{{Short description|French sprinter (born 1985)}} {{Infobox sportsperson | name = Martial Mbandjock | image = France 4x100 m Barcelona 2010.jpg | imagesize = <!-- Only for images narrower than 220 pixels --> | caption = Mbanjock (centre left) with the victorious 2010 European relay team | fullname = | nicknames = | nationality = {{flag|France}} | sport = [[Running]] | event = | club = | collegeteam = | birth_date = {{Birth date and age|1985|10|14|df=y}} | birth_place = [[Roubaix]], [[Nord (French department)|Nord]], France | residence = | death_date = <!-- {{Death date and age|YYYY|MM|DD|YYYY|MM|DD}} --> | death_place = | height = {{convert|187|cm|ftin|abbr=on}} | weight = {{convert|84|kg|lb|0|abbr=on}} | pb = '''100 m''': 10.06 s (Albi 2008)<br> '''200 m''': 20.38 s (Tomblaine 2010) | medaltemplates = {{MedalCountry | {{FRA}} }} {{MedalSport | Men's [[Athletics (sport)|athletics]]}} {{MedalEuropeanChampionships}} {{MedalGold | [[2010 European Athletics Championships|2010 Barcelona]] | [[2010 European Athletics Championships – Men's 4 × 100 metres relay|4 × 100 m]]}} {{MedalBronze | [[2010 European Athletics Championships|2010 Barcelona]] | [[2010 European Athletics Championships – Men's 100 metres|100 m]]}} {{MedalBronze | [[2010 European Athletics Championships|2010 Barcelona]] | [[2010 European Athletics Championships – Men's 200 metres|200 m]]}} {{MedalCompetition|[[European Athletics U23 Championships|European U23 Championships]]}} {{MedalBronze | [[2007 European Athletics U23 Championships|2007 Debrecen]] | 100 m}} {{MedalCompetition|[[Mediterranean Games]]}} {{MedalGold | [[Athletics at the 2009 Mediterranean Games|2009 Pescara]] | 100 m}} }} '''Martial Mbandjock''' (born 14 October 1985 in [[Roubaix]]) is a French sprinter who specializes in the [[100 metres]].<ref name="beijing">{{cite web|url=http://results.beijing2008.cn/WRM/ENG/BIO/Athlete/1/238851.shtml |title=Athlete biography: Martial Mbandjock |access-date=2008-08-26 |url-status=bot: unknown |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080908124958/http://results.beijing2008.cn/WRM/ENG/BIO/Athlete/1/238851.shtml |archive-date=September 8, 2008 }}, beijing2008.cn, ret: Aug 26, 2008</ref> His personal best time is 10.06 seconds, achieved in July 2008 in [[Albi]].
He won the bronze medal in the 100 m at the [[2007 European Athletics U23 Championships]] and reached the quarterfinals at the [[2007 World Championships in Athletics|2007 World Championships]] later that year. He got to the semifinals at the [[2008 IAAF World Indoor Championships - Men's 60 metres|2008 World Indoor Championships]] and the [[Athletics at the 2008 Summer Olympics – Men's 100 metres|2008 Olympic Games]]. He won his first national title at the outdoor French championships, running a personal best of 10.06 seconds in the 100 m, helped by good running conditions with a 1.7 [[Metre per second|m/s]] [[wind assistance|tailwind]].<ref>Vazel, Pierre-Jean (2008-07-26). [http://www.iaaf.org/OLY08/news/kind=100/newsid=46310.html 10.06 breakthrough for Mbandjock – French Champs, Day Two]. [[IAAF]]. Retrieved on 2010-06-13.</ref>
At the [[2008 Beijing Olympics]] he competed at the 100 metres sprint and placed second in his heat behind [[Richard Thompson (athlete)|Richard Thompson]] in a time of 10.26 seconds. He qualified for the second round in which he improved his time to 10.16 seconds, finishing third behind Thompson and [[Tyson Gay]], reaching the semi-finals. There he was unable to achieve his final spot as he finished in 8th place in 10.18 seconds.<ref name="beijing"/> Together with [[Yannick Lesourd]], [[Manuel Reynaert]] and [[Samuel Coco-Viloin]] he also competed at the [[4 × 100 metres relay]]. In their qualification heat they finished sixth in a time of 39.53 seconds, which meant elimination.<ref name="beijing"/>
In the 2009 season, Mbandjock began with modest times between 10.20 and 10.30 seconds. He improved to 10.11 at a meeting in [[Nancy, France]] in June, achieving the A standard qualifying time for the [[2009 World Championships in Athletics|2009 World Championships]] in Berlin later that year.<ref>Vazel, Pierre-Jean (2009-06-27). [http://www.iaaf.org/news/kind=100/newsid=51350.html Giralt triples 17.57m, Tahri clocks European best in the 2000m Steeplechase in Nancy]. [[IAAF]]. Retrieved on 2009-06-30.</ref> Despite finishing out of the medals in fourth in the 100 m, he set a personal best of 20.67 seconds in the 200 m to take bronze at the [[2009 European Team Championships]]. He won his first major gold shortly after with a win in the 100 m at the [[Athletics at the 2009 Mediterranean Games|2009 Mediterranean Games]].<ref>Sampaolo, Diego (2009-07-02). [http://www.iaaf.org/WCH09/news/kind=100/newsid=51446.html High Jump and Discus Throw provide best results - Mediterranean Games, Day 2]. [[IAAF]]. Retrieved on 2009-07-02.</ref>
[[File:100 m men final Barcelona 2010.jpg|thumb|left|Mbanjock (right) taking the 100 m bronze at the 2010 European Championships]]
He competed in three events at the 2009 World Championships: he finished sixth in the [[2009 World Championships in Athletics – Men's 100 metres|100 metres semi-finals]], the second best performance by a European after finalist [[Dwain Chambers]]. Next came the [[2009 World Championships in Athletics – Men's 200 metres|200 metres competition]], where he recorded a personal best of 20.43 seconds in his semi-final for fifth place. He was eliminated at that stage, although he ran faster than compatriot [[David Alerte]] who did reach the final via the other semi-final. His final competition of the championships was with France in the [[2009 World Championships in Athletics – Men's 4 × 100 metres relay|4 × 100 metres relay]]. The team reached the final and placed in eighth.
At the [[2010 European Athletics Championships]], Mbandjock had a significant breakthrough, winning bronze medals in both the 100 m and 200 m, as well as a gold in the relay – although his achievements were somewhat overshadowed by his compatriot [[Christophe Lemaitre]], who won all three races.
==References== {{Reflist}}
==External links== * {{World Athletics}} {{Footer European Champions 4x100 m Men}} {{Footer Mediterranean Champions 100m Men}} {{Authority control}}
{{DEFAULTSORT:Mbandjock, Martial}} [[Category:1985 births]] [[Category:Living people]] [[Category:French men sprinters]] [[Category:Athletes (track and field) at the 2008 Summer Olympics]] [[Category:Olympic athletes for France]] [[Category:French sportspeople of Cameroonian descent]] [[Category:Sportspeople from Roubaix]] [[Category:Athletes from Nord (French department)]] [[Category:European Athletics Championships medalists]] [[Category:Mediterranean Games gold medalists for France]] [[Category:Athletes (track and field) at the 2009 Mediterranean Games]] [[Category:Mediterranean Games medalists in athletics]] [[Category:20th-century French sportsmen]] [[Category:21st-century French sportsmen]]