believe her eyes when she looked up and saw the new mark she had posted and the Ivorian couldn’t hide her joy as she jumped repeatedly in excitement.

This is the first time in Ta Lou’s career that she will be racing to a sub 11s in the 100m, joining her countrywoman Murielle Ahouré,  who has the African Record of 10.78s amongst the elite few to have done so.

Twice racing to a sub 11s in the space of two hours, Ta Lou has come of age and hitting form just at the right time going to the Olympics.  Ta Lou has been pressing for that since breaking onto the scene, winning the double at the 2015 African Games, and most recently finishing 3rd at the African Championships behind Ahouré and Carina Horn. Incidentally in the heats she defeated Horn who finished 5th.

Although Ahouré will remain the favourite Ivorian going to Rio, Ta Lou has once again put herself to reckoning.