In Eugene, Oregon, the Blues had arrived, then left, on tiptoe, Kevin Mayer's only gold medal in the decathlon in the luggage, for a tight team.

Criticized by athletes and coaches for having closed the door of the Worlds to the young generation in particular, the performance director of the French Athletics Federation (FFA) Romain Barras had warned that he would open the floodgates in Munich, to his eyes a better opportunity in a less elevated context.

He kept his promise with 99 selected (after the package of the steepleuse Alice Finot and the shot putter Frédéric Dagée) and a rejuvenated team (25 years and seven selections on average).

Twenty-nine athletes know their first or second selection in Germany, in particular the youngest Jeff Erius (18 years old), great hope of the sprint selected for the 4x100 m relay.

None of the 41 women selected is in their thirties, but the list includes a "quadra" with the eternal discobolus Mélina Robert-Michon (43) for her seventh European Championships (silver medal in 2014), she who was already present at the Munich Euro 20 years ago.

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No pronounced medal target

"For Paris-2024, we are two years old, it's the start of an adventure. Munich is the first step, the Budapest Worlds (in 2023) will be the second", estimated Barras at the end. of the Worlds.

Problem with the steps, the Blues and their FFA chaperones have rather got into the habit of missing them in recent years, marked by sluggish results, the instability of officials, doping cases and an atmosphere for a deleterious time.

Only two years before the big home Olympics, the equation leading to many podiums seems insoluble, while few French people float at the highest level and young people cannot all work miracles in such a short time. time.

In Munich, the FFA takes 58 athletes identified as "generation 2024", whom it helps and brings together at regular intervals, with very variable potential.

A group which had not been able to take advantage of the Euro planned at home in 2020, canceled because of the Covid-19.

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While Romain Barras, like the management in general, refuses to set any quantified objective, it is difficult for France to envisage a harvest of medals in this second consecutive German Euro, four years after Berlin, despite much less serious opposition than at the Worlds and the absence of the Russians, deprived of competition since the invasion of Ukraine in February.

Zhoya with the best time

The French team has 14 athletes or relays in the top 3 of entries in their discipline in 2022.

Four are even at the top of the balance sheets, including the decathlon world champion Kevin Mayer, who has a huge margin on the competition and takes the risk of chaining two competitions in three weeks, he who only disputes one. per year usually.

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After dazzling progress, Wilfried Happio will have to contain the return to form of Norwegian star Karsten Warholm in the 400m hurdles, when Benjamin Robert will have to overcome his American disappointment (eliminated in the semi-finals) to assume his status as N.1 in the 800m .

For his first senior season, the young Sasha Zhoya (20) also lands with the best time over 110m hurdles (tied with the Spaniard Asier Martinez, world bronze medalist).

And from experience, why not count once again on the pole vaulter Renaud Lavillenie, 36 years old in a month, four European medals including three gold in five participations, after his promising fifth place in the world in Eugene.

© 2022 AFP