In a sports career, there are bound to be difficult times to pass.
For Kevin Mayer, it still lasted more than a year.
Touched in the back before the Tokyo Games, in tears during, and bruised in the Achilles tendon afterwards.
This did not help the decathlete to start again.
Prevented from running for long weeks, Mayer is gradually recovering (he started running again only three weeks ago) and has eyes only for one competition: the World Championships in Eugene (United States) July.
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Read alsoThe French shine in the 800m, Mayer gives up before the 110m hurdles… What to remember from the Paris Meeting
“If I have to take it easy and not line up in certain events for the worlds, I will,”
he confided to us this Friday before the Paris Meeting.
No sooner said than done.
He hadn't practiced hurdles so he didn't do them.
“There was no point doing the hurdles.
I haven't run since Liévin
(February)
on this exercise so
there was not much point in running, especially since there was a fairly huge risk factor.
So I did a 150m at 400 on the warm-up track to end my day.
You really have to understand that Eugene is the only goal I have, and the rest are just options, ”
Mayer admitted after the length.
Encouraging results
Despite his withdrawal, Kevin Mayer still competed in the shot put and the long.
Two exercises which gave him almost complete satisfaction this Saturday at the Charléty stadium.
A first throw at 15.41 m in weight, his best throw of the season, and a second attempt even more successful (15.61 m) thanks to resources that only the decathlon world record holder is able to get.
He obviously won the competition by sticking 22 cm to second (Makenson Gletty in 15.39 m).
" It's really good !
said the Frenchman at the end of the race
.
“I never threw like that at weight this winter.
I threw with an 8 kg during all my preparation, and I admit that I was lost when I took up the 7 kg, it was so light.
I've been throwing badly lately.
So I'm really happy with my performance.
»
Kevin Mayer in the shot put, best performance of his season at the key (15.61 m).
JULIAN DE ROSA / AFP
And at length, pleasure was the key word of the evening.
The event was not necessarily in the plans of Kevin Mayer who thought of stopping after the weight, but we do not come to Paris every day.
So on three attempts, the native of Argenteuil died twice giving everything he has, and trying to get really far.
Then, a last attempt to ensure a mark, which will be measured in 7.38 m.
His best result of the season again.
“I took big jumps and secured the last one.
On the other hand, I haven't jumped like that for a very long time on run-up with headwind
(about 1m/s at that time).
It's really a huge pleasure to come back to competition.
Three weeks ago I wasn't sure of anything, so now I'm taking it all in.
The objective is really to arrive in Eugene without injury, because it's really a hassle to be injured on a decaf.
The rest I don't worry about, ”
assured Kevin Mayer to Charléty.
The length test was not necessarily planned for Kevin Mayer, but the Frenchman felt good and wanted to have fun in front of a conquered public.
GONZALO FUENTES / REUTERS
Looking towards Caen
Past Paris meeting, Kevin Mayer is now turning to Caen, where the next elite French Championships will take place (June 24 to 26).
In Normandy, he will line up (if all goes well) in the 100m, the discus and shot put, and the pole vault.
For the discus and the pole it will be with the specialists, the rest with the decathletes.
One more preparation to regain your automatisms and confidence.
With Kevin, if there is no injury, the mind follows and so does the performance.
“I still have over a month to go before Eugene, and when you see what I can do in three weeks…”
Becoming world champion again (after London in 2017) will still be difficult given the form of the other decathletes (8,867 points scored in early May by the American Garrett Scantling, adding to the competition in addition to the Canadian Damian Warner).
But with a Kevin Mayer in shape, anything is possible.
Provided you are in good shape of course.
