Through Aline Chatel
Published on 25 May 21 at 11:57
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Reviewing competitors, handing out a bib, waiting for the firecracker, elbowing on the starting line and finally letting go of the horses. Maxence Hardoin waited for these sensations for months which seemed interminable to him. He finally found the adrenaline of the competition, Saturday May 22, 2021 in Saint-Malo. In the space of an hour, the runner-up of the Caen Athletic Club set two new personal bests in 1500 meters (3’56s32) and 3000 meters (8’45s10). “I am pleasantly surprised because I resumed not so long ago. “
Absent from high level lists
Maxence Hardoin did not have a winter season. No cross country, no track. Three times finalist of the French Elite Championships over 3000 meters steeplechase between 2017 and 2019, he is not yet on the high level lists. However, due to the global pandemic, only the listed athletes were able to continue to compete, indoors, despite the various restrictions.
Winter was very complicated. I cut the athlete for a good five weeks in February. I completely let go. I realized that I did not have a foolproof mind if I was not accompanied.
“It hadn’t happened to me for at least ten years …”
Maxence Hardoin found himself plunged into a strange two-speed period. “Sportspeople considered to be top-level athletes, who have had the chance to continue training under normal conditions, have created a big gap with those who have been subjected to the constraints,” he believes. However, there is not much bitterness in his words.
There are a lot of events in athletics, not everyone can get the recognition they are hoping for. I understand that it is not easy. Afterwards, when you are in the top eight French three times in a row, you expect to have access to the infrastructure to train …
For a long time, Maxence Hardoin “kept the pace”. But the lack of competition eventually made him give up. “I certainly got a little bored. To cut like this hadn’t happened to me for at least ten years. But you have to know how to take time for yourself. It allowed me to retouch to other activities, such as biking and hiking, and to enjoy the people around me a little more. “
Only one chance for France
With the approach of spring, Maxence Hardoin “resumed slowly”, accompanied by an application specializing in mental preparation. And after six weeks of training, his return to Brittany was conclusive. “It’s true that it came back pretty quickly, but I’ve been training regularly for two and a half years. The body remembers this passive. Now, a new four-week training block is looming with, in sight, a single qualifying race for the French championships.
With Marc (Courtiau, his trainer, editor’s note), we decided to try like that this year. I will have only one chance to qualify but I’m starting to have a little experience …
The project will end in Caen in 2022
Maxence Hardoin therefore has an appointment in Lyon on Saturday June 19, 2021, a week before the Elite in Angers. He will try to go under nine minutes, him whose record is 8’46. “If I don’t go to the Elite, it’s no big deal. My project, I set it up to go to Elite in Caen next year. I keep in mind to finish my project there. The objective will be to bring out the best possible performance in front of my relatives. But before that, in a year as special as it is open, the physical trainer can hope to surprise himself again.
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