Christine Arron
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Christine Arron (born September 13, 1973 in Les Abymes, Guadeloupe) is a track and field
sprint athlete, competing internationally for France
. She is the fourth fastest woman ever over 100 metres
, and holds the European record of 10.73 seconds.
in 1990 and first trained with Fernand Urtebise, who also coached 1997 world 400 m hurdles champion Stephane Diagana
. She had a hip injury which kept her out of the 2001 World Championships
. She was named 1998 European Women's Athlete of the Year
, after winning the 100m at the European Athletics Championships, breaking the European record in the process.
In 2001, after a heavy training period in the U.S.
with John Smith
and the HSI
group, she quit training for a year, saying she was physically exhausted from the experience. "It was hell. Every morning I wondered how I was going to put up with the burden of training." In June 2002 she gave birth to her first child.
Arron was also the last runner of the French 4x100 relay team which upset the heavy favourites USA to win the gold medal in the 2003 World Championships in Athletics
held in Paris
. She recovered from 3 m behind the new 100 m World Champion, Torri Edwards
, to give to the Stade de France
crowd an unpredicted joy.
She won the bronze medal in the 4x100m relay
at the 2004 Olympic Games in Athens, Greece.
In August 2005 she won a bronze medal in the 100 meters and in the 200 meters at the 2005 World Championships in Athletics
.
Arron is the holder of the fourth-fastest legal 100 m performance ever (10.73). Considering the controversy surrounding the performances of world record-holder, Florence Griffith-Joyner
, many considered Arron's performance to be the 'true' world record. The next run considered a world record is Carmelita Jeter's 10.64 at Shanghai in 2009.
At the 2008 Summer Olympics
in Beijing
she competed at the 100 metres
sprint. In her first round heat she placed first in front of Lauryn Williams
and Tahesia Harrigan
in a time of 11.37 to advance to the second round. There she failed to qualify for the semi finals as her time of 11.36 was only the fourth time of her heat behind Debbie Ferguson
, Oludamola Osayomi
and Vida Anim
, causing elimination.
, her fiercest rival during her career: "She has lied for years [...] She treated everyone as idiots. I'm not shocked she is going to jail. Many people criticised me because I was always the one who lost in the Jones-Arron battle, even if I had very good results. We started running together in 1997. She has stolen my best years. Everything could have been different for me."
Christine Arron (born September 13, 1973 in Les Abymes, Guadeloupe) is a track and field
Track and field
Track and field is a sport comprising various competitive athletic contests based around the activities of running, jumping and throwing. The name of the sport derives from the venue for the competitions: a stadium which features an oval running track surrounding a grassy area...
sprint athlete, competing internationally for France
France
The French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...
. She is the fourth fastest woman ever over 100 metres
100 metres
The 100 metres, or 100-metre dash, is a sprint race in track and field competitions. The shortest common outdoor running distance, it is one of the most popular and prestigious events in the sport of athletics. It has been contested at the Summer Olympics since 1896...
, and holds the European record of 10.73 seconds.
Career
She arrived in Metropolitan FranceMetropolitan France
Metropolitan France is the part of France located in Europe. It can also be described as mainland France or as the French mainland and the island of Corsica...
in 1990 and first trained with Fernand Urtebise, who also coached 1997 world 400 m hurdles champion Stephane Diagana
Stéphane Diagana
Stéphane Diagana is a former French athlete who won the gold medal at the 1997 World Championships in Athletics in Athens over 400 metres hurdles. In 2002 he won the gold medal at the European Championships in Athletics in Munich in the same event. Diagana also set the European record of 47.37...
. She had a hip injury which kept her out of the 2001 World Championships
2001 World Championships in Athletics
The 8th World Championships in Athletics, under the auspices of the International Association of Athletics Federations, were held at the Commonwealth Stadium, Edmonton, Alberta, Canada between 3 August and 12 August and was the first time the event had visited North America...
. She was named 1998 European Women's Athlete of the Year
European Athlete of the Year Award
The European Athlete of the Year Trophy is an annual prize awarded to sportspeople participating in athletics, including track and field, road running and cross country running competitions...
, after winning the 100m at the European Athletics Championships, breaking the European record in the process.
In 2001, after a heavy training period in the U.S.
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
with John Smith
John Smith (athlete)
John Walton Smith is a former American athlete, who competed in the sprints events during his career. He is best known for winning the men's 400 metres event at the 1971 Pan American Games....
and the HSI
HSI
HSI may refer to:In Science and Technology:* HSI color space, color representation coordinate system meaning Hue, Saturation, Intensity...
group, she quit training for a year, saying she was physically exhausted from the experience. "It was hell. Every morning I wondered how I was going to put up with the burden of training." In June 2002 she gave birth to her first child.
Arron was also the last runner of the French 4x100 relay team which upset the heavy favourites USA to win the gold medal in the 2003 World Championships in Athletics
2003 World Championships in Athletics
The 9th World Championships in Athletics, under the auspices of the International Association of Athletics Federations, were held from 23 August to 31 August 2003 in the Stade de France in Saint-Denis, Seine-Saint-Denis, France.-Track:...
held in Paris
Paris
Paris is the capital and largest city in France, situated on the river Seine, in northern France, at the heart of the Île-de-France region...
