Tokyo (AFP)
The world record holder in the decathlon Kevin Mayer moved closer to the podium thanks to a good pole vault competition, 8th of his 10 events, at the Tokyo Olympics on Thursday.
Under a strong sun, Mayer crossed 5.20 m (3rd best jump of the participants).
He remains 4th in the standings with 7,129 points but has moved closer to Canadian Pierce Lepage (5.00m, 3rd, 7.175 points) and Australian Ashley Moloney (5.00m, 2nd, 7.269 points).
The Frenchman has better references than his two competitors in the javelin and over 1,500m, the last two decathlon events, and can therefore still hope to climb on a 2nd consecutive Olympic podium tonight after silver in Rio in 2016.
For the title, however, the Canadian Damian Warner should be untouchable.
He has 7,490 points and can hope to pass the mythical bar of 9,000 points at the end of the day, which has never been done at the Olympics.
“I'm a long, long way from what I can do,” Mayer said. “But even at this low level I might be able to go for a medal. So I'm going to fight. But there will be a bitter taste. I would have had the silver medal with a fight against Warner, it would have been crazy. There is no fight. There is one with the other decathletes but I am below my perfs, that ' is annoying. I have the impression of doing the minimum union but I can fight for a medal. I am thinking of the silver medal and especially of Eugene (the Worlds in 2022, editor's note). "
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