Paris (AFP)

Kevin Mayer and Renaud Lavillenie will headline the French selection for the European Indoor Athletics Championships (March 4-7 in Torun, Poland), unveiled Thursday by the French Athletics Federation (FFA).

In total, the FFA has called six athletes for women and 19 for men.

"This list could possibly be supplemented, following the invitations delivered by European Athletics", however specified the French Federation of athletics.

Four and a half months before the Tokyo Olympics, the main French chances will rest on the shoulders of Kevin Mayer and Renaud Lavillenie.

The decathlon world record holder decided at the last moment to participate in the Euro heptathlon, four years after the European indoor title won in Belgrade, along with a European record (6479 points).

"I don't give a damn about the performance at the hepta, but I want to do a rehearsal before the Olympics", he said on Saturday during the French Indoor Championships in Miramas where he took part in two events of the heptathlon (60m, length) and 60m hurdles.

Renaud Lavillenie will try to win a 5th indoor continental crown after 2009, 2011, 2013 and 2015, even if the competition will be very tough this year with the Swedish world record holder Armand Duplantis, who has just crossed 6.10m on Wednesday in Belgrade.

After a great start to the year and in particular a jump to 6.02 m, on January 31 in Tourcoing, the 2012 Olympic champion has just achieved a zero point in Val de Reuil, on February 14, and a small bar at 5 , 66 m at the French Championships where he left the victory to his younger brother Valentin, also from the trip to Torun.

He will have one last opportunity to perfect his preparation on Saturday at Aubière at the All Star Perche.

The Blues will also bet on Cyrena Samba-Mayela and Laetitia Bapte (60 m hurdles women), Thomas Jordier (400 m), Pierre-Ambroise Bosse and Benjamin Robert (800 m), Djilali Bedrani and Jimmy Gressier (3,000 m), Wilhem Belocian (60m hurdles) and Melvin Raffin (triple jump) to clinch the podiums.

In 2019 in Glasgow, France had obtained 5 medals but no title.

The French selection:

LADIES:

60 m: Orlann Ombissa-Dzangue, Crolle Zahi

400 m: Amandine Brossier

3,000 m: Alice Finot

60m hurdles: Laetitia Bapte, Cyrena Samba-Mayela

MEN:

60 m: Mouhamadou Fall, Amaury Golitin

400 m: Thomas Jordier

800 m: Pierre-Ambroise Bosse, Nasredine Khatir, Benjamin Robert

1500 m: Simon Denissel, Baptiste Mischler, Azeddine Habz

3,000 m: Djilali Bedrani, Jimmy Gressier, Hugo Hay

60 m hurdles;

Wilhem Belocian, Aurel Manga

Perch: Ethan Cormont, Valentin Lavillenie, Renaud Lavillenie

Triple jump: Melvin Raffin

Heptathlon: Kevin Mayer

© 2021 AFP