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Samir Aït Saïd, Renaud Lavillenie, same fight.
Magnificent pride, resilience.
But insufficient to invite himself on an Olympic podium.
Monday, during the final of the rings, the gymnast had refused to give up.
Even with a double tear in the left bicep, the flag bearer had not given up, going to clinch a 4th place without knowing himself how he had done.
Before breaking down, tears of disappointment and frustration flooded her eyes.
The very ones that no one in the French camp wanted to see again.
Alas, this Tuesday, they reappeared in the eyes of the pole vaulter.
Who had reason to wonder why the fate had decided to go after his ankles ...
The Frenchman takes care of his right ankle in the Olympic stadium.
KAI PFAFFENBACH / REUTERS
Indeed, on July 10, during a simple warm-up jump before the Sotteville-Lès-Rouen meeting, the Clermontois had fallen back badly on the side of the mat, twisting his left ankle in the process. Also close to the Games, the injury forced him into a delicate time trial to recover for qualifying, which took place last Sunday. Courageously, the 2012 Olympic champion crossed 5.50m on his final attempt, before clearing 5.75m to reach the final on Tuesday. But as if a still recovering left ankle was not enough, Lavillenie was going to live at the Olympic stadium in Tokyo an episode similar to that of Sotteville-Lès-Rouen. Namely a warm-up jump ending with a bad landing, at the level of his right ankle. A curious competition began for the pole vaulter ...
The injured right ankle of the French pole vaulter.
KAI PFAFFENBACH / REUTERS
5.70 on his first attempt at gritting his teeth
To spare his joints, the Frenchman was reduced to choosing his bars with care, thus ignoring the inaugural 5.55m to better concentrate on 5.70m. But at the moment of rushing forward, his eyes spoke of his torments and his doubts. Could he engage his pole? Or even just keep up the momentum? By gritting his teeth, Lavillenie achieved the feat of transforming the test on the first try. His happiness on the mattress then expressed all his relief at not leaving the Games on a zero. But the problem remained unresolved. And seeing him sitting on the edge of the track, an ice pack on his right ankle which he himself had strapped on, did not bode well. By his side, Duplantis, a friend more than a rival, tried to make him smile.But it was not going to be long in disappearing definitively ...
Lavillenie made a jump to 5.55 on his first try.
KAI PFAFFENBACH / REUTERS
A first failure at 5.87m, where he could not initiate his jump, after having missed out at 5.80m, put him with his back to the wall.
Behind, feeling that he would not have the resources to accumulate attempts with his two ankles bandaged, he decided a sort of quits or double by keeping his last two attempts at 5.92m.
It was then very, very little, that he did not succeed in his incredible bet on his second jump.
The third, on the other hand, sounded the death knell for his podium ambitions.
In the stands, his brother, Valentin, could not hold back his tears.
Lavillenie fought with his weapons of the day.
But fate had already decided the outcome of a losing battle.
Françaix alongside the new pole vault prodigy, Armand Duplantis.
KAI PFAFFENBACH / REUTERS
Sitting on the track, Lavillenie attends the coronation of Duplantis
Sitting on the track, staring into space, the Frenchman attended the coronation of the new king of the discipline, Armand Duplantis.
The Swede once again soared, in the Olympic stadium, with a mark at 6.02 m which was enough for him to become champion in front of the American Christopher Nielsen (5.97 m) and the Brazilian Thiago Braz (5, 80 m ).
Crowned, the Scandinavian prodigy attempted a new world record, at 6.19 m, one centimeter more than his performance in February 2020 in Glasgow.
Without success.
But in view of what he demonstrated on Tuesday, it is undoubtedly only postponed.