French middle-distance runner Anaïs Bourgoin produced a sensational late surge to claim victory in the Women’s 800m at the FBK Games on Sunday night, leaving a quality field in her wake.
In a closely contested race, Botswana’s Oratile Nowe took control once the pacemaker stepped aside, setting a fierce pace at the front. But Bourgoin, known for her tactical awareness, bided her time before pouncing in the final straight. Spotting a gap on the inside, the French star unleashed a perfectly-timed finishing kick to edge past Nowe and cross the line first in 1:59.53.
Nowe followed just a whisker behind, clocking 1:59.58, while USA’s Sage Hurta-Klecker secured third place in 1:59.77, as the top three all dipped under the two-minute mark in a thrilling finish.
For Bourgoin, the win adds another highlight to what has been an impressive run of form over the past two years. After taking silver in the 1500m at the 2022 French Athletics Championships, she went on to claim a bronze medal in the mixed relay at the 2022 European Cross Country Championships in Turin.
The 25-year-old cemented her reputation on the track in February 2024, clinching the French Indoor 800m title in Miramas with a 2:02.05 run. Later that year, she clocked a personal best 1:58.65 to reach the final at the European Athletics Championships in Rome, where she bagged a bronze medal in 1:59.30.
Bourgoin’s Olympic debut on home soil at the 2024 Paris Summer Games saw her make it to the 800m semi-finals, further establishing herself among Europe’s elite middle-distance runners.
Though the start to her 2025 season had its challenges, including a fourth-place finish at the French Indoor Championships in February and a near-podium fourth at the Diamond League Meeting in Rabat in May, Bourgoin bounced back in style in Hengelo, shaving valuable milliseconds off her time and demonstrating her resilience and tactical maturity.
With this latest victory at the FBK Games, Anaïs Bourgoin has reaffirmed her status as one of France’s brightest middle-distance prospects, and all eyes will be on her as the season heads into its decisive summer stretch.
