Athletics. Two years from the Paris-2024 Games, the account is not there
Two years before the event of a lifetime with the Paris Games, the account is not good for French athletics, with gloomy summer performances, from the Worlds in Eugene (United States) to the Euro in Munich , completed untitled for the first time in forty years. Against the tide of optimistic speeches drawing on the denial of leaders.
Under the spotlight of Club France Munich, where French athletes were able to decompress and celebrate the end of the season, the president of the French Federation (FFA) André Giraud described Sunday the results of the Euro as “average”, in his speech. Closing. A rare pragmatic moment among the leaders, which disappears in front of the microphones and the cameras.
Mayer saves the honor to Eugene
The numbers, on the other hand, are merciless. A month ago, French athletics left Oregon with the only baggage of decathlete Kevin Mayer’s world gold and narrowly avoided a zero point, better known for nearly thirty years (1993). This did not prevent the authorities from retaining a “very positive assessment”.
After the European Championships in Munich, still no risk of excess baggage, with nine medals, four in silver and five in bronze, but none in gold. For the first time in forty years, and only for the third time in history (after 1982 and 1958), the Blues split without any continental title.
Out of the European top 20
In the continuity of the performances of the last three years, France is therefore this time relegated to a dismal 22nd place in the ranking of nations, despite the absence of Russian and Belarusian athletes due to the invasion of Ukraine. Never before had France appeared outside the Top 20.
Asked about this historically low record, the director of high performance at the FFA Romain Barras began by taking refuge behind the “thousandths and centimeters” to reserve the podiums – like Pascal Martinot-Lagarde deprived of gold for a thousandth over 110 m hurdles.
Then he advanced the fatigue of the “French team leaders”, Mayer (retirement), hammer thrower Quentin Bigot (7th) and pole vaulter Renaud Lavillenie (7th) in the lead, with the unprecedented World-Championships sequence of Europe, and as many “chances of medals that fly away”. He finally added to the federal theory which makes Munich a first step towards the 2024 Olympics.
“We wanted to use these European Championships as a kind of base, a base for Paris-2024, to be able to toughen up certain young people. There are some who have responded, with podiums, finalists, personal bests (5 out of 99 selected, editor’s note) in an international context “, even “intermediate”, wants to retain Barras, describing himself as “realistic optimist” . “That’s what we have to rely on to build the France team of tomorrow. »
Not “magician”
But when is tomorrow? By already evoking the horizon of the 2028 and 2032 Olympics, we understand halfway that to shine at the 2024 Olympics is already an impossible mission. “We are not going to spontaneously create a generation”, ended up conceding the ex-decathlete. “We are building and we hope that it will bear fruit. Maybe it will be for 2028 or 2032, and so much the better! The goal is not simply to reason with Paris-2024”.
“Perhaps before the priorities were not put in the same place,” he tackled. After the deplorable image sent back to the 2019 Worlds in Qatar, the FFA had been the target of the National Sports Agency (ANS), high-level fundraiser, and the Ministry of Sports, for a takeover that had become an arm of iron which wasted precious time.
After having used two DTNs and a performance director (Florian Rousseau, gone to cycling), it is now Romain Barras and Patrick Ranvier (DTN) who have been at the helm since January. “I am not the Messiah, nor a magician”, dropped this last Sunday, questioned on the possibility of a drop in funds allocated to athletics after such a summer.
“I cannot believe that the ANS expected my arrival to be miraculous and that we manage to obtain dozens of medals at the Euros and the Worlds, he continued. We are all aware of our current level. The agency is at our side to support the work that we are implementing to improve in view of the Paris Games. »
Huge construction site. But tight schedule.