Special envoy to Tokyo
To discover
The full Olympic program
The Olympic medal table
Renaud, can you explain to us what happened during the warm-up?
Renaud Lavillenie:
Before or after the drama? (smile) I don't know what happened. I must surely make a mistake in my race because a return to the track like that is not often, especially in major championships. And it was not even a pole that I took for the first time, I had already done two jumps with it. So I must have made a mistake in my run-up. Afterwards, when I am in the air and I understand that I will fall badly, I thought of my loose ankle. Suddenly, I put everything on the other side and it gave me a huge heel. When I felt the impact on the ground, I immediately understood that the rest was going to be hard. For me, this had to be the jump that had to mehelp subsequently to find the right engagement to clearly seek this medal. There it was, everything was destroyed in a short period of time and I had to accept it.
Have you thought about the package?
Those who know me know that I'm not the type of guy who will give up like that, snapping his fingers. I think with all the work I have done in recent weeks, especially on the ankle, for me it was out of the question to cover this final. I thought of everything but every time I thought to myself whether to jump or not, the answer was to jump right away. Even if I hurt myself more. I had no choice but to give it my all. Afterwards, I tried things, I played with the dead ends, telling myself that if I succeeded in a jump, as high as possible. But honestly, I have no idea how I managed to go 5.70m like that on the first try. I think it's my headblew up and the body just had to follow.
READ ALSO - JO: hit in the ankle and heel, Lavillenie fails in his quest for a podium
Do you have any regrets?
Any. When I see the context in which I have been, I think there would be more than one who would have given up. It is one more experience. It has been four hours since I have been in pain, since I reached a pain threshold. My left ankle wasn't too painful, but I can't say it wasn't painful either. Basically, I had both feet that were saggy (smile). It's like that. I know I'm a tough guy. My physiotherapist and my doctor sometimes reproach me for it, because I go too far in the pain. But there, it was an Olympic final… Being tough allowed me to pass a bar anyway and finish 8th at the Games.
Do you think you would have reached the podium without this heel?
It's always easy to say, but honestly yes.
In view of my start to warm up, and I know myself pretty well, when I do one like that, behind it goes really well.
I do not see how I could not have passed 5.92m.
Afterwards, higher, I don't know ...
"When I see my mental resources, I don't ask myself where I will be in 2024."
Renaud Lavillenie
You stayed until the end to follow your friend Armand Duplantis. Didn't you want to leave earlier?
At one point, I wondered what I was doing.
Except it didn't make a difference to leave.
And then everyone knows my connection with "Mundo".
If I had been in his shoes, it would have pissed me off not to share this with him.
Our exchanges go beyond sport and if I had left before, I would have blamed myself for not living it alongside him.
We are not friends for nothing apart from the necklaces.
Your coach said you can't stop your history with the Games on this ...
No, that's for sure. Whatever happens, it was not the goal to stop here. And there even more. It's inconceivable to end up like this. I know that three years is a long time and a lot can happen before Paris 2024. But when I see my mental resources, I don't ask myself where I would be in 2024. I just have three years to manage. There are Worlds next year. And then I have to learn from this year because clearly, there are things that I did that were not right, otherwise I would have been more efficient. But I can't blame my head for wanting too much. I have to be able to adjust my head and my body. When I see some of my performances this winter, I am still far from wanting to hang up the points.And I still think I can get on podiums.
