Fourth after three events in the decathlon, Kevin Mayer went to the microphone of France Televisions before leaving the Olympic stadium for a well-deserved break. The Frenchman burst into tears announcing that he was shot in the back and therefore decreased:
“I've been training for years for that and having my back blocked on the day of the Olympics, it's really hard. One thing I can promise is that I will give it my all until the end. I blocked my back when I arrived in Japan. It's been three years since this happened to me. It’s an injury that we couldn’t foresee but I can still do athletics. I confess that I take no pleasure but I give everything. I will go to the end.
I know that I will go to the end because I can go there ” conceded the Olympic vice-champion of Rio in 2016.
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The full Olympic program
The Olympic medal table
Not at ease in the shot put, two meters below his personal best, Mayer, frustrated because despite everything in good condition, admitted that this event was probably the worst for his body and that he was not going to give up for the continuation regardless of the suffering:
“I think the worst was the weight so now it's up to me to push hard in the other events to catch up. I know my potential, I have the right height. I just have lightning bolts in my lower back every time I do something. But hey, that doesn't stop me from doing everything. I can promise you one thing, even if I am not having fun and the date of my life is completely ruined, I will give it my all. These are not tears of abandonment or sadness but of frustration. If you only knew the legs that I have, if you only knew how light I felt the weight. Not being able to express yourself when it is the first pleasure of sport, it is something that does not suit me at all. I'm not here for the moneynot there for the medals but I'm here to have fun. But I also have a lot of people around me who allow me to do athletics every day and today, if I hold on, it's thanks to them. "
Very touched when leaving the stadium, Kevin Mayer will be back in France at the end of the morning for the high jump (11:30 am). Then, he will finish the first day with the 400m (2:30 p.m.). Hoping that his back doesn't let go.
