Paris (AFP)
"I'm going to focus everything now on the Games," said Vincent Luis, crowned World Triathlon Champion on Saturday at the end of the Olympic distance season (WTS), and is now looking to Tokyo for a race. a day scheduled on July 27, 2020.
Q: How did you experience this race as you finished in fifth place, enough for the world title?
A: "Coming here, I really wanted to win the race, I knew that Mario (Mola, his most serious competitor for the World Title) was not going to be far from winning, so I tried to stay with him. As long as possible, after swimming, when I heard that it was 17 seconds (the gap between him and the Mola group), I knew it was going to be a race between him and me, and that it was going to be When I got stuck, I did not panic a lot even though I knew I had too much gas in the engine and I stayed in control for as long as I could. I'm just in my place, as I should have been, everything went like clockwork + Fifth, it's the union minimum, I'm leaving with the medal. "
Q: What does this title represent for you and for the French triathlon?
A: "It's just unbelievable, I've been the leader of the show since April, I'm not going to say I was expecting to win but I was + prepared." Today's race proves once again that may happen, I have not been far from the correctional martial, Mario is a great athlete tonight when we come home, we will celebrate, we will be happy but tomorrow we will have to think about what happened. at the grand finale, it can be fifth at the Games, and that's not what it takes. "
Q: With this world title, the next logical step is the Olympics in Tokyo in a year.
A: "I've already done the Games twice, so I know what it is, top 10 and finalist, I know what it is, I'm going back for a medal, I have the ability. Now, it's a race every four years, we have to win it, for us in triathlon it's the most important, there's also the team relay where we have great chances of medals. now focus everything on the Games. "
Interview collected in mixed zone.
© 2019 AFP