Albi (AFP)

Overtaken this season by the Duplantis-Kendricks duo, Renaud Lavillenie gave himself a little breath of fresh air by winning his 10th French outdoor pole vault title in Albi on Saturday, with his best performance as a result. of the year (5.80 m) at the end of a fratricidal duel with his younger brother Valentin.

If many stars of tricolor athletics have bypassed this national meeting scheduled late because of the health crisis, the 2012 Olympic champion would have missed the trip to the Tarn for nothing in the world.

Competitive enthusiast and exceptional fighter, the former world record holder (6.16 m) is keen on statistics and succeeding in the pass of 10 on the French scene was particularly close to his heart.

Especially in these complicated times when he is having a hard time keeping up with the hellish pace imposed by the Swedish prodigy Armand Duplantis (20) and the American Sam Kendricks.

Lavillenie is still a long way from the current standards of his two rivals, who both happily exceeded 6m this summer (6.07m for Duplantis, 6.02 for Kendricks).

But the Clermontois can still leave Albi with a smile: here he is with an 18th national gold medal including the French Indoor Championships.

During this particular exercise, reduced to heartache, Covid-19 obliges (OJ postponed to 2021, Euro canceled), everything is good to take and Lavillenie, who will celebrate his 34 years on Friday, has not been asked to boost its exceptional record even more.

In a municipal stadium in Albi with the tonnage reduced by half (4,000 places instead of 8,000), he however had to work to ward off the competition from his brother Valentin (29 years old), who tickled him until end before cracking (5.70 m).

- Impressive Samba-Mayela -

“It was a big fight but I stayed on my plan, said Renaud Lavillenie. I knew that, if the conditions were good today, I wanted to do 5.80m. I wanted to avoid losing too much juice in a long competition, it was nice not to be lonely too soon. The other young people also put the pressure a little.

"It was an interesting competition and I managed to stay on course. The objective of this pseudo season is fulfilled. I have two international competitions left (in Rome on September 17th and in Doha on September 25th, note) where I have to move if I don't want to make up for Duplantis and Kendricks. "

If the old guard of French athletics is resisting, the next generation is also pointing the tip of its nose, like the young Cyréna Samba-Mayela, impressive over 100 m hurdles.

At 19, the protege of Teddy Tamgho, vice-junior world champion in 2017, confirmed her immense talent by improving her personal best in the process, becoming the 3rd world performer in 2020 (12 sec 73).

"I'm not surprised by my record because I'm coming for that, she said on arrival. It's a stage, I still run in Rome normally (Thursday, editor's note), I'm still waiting for things there, why not improve my personal best again, that's why i'm not euphoric. It was difficult to resume training after confinement, even mentally. With my family, my entourage, I drew strength strength and I do not regret. "

On the safe side, Djilali Bedrani, 5th at the Doha Worlds in 2019, logically reigned over the 3000m steeplechase (8: 35.39) and Quentin Bigot, silver medalist in Qatar, dominated the hammer competition (76, 42 m) to obtain a fourth title of Champion of France.

© 2020 AFP