Saturday in Eugene (United States), decathlete Kevin Mayer began his 10 labors, with the heavy task of finally bringing a medal to a French team, which is completely going through its World Championships.
The one who had the silver last year at the Tokyo Olympics (Japan), already saving the Blues from zero points, occupies 6th place halfway through, and is able to reverse the trend on Sunday, to get the world title.
"I'm in the fog, like since I arrived, blows Mayer, however.
I don't know what's wrong with me, I sleep badly, I thought it was the pressure, but this morning
(yesterday morning)
, it was the same.
It affects some events.
Despite everything, the gold medal awaits him, especially since the favorite was injured in the 400m.
“I'm sad for Damian Warner, even if we're fighting for the medal, we don't like to see an opponent get injured.
But we're not going to hide it, it opens up an avenue for me that I didn't have, at the base, to be world champion.
I have a certain confidence vis-à-vis the title, after that I will not have to do what I did in weight.
The young people will perhaps also surprise me during this second day, we will see.
»
4 x 100m relay disqualified
After a largely correct 100m (10′'67, 942 points), the Montpellier player followed up with 7.54m at length (945 points), smiling again on the 2nd try, after having "bitten" on his first attempt.
If he did not manage to go beyond 15 m in weight (14.98 m; 788 points), he reassured himself at the height (2.05 m; 850 points) before completing his first day with a 49'40 over 400m (842 points).
With an intermediate total of 4,372 points, he did slightly better than in Tokyo (4,340 points), where he had been handicapped by back pain.
“If I had to put the weight back on, I don't know if I would do better, agrees the Frenchman.
I did 16.22 m in training before coming, I had the same intentions but such a competition had never happened to me.
Fortunately, I made up for it over 400m, a distance I hadn't run since Tokyo.
»
The French team, which has still not won the slightest medal, will therefore bet on Kevin Mayer to save (a little bit) the furniture, while Renaud Lavillenie, if he returns to a height of around 5, 90m, can hope for bronze.
The men's 4 x 100 m relay, on the other hand, was disqualified last night for passing the baton outside the zone.
