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Algerian middle-distance runner Djamel Sedjati, winner of the 800-meter race at the Paris Meeting, held on Sunday for the eighth stage of the 2024 Diamond League in athletics, indicated on Tuesday that he could do even better at the 2024 Olympic Games in Paris (July 26-August 11, 2024).
“I am satisfied with my race and I am now preparing for Monaco next week. I am confident and I will prepare calmly for the Olympic Games in Paris in the coming weeks. I know I can do even better there,” Sedjati told specialist sports website AthleticsAfrica. Achieving the third best performance in the world of all time with a time of 1:41.56, Sedjati also set a new national record.
The former (1:42.61) had been held by Taoufik Makhloufi since the summer of 2016. “I think that this result is the fruit of a long and tough preparation process under the guidance of my coach Amar Benida, whom I never stop thanking for all the work he did with me. Now, it’s time for the specific preparation for the big Olympic event in Paris and why not snatch the gold medal,” he added.
The 24-year-old native of Tiaret will line up on Friday (7:23 p.m. Algerian time) in the 800 meters of the Meeting de Monaco, for the ninth stage of the Diamond League, a way to confirm once again his great potential over this distance. Sedjati will face formidable opponents in Monaco, including the Kenyan Emmanuel Wanyoni, the Frenchman Gabriel Tual and even the Canadian world champion Marco Arop.
As a reminder, middle distance runners Taoufik Makhloufi, Aïssa Djabir Saïd-Guerni, Slimane Moula and Djamel Sedjati are the only ones to have gone below 1.44 in the history of Algerian athletics. The two other Algerian middle distance runners qualified for the 800 meters at the next Olympic Games, Slimane Moula and Mohamed Ali Gouaned, are also entering the final phase of their preparation before reaching Paris, but they have chosen to skip this Monaco stage of the Diamond League.