Aged 28, this pillar of the French 4x100m relay had never shone in individual seniors with old records of 10 sec 15 over 100 m and 20 sec 41 over 200 m established in 2021.
In La Chaux-de-Fonds, a small town in the canton of Neuchâtel near the French border, Méba-Mickaël Zeze achieved a historic performance taking advantage of a traditionally fast track, an altitude of around 1,000 m and perfect conditions. (heat, favorable and regular wind).
He first ran the 100 m in 9 sec 99 (1.6 m/s of wind), becoming the 4th tricolor to pass the symbolic barrier of 10 seconds after Ronald Pognon (9.99), Christophe Lemaitre (9.92) and Jimmy Vicaut (9.86).
An hour later, he completed the 200 m in 19 sec 97 (1.2 m / s), 3rd French time in history after Christophe Lemaitre’s 19 sec 80 and 19 sec 91.
Beaten by the Cuban Mena Reynier, author of a stratospheric time of 19 sec 63, Méba-Mickaël Zeze is the first European of the season to run in less than 20 seconds on the half-lap.
Despite his dream day, Zeze will have to settle for the 4x100m relay at the Eugene Worlds (July 15-24). He was not individually selectable in the 100m or 200m and the qualifying period ended a week ago.