Angers (AFP)

Small sensation at the French Championships: Renaud Lavillenie bit the dust with the pole by being beaten by the young Ethan Cormont, Sunday in Angers, symbol of a competition where the big performances were almost non-existent, reinforcing the fears at one month of the Tokyo Olympics.

While the American and Jamaican "Trials" have collected the exploits, the contrast has been striking with the French athletics whose state of health is far from reassuring before the great Olympic meeting.

Between the more or less justified absences for medical reasons of the main headliners of the discipline (Quentin Bigot, Pascal Martinot-Lagarde, Pierre-Ambroise Bosse, Jimmy Vicaut, Christophe Lemaitre, Mahiedine Mekhissi) and the inglorious results recorded during the weekend, the Games promise to be very complicated for the Blues, already struggling during the two previous major events (Euro-2018, World-2019).

Among the few French stars present, only Wilhem Belocian made a good impression with a 3rd coronation and a personal best over 110 m hurdles (13 sec 15), Saturday.

A little thin to consider a positive scenario in Japan for the France team.

The selection committee chaired by the president of the French Athletics Federation (FFA) André Giraud will now meet on Wednesday to get down to building a list that can hold up to the Olympics.

An arduous task even if Florian Rousseau, the director of high performance at the FFA, says he is "not worried" about the current situation.

The defeat of Renaud Lavillenie was added to this ambient gloom.

The 2012 Olympic champion still had a great victory last week at Chorzow (5.92 m) but he completely missed out on his competition in Angers, failing to go higher than 5.70 m in conditions admittedly difficult (rain, wind).

His start to the year with a bang (6.06 m, February 27), interrupted by a calf injury, is already history.

- Lack of passion -

Enough to do the business of Ethan Cormont who won at 20 the first major title of his nascent career (5.70 m) and will accompany the Lavillenie siblings (Renaud and Valentin) in Tokyo thanks to his good winter results indoors (5.80 m).

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"I am inevitably disappointed, said the former world record holder, deprived of an 11th national gold medal and who had also been beaten in February at the French Indoor Championships by his little brother. I had come for win. I did not go directly into the competition, with the conditions I was on the verge of not jumping, then things improved. I was finally better physically than I expected. At 5.80 m, I lack not much, success, total relaxation to make a good jump. The positive point is that physically it's good. "

Alexandra Tavernier, one of the rare French medal chances in Tokyo, did not make any sparks either with a 7th title without brilliance with the hammer (73.85 m).

The vice-champion of Europe and world bronze medalist (2015) was not afraid to point the finger at the lack of passion surrounding these Championships in France.

“Maybe he lacked a little more rivalry, excitement, pressure, she said. The magic little thing was missing, it was bleak as a contest. The atmosphere in the stadium was a bit dreary. "

An observation also drawn up by Mouhamadou Fall, author of the 100m-200m double in the absence of the European 100m record holder Jimmy Vicaut.

"In the league we need adversity, there was but not enough," he said.

The tough competition, the Blues will face in Tokyo.

At their own risk.

© 2021 AFP