Two years from the Paris Games and a year after the Olympic silver, Kevin Mayer returned to world gold in the decathlon, five years after his first coronation and despite a truncated preparation, in Eugene (Oregon) on Sunday.

Mayer thus saves the France team from an embarrassing zero point, which it has not known on the international scene since the 2000 Olympics, when the Olympic high mass is looming on its land.

Double Champion

At the age of thirty – he celebrated them in February – he joined the ultra-select club of French athletes who were double world champions individually, alongside the legend Marie-José Pérec, crowned in the 400m in 1991 and 1995, and by Eunice Barber, who won the heptathlon in 1999 and the long jump in 2003.

As a symbol, Daft Punk's "One more time" resonated in the mythical Hayward Field when the double Olympic silver medalist (2016 and 2021) filled the last hundred meters of the 1,500m which separated him from a second world title, five years after the first conquered in London in 2017.

As a symbol too, he experienced a similar scenario to the previous London pole vaulter, when he risked zero before crossing 5m on his third and last attempt.

Five years ago, he had the same fright at 5.10 m.

A comeback

Admittedly, the world record holder (9126 points in 2018) benefited from favorable circumstances with the abandonment of the reigning Olympic champion, the Canadian Damian Warner, hit in the left thigh in full 400m at the end of the first day.

Halfway through, weighed down by his poor shot put, with a best throw of 14.98m, very far from his record (17.08m), Mayer fell asleep in sixth provisional position for his first decathlon since the Games. from Tokyo a year ago.

Under a hot sun on Sunday, he built his rise in the pole vault (5.40 m) and javelin (over 70 m) rankings in particular.

At the end of his ten works, he won with a total of 8,816 points ahead of the Canadian Pierce Lepage (8701) and the American Zachery Ziemek (8676).

An achievement he welcomed with teary eyes and quivering lips when the Marseillaise was played in his honour.

A painful return

Mayer kept the memory of several painful and / or unfortunate decathlons, from zero to length at the 2018 European Championships in Berlin to the Tokyo Games crossed back blocked last summer, passing by his abandonment at the Worlds- 2019 in Doha, tendon (the left then) already recalcitrant.

Not to mention that at the start of the year, the Montpellier resident was bothered for many months by his right Achilles tendon “on fire” – which had made him give up the Indoor Worlds in Belgrade in early March – and did not resumed running only two months ago.

His destiny in hand

This return to the highest step of the world podium comes as Mayer decided to take control of his training by separating in the spring from his physical trainer Jérôme Simian.

On a daily basis, he is now accompanied only by Alexandre Bonacorsi, his childhood friend, originally responsible for compiling his performance data (sessions, series, intensity of effort, etc.) but who "has garnered experience for two years.

“I like this way of working.

I loved it during the confinement, when I was able to have access to the stadium: it was there that I brought out the best of myself, that I did my best sessions, ”recounted Mayer to the AFP mid-June.

Alone at the rate of “one session out of three in each discipline, I will look much further into my entrenchments to find solutions, to progress further, and I like that, he explained.

When I'm with Alexandre, if things aren't going well, I rely on him to find solutions and I don't like that.

Alone, it's really in you against yourself mode.

»

“When I worked with Bertrand (Valcin, his historic trainer from whom he separated in 2020), I loved being the actor in my programming.

The guys around me know that I am the instigator of my progress”, continued the double world champion.

Does he already have the 2024 Olympics in mind?

“I already see myself at the start of the 100m with a full stadium, answered Mayer.

That alone gives me chills.

»

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