From our special correspondent in Tokyo
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How to give everything for a possible bronze medal when only gold mattered 24 hours before?
That was the delicate, and frustrating, question Kevin Mayer must have been asking himself all night long.
Coming to Tokyo to win the only title missing from his formidable record, the French decathlete saw “
the meeting of his life spoiled
” by a blocked back on his arrival in the Japanese capital.
But like other of his compatriots - pole vaulter Renaud Lavillenie, gymnast Samir Aït Saïd - before his Games of misfortune, the world record holder in the discipline decided to bite the bullet.
And still believe in his lucky star.
2nd in the 110m hurdles
A first clearing came early in the morning on the 110m hurdles. By signing a solid 13''90, he set the second fastest time and collected 987 precious points to move back to 4th position. The title, on the other hand, seemed to be played with a Damian Warner still impressive with 13''46 and who is far ahead with his 7490 points. But for the other two steps of the podium, Mayer could still be ambitious. Especially since he still grabbed a few points on the Australian Ashley Moloney (2nd) and the Canadian Pierce Lepage (3rd) in the discus throw with a throw at 48.08m, synonymous with 830 points. There remained the justice of the peace of the pole vault, the main ambush for his back this Thursday. A first failure at 5 meters left the shadow of a doubt but the next time he erased the bar and could breathe.In the end, his 5.20m earned him 972 points and placed him 46 points behind Lepage, his number 1 target even if Moloney, 140 points ahead, is perhaps not inaccessible.
Gloomy morning for the tricolor clan
For the rest, the French morning has been like its Games so far.
Namely sullen.
Of the two to start the 110m hurdles final, neither Pascal Martinot-Lagarde - 5th in 13''16 (his best time of the season) - nor Aurel Manga - author of a catastrophic start and finally last in 13 ''38 - failed to create a surprise during a race promised to the American Grant Holloway, but who had to settle for the silver behind the Jamaican Hansle Parchment (13''04).
Qualified in the final of the triple jump, Melvin Raffin is the only one not to have validated a jump, biting the board three times to also finish last in a competition won by the Portuguese Pedro Pichardo, author of a triple bounce at 17 , 98m.
Finally, concerning the 4x100m relay, if the band of Jimmy Vicaut finished ahead of the United States in the semi-finals, this was only synonymous with 4th place and elimination on time (38''18). Only little ray of sunshine, the girls - Carolle Zahi, Orlann Ombissa-Dzangue, Gémima Joseph, Cynthia Leduc - took 4th place in 42''68 in an extremely tough series, won by Great Britain (41 '' 55) ahead of the United States (41''90) and Jamaica (42''15). As a result, the French got their ticket by being drafted on time and will play the final Friday night at the Olympic stadium in Tokyo. But to get on the podium, it will take quite a combination of favorable circumstances for the Blue.
