Cyrena Samba-Mayela Withdraws from Euro Championships

Cyrena Samba-Mayela, France’s Olympic 100m hurdles silver medallist, has announced her withdrawal from the upcoming European athletics championships due to injury. Samba-Mayela revealed on social media that she has been dealing with physical pain for several weeks, which has already affected her participation in the French championships.

She expressed doubt about being able to recover sufficiently to defend her European title with dignity. After winning the European title in Rome in 2024 and securing an Olympic silver medal at the Paris Games later that year, Samba-Mayela missed much of 2025 due to a calf injury.

Although she recorded a solid performance of 12.50 seconds in Texas in June, she also withdrew from the Paris Diamond League meet. Samba-Mayela stated that her decision was made on medical advice and in agreement with the French athletics federation and her team.