Miramas (France) (AFP)

No ninth French indoor pole vault title for Renaud Lavillenie but a first coronation for ... Valentin Lavillenie: Sunday in Miramas, the youngest came out of the shadow of his giant brother and for once took the light.

The contrast was striking at the end of the competition between Renaud, beaten and obviously furious when putting his poles back in their case, and Valentin, fell backwards on the track before bursting into tears when the young Ethan Cormont, finally 2nd , missed his last attempt at 5.82m.

"It's a first title and I'm very, very happy. I'm proud of myself because I win by responding to the fight. I disconnected the brain and put the balls down", summarized the younger Lavillenie, 29 years and a title at the Games of La Francophonie as the best line on the prize list.

"I think it can unlock things. Behind 5.77m, I'm not ridiculous at 82. Maybe that's the element I was missing. It's a real title, everyone was there and j 'I won. Point ", he also blurted out, as if to recall that a title obtained in front of his big brother was probably worth a little more than another.

Stayed far from the 6m he found this winter, the 2012 Olympic champion explained his 3rd place (5.66m) by a poor choice of poles.

"It's frustrating. I should have taken bigger poles, which I haven't taken in five years. That's the complexity of the pole. I'm too fit for the poles I have today." hui, ”he said.

"The goal is to be strong in Torun (the European Championships, from March 5 to 7). I will adapt my case and put on the poles you need. And these poles, I did not do 5.80m when I took them, "he added, before talking about his brother's title.

"It's nice for him, he's been good. But I don't console myself by telling myself that it stays in the family. In competition, it's every man for himself. It's good for him, he did what he did. "I had to. I did total shit," he said.

- Mayer frustrated -

In addition to the duel between the Lavillenie, Sunday was marked by the victory over 60m hurdles of Wilhem Belocian, author of a very clean final, run in 7:46, record for the French championships, at one hundredth of a second of his personal best.

"The objective was to put things in place for the + Europe +. I'm really happy with the time, even if it would have been good to beat my record. It bodes well for the future", he said said.

Still over 60m hurdles, the world record holder in the decathlon Kevin Mayer, who had come to rub shoulders with the specialists, had meanwhile been eliminated in the first strides of his series.

"I am frustrated like never before. I came to have fun, just for that, for an event, which is already not + phew + for a decathlete. So not to pass a single hurdle ...", a said Mayer, who however said he was "in great shape".

Over 1500m, one of the toughest events of the weekend, it was Djilali Bedrani who won extremely narrowly in 3 min 40 sec 27/100 ahead of Azeddine Habz and Baptiste Mischler.

"It's a track that brings me luck, it's my third medal here. I'm satisfied to go for the title over this distance which is not mine," explained the one who had already been the French champion in 3000m and vice-champion of France in the 1500m in 2019 in Miramas, and who should focus on the 3000m at the European Championships.

Finally, in Salon-de-Provence, a few kilometers from Miramas, Alexandra Tavernier broke her own French hammer throw record with 75.38m, against 75.23m, during the French long throw championships.

© 2021 AFP