"I think it's time. Great time to put the spikes back on. Great time to prepare Paris 2024. I trained, I observed, I analyzed and by testing myself for some time, I understood that the legs were still ready, ready to jump far, ready to win THE medal (the only one I am looking for)," wrote on his Instagram account the athlete, who became a coach in recent years.
Junior world champion in 2008, then indoor world champion in 2010, he won the outdoor world title in 2013 in Moscow, with a jump of 18.04m, becoming the third athlete to exceed 18m in the triple jump.
But his career has been punctuated by numerous injuries, which have deprived him of the London Olympics in 2012, and various suspensions. One of twelve months, six of which was imposed by the French Athletics Federation after an altercation between him and an amateur athlete and two relatives of her during a training session in Saint-Raphaël (Var), in October 2011. Another from the International Federation for a period of one year in 2014 for three breaches of its anti-doping localisation obligations in less than 18 months.
"Christian Taylor and PPPichardo have not stopped serinating me so that I come back, so let's go," adds in his message on Instagram the Frenchman referring to the Olympic and world triple jump champions, the American Christian Taylor and the Portuguese of Cuban origin Pedro Pichardo.
"The protocol is simple, 6 months of refresher (weight, physical condition, mental preparation for a return after a long break) then in October 2023: NO QUARTER! I have the chance to train and train an athlete who is at the top of the world triple jump so, emulation will not be lacking in training, "says the one who trains the Burkinabe Hugues-Fabrice Zango, bronze medalist at the Tokyo Olympics and holder of the indoor world record with 18.07 m, a record delighted to ... Tamgho (17.92 m in 2011).
© 2023 AFP