Paris (AFP)
Four years of preparation condensed into three days of racing: Denis Gargaud, Olympic canoe champion in Rio in 2016, plays his presence at the Tokyo Olympics next year in the whitewater stadium in Pau from Thursday to Sunday, facing to an extremely dense tricolor competition.
Neither Denis Gargaud (33 years old), yet reigning Olympic champion, nor Cédric Joly (25 years old), reigning world champion, have the guarantee of playing the Tokyo Olympics, postponed to the summer of 2021 (23 July- August 8).
It is even possible that neither of the two wins the precious sesame, if the third candidate for the Olympic ticket comes to join in the fight, the 2019 European vice-champion Martin Thomas (31 years old) completing the French trio firmly installed in the world top 10 in the men's C1 slalom.
"There is a huge density! It is one of the disciplines where France is very strong", explains Denis Gargaud, world champion in 2011, but deprived of the Games in 2012 by Tony Estanguet, who had won his third Olympic title.
For Tokyo-2020, the Federation had to adapt its selection process to the evolutions of the Covid-19 pandemic, since the European Championships scheduled for May in London, which were to serve as justice of the peace, have been postponed.
The FFCK quickly opted for the Pau basin to distribute the Olympic places in the four Olympic disciplines (single-seater canoe and kayak, men and women).
- In Covid-19 mode -
"It's the most important race. We had some preparation time, we were given enough advance notice so that we could plan a quality training session," said Gargaud.
He had not planned to participate in a competition before these national selections, but to see how a race unfolds in the time of Covid-19, he lined up for the European Championships, finally relocated to Prague three years ago. weeks.
"Sincerely and honestly, I was not at all driven by the competition, but by the fact, first of all to change air, and also to see what it looked like" in Covid-19 mode, slips the céiste, who climbed to the final (9th), as did Joly (10th) and Thomas (7th).
To prepare for the Tokyo Games, the Marseillais made the choice at the beginning of 2020 to settle in Pau, he who has already decided to extend his adventure until 2024 and the Games in Paris.
And it is in its new training pool that the ticket to Tokyo will be played, over three races (the two best results are retained) Thursday, Saturday and Sunday.
“It's a pool that everyone knows very well. We are all in the same situation,” said the adopted Palois.
In the other disciplines, the kayaker Boris Neveu, world champion in 2014, will be the big favorite for the ticket in K1.
Among the ladies, Lucie Baudu (27) will try her luck in canoeing and kayaking, against Camille Prigent and Marie Zelia Lafont in K1, and against Claire Jacquet and Lucie Prioux in C1.
© 2020 AFP