| Sport: | Track and field |
| Country: | France |
| Founded: | 1888 |
The French Athletics Championships (French: Championnats de France d'athlétisme) is an annual outdoor track and field competition organised by the Fédération française d'athlétisme (FFA; French Athletics Federation), which serves as the French national championships for the sport. The three-day event is typically held in early or mid-summer and the venue varies on an annual basis. It is open to adults of all ages and is thus referred to as the senior or élite championships.
The championships were first held in 1888 and were organised by the Union des Sociétés Françaises de Sports Athlétiques (USFSA; Union of French Athletics Sports Societies).[1] The USFSA declined in favour of specialised national sports bodies early in the 20th century and FFA has organised the championships since 1921. The championships have been held every year since their inauguration with the exception of four inter-war years: 1915, 1916, 1940, and 1944.[2]
On the current programme a total of 38 individual French Championship athletics events are contested, divided evenly between men and women. For each of the sexes, there are six track running events, three obstacle events, four jumps, four throws, a racewalk and a combined track and field event.
In addition to the individual championship events, clubs are entered into team championship events which include relays over four distances:
Until 1995, the long-distance women's event was over 3000 metres. This was matched to the men's distance of 5000 m in line with changes in the Olympic programme. Though fewer events were initially on offer in the women's track and field programme for the French championships, this was gradually expanded, with the 1500 m being introduced in 1969, the 3000 m in 1972, the 400 m hurdles in 1976, the triple jump in 1990, the hammer throw in 1994, and the pole vault in 1995. The introduction of a women's 3000 m steeplechase in 2000 finally brought the men's and women's programmes to parity.[1]
Separate championship events are held for the 10,000 metres, road running and walks, and cross country running.
| Event | Record | Athlete/Team | Date | Championships | Place | Ref | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 100 m | 9.88 (+1.9 m/s) | Jimmy Vicaut | July 2016 | 2016 Championships | Angers | ||
| 200 m | 20.16 | Christophe Lemaitre | July 2010 | 2010 Championships | Valence | ||
| 800 m | 1:45.57 | Pierre-Ambroise Bosse | July 2014 | 2014 Championships | Reims | ||
| Shot put | 20.75 m | Frederic Dagee | 26 June 2021 | 2021 Championships | Angers | [3] |
| Event | Record | Athlete/Team | Date | Championships | Place | Ref | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 800 m | 1:58.71 | Rénelle Lamote | 26 June 2022 | 2022 Championships | Caen | [4] | |
| 100 m hurdles | 12.56 (+1.2 m/s) | Cindy Billaud | 12 July 2014 | 2014 Championships | Reims | [5] | |
| 400 m hurdles | 53.71 | Louise Maraval | 30 June 2024 | 2024 Championships | Angers | [6] | |
| 3000 m steeplechase | 9:29.78 | Alice Finot | 29 June 2024 | 2024 Championships | Angers | [7] | |
| Pole vault | 4.73 m | Ninon Guillon-Romarin | July 2018 | 2018 Championships | Albi | ||
| Long jump | 6.86 m | Éloyse Lesueur | July 2014 | 2014 Championships | Reims | ||
| Hammer throw | 73.85 m | Alexandra Tavernier | 26 June 2021 | 2021 Championships | Angers | [8] | |
| Javelin throw | 61.49 m | Alexie Alaïs | 27 July 2019 | 2019 Championships | Saint-Étienne | ||
| 10000 m walk (track) | 44:08.73 | Clémence Beretta | 26 June 2022 | 2022 Championships | Caen | [9] |