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Wilfried Happio Wins French Hurdles Title After Being Assaulted During Warm-Ups
June 28, 2022
Wilfried Happio was crowned the champion in the 400-meter hurdles at the 2022 French Athletics Championships on Saturday, but what happened before the race may have been more notable.
The 23-year-old was assaulted while warming up, per USA Today's Analis Bailey. French outlet RMC Sport (via Max Mathews of the Daily Mail) reported he was coughing up blood as a result of the attack.
Wearing a bandage over his left eye after the assault, Happio coasted to victory in the event and finished more than a second ahead of runner-up Ludvy Vaillant. His time of 48.57 seconds was a personal best.
FFAthlétisme @FFAthletisme🔥 Minima pour les Mondiaux de Eugene !<br><br>🥇 Wilfried Happio (Lille Métropole Athlé) champion de France Elite du 400 m haies en 48''57 !<br><br>💪 Cinquième meilleur performeur 🇫🇷 de l'histoire !<br><br>💻 Suivez les <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/CFAthl%C3%A9?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#CFAthlé</a> en DIRECT sur <a href="https://t.co/63xdTVtG50">https://t.co/63xdTVtG50</a> et <a href="https://twitter.com/lachainelequipe?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@lachainelequipe</a>. <a href="https://t.co/s4QTyk50iT">pic.twitter.com/s4QTyk50iT</a>
"I don't want to dwell on it," Happio said of the situation (via Bailey). “We'll leave that to the competent people. To talk about the race, we worked a lot, we redid the music and that's it. The feelings were good. I'm glad I did this time. Physically I'm fine."
Happio can now race in the 2022 World Athletics Championships, which get underway July 15 in Eugene, Oregon.