. She recovered from 3 m behind the new 100 m World Champion, Torri Edwards
Torri Edwards
Torri Edwards is an American sprinter. She was a rising young star in 100 and 200 metres, winning an Olympic medal in 4×100 metres relay in 2000. In 2003 she won six medals in major international competitions, including one World Championship gold...
, to give to the Stade de France
Stade de France
The Stade de France is the national stadium of France, situated just north of Paris in the commune of Saint-Denis. It has an all-seater capacity of 80,000, making it the fifth largest stadium in Europe, and is used by both the France national football team and French rugby union team for...
crowd an unpredicted joy.
She won the bronze medal in the 4x100m relay
Athletics at the 2004 Summer Olympics - Women's 4 x 100 metres relay
The women's 4×100 metres relay was one of 23 track events of the athletics at the 2004 Summer Olympics, in Athens. It was contested at the Athens Olympic Stadium, from August 26 to August 27, by a total of sixteen national teams comprising 65 athletes....
at the 2004 Olympic Games in Athens, Greece.
In August 2005 she won a bronze medal in the 100 meters and in the 200 meters at the 2005 World Championships in Athletics
2005 World Championships in Athletics
The 10th World Championships in Athletics, under the auspices of the International Association of Athletics Federations , were held in the Olympic Stadium, Helsinki, Finland , the site of the first IAAF World Championships in 1983. One theme of the 2005 championships was paralympic sports, some of...
.
Arron is the holder of the fourth-fastest legal 100 m performance ever (10.73). Considering the controversy surrounding the performances of world record-holder, Florence Griffith-Joyner
Florence Griffith-Joyner
Florence Griffith-Joyner , also known as Flo-Jo was an American track and field athlete. She is considered the "fastest woman of all time" based on the fact that she still holds the world record for both the 100 metres and 200 metres, both set in 1988 and never seriously challenged...
, many considered Arron's performance to be the 'true' world record. The next run considered a world record is Carmelita Jeter's 10.64 at Shanghai in 2009.
At the 2008 Summer Olympics
2008 Summer Olympics
The 2008 Summer Olympics, officially known as the Games of the XXIX Olympiad, was a major international multi-sport event that took place in Beijing, China, from August 8 to August 24, 2008. A total of 11,028 athletes from 204 National Olympic Committees competed in 28 sports and 302 events...
in Beijing
Beijing
Beijing , also known as Peking , is the capital of the People's Republic of China and one of the most populous cities in the world, with a population of 19,612,368 as of 2010. The city is the country's political, cultural, and educational center, and home to the headquarters for most of China's...
she competed at the 100 metres
100 metres
The 100 metres, or 100-metre dash, is a sprint race in track and field competitions. The shortest common outdoor running distance, it is one of the most popular and prestigious events in the sport of athletics. It has been contested at the Summer Olympics since 1896...
sprint. In her first round heat she placed first in front of Lauryn Williams
Lauryn Williams
Lauryn Williams is a track and field sprint athlete, competing internationally for the United States...
and Tahesia Harrigan
Tahesia Harrigan
Tahesia Harrigan is a sprinter from the British Virgin Islands.Harrigan was born in the British Virgin Islands to Doris Harrigan. Harrigan's illustrious track and field career began in Tallahassee, Florida...
in a time of 11.37 to advance to the second round. There she failed to qualify for the semi finals as her time of 11.36 was only the fourth time of her heat behind Debbie Ferguson
Debbie Ferguson
Debbie Ferguson-McKenzie is a Bahamian sprint athlete who specialises in the 100 and 200 metres. She had her first major successes with the Bahamian 4×100 metres relay team, winning gold at the Pan American Games and World Championships in Athletics in 1999, and taking another gold at the Olympic...
, Oludamola Osayomi
Oludamola Osayomi
Oludamola Bolanle Osayomi is a Nigerian sprinter who specializes in the 100 metres and 200 metres. She is a four-time gold medallist at the African Championships in Athletics and won an Olympic bronze medal with Nigeria in the 4×100 metres relay at the 2008 Beijing Olympics...
and Vida Anim
Vida Anim
Vida Anim is a Ghanaian sprinter who specializes in the 100 and 200 metres. Together with Mavis Akoto, Monica Twum and Vida Nsiah she holds the Ghanaian record in 4 x 100 metres relay with 43.19 seconds, achieved during the heats at the 2000 Summer Olympics in Sydney.Anim represented Ghana at the...
, causing elimination.
Views on doping
Arron has voiced her annoyance with Marion JonesMarion Jones
Marion Lois Jones , also known as Marion Jones-Thompson, is a former world champion track and field athlete, and a former professional basketball player for Tulsa Shock in the WNBA...
, her fiercest rival during her career: "She has lied for years [...] She treated everyone as idiots. I'm not shocked she is going to jail. Many people criticised me because I was always the one who lost in the Jones-Arron battle, even if I had very good results. We started running together in 1997. She has stolen my best years. Everything could have been different for me."