Can we speak of disappointment for a silver medal at the Olympics? When your name is Kevin Mayer, yes. But in this context, not really. We take a look back at two very emotional days in Tokyo.
Tears, cries, joy, rage. And in the end, the money. In Rio, this metal promised a bright future to the one that was revealed to the general public. In Tokyo, this medal is almost a rebirth. In five years, Kevin Mayer has known it all. The happiness of a world title (London), and a planetary record (Talence). The disappointment of Berlin. And this injury, in Doha. The best, like the worst. And this is the place of Olympic vice-champion again, like a symbol. Since 2016, Kevin Mayer has always broken his 100m league record. In Tokyo, it’s different. 10 ″ 68 (+0.1 m / s): it is exactly the same time as at the Meeting de The meeting last December. Faster than in London (10 ″ 70), but less than in Doha (10 ″ 50, personal best). Especially since his main rival, Damian Warner, achieved 10 ″ 12, thus equaling his world record in decathlon.. But don’t worry, it’s normal for the Canadian to be ahead in the first rounds.
Tears, before the bounce to the height
But the length doesn’t quite go as planned. 7.50 m (+0.9 m / s). A performance below his personal best, which peaks at 7.80 m. This jump made on the second try allows him to limit the damage, but he is already 321 points behind Warner. The latter achieved 8.24 m: a mark that would have allowed him to go for Olympic bronze, in the same discipline. How to react, faced with such performances, when you know deep down that your own body is already in pain?
We reassure ourselves as best we can. We trust our achievements, our strengths. And it turns out that weight is one of them. If he touches his personal best, 17.08 m, the world record holder (9126 points) can hope to return to contact. It will ultimately be 15.07 m. The cold shower. And suddenly, the tears. The shell cracks in a mixed zone. The frustration, the nerves, and above all that blocked back. ” I take no pleasure, I give everything, as long as I can walk I can run … But the date of my life is totally wasted He sways. Hard not to think back to Doha, where the Ischio had let go of the pole, forcing the then leader to give up.
Sometimes, the champions need to be at their lowest, to find the necessary resources and return to combat. The time to rebound has come. We find at the height a concentrated Mayer, with a much less closed face. The Montpellier rider peaks at 2.08m: a performance that he had not performed for four years and the London Worlds in 2017. He is exulting. This event has just given him back his confidence, while there is still the 400 meters to conclude this special day. 50 ″ 31, like the 100 meters and the length: fourth at the end of the first day with 4340 points, Mayer limits the damage.
The pride of the champion
The last day in the decathlon is synonymous with suffering. The body gradually gives way. It is the head which commands, which resists. Whether it is the hurdles (13 ″ 90) or the discus (48.08), the performances are not catastrophic, but far from the standards to which the reigning Olympic vice-champion had accustomed us. We have to go back to 2016 and 2015 respectively to the balance sheets, to find similar performances. At such times, there is still time to think about the next event. Take the maximum number of points, before starting to calculate. That’s good, it’s the pole that follows. We must forget Doha and those weeks of blockage that followed, when Mayer was unable to jump. With a successful jump to 5.20m, the “remountada” mission began.
And that’s where we found him. The Kevin Mayer of great evenings. The one who does not let go. The javelin is one of the most difficult events to manage. The legs are heavy after the pole, the head is already at the terrible 1500 meters which must conclude the day. To get the podium, the French must release THE perf ‘. For the past two years, he has thrown around 67 meters. Far from its record, established in Talence (71.90 m). And then comes this second try. Everything is here. The run-up. Strength in the arm. The speed of execution. 73.09 m, best exploded mark. The decathlete lets his rage explode: we do not bury him so easily. Here it is in second position.
Return to the catwalks
The 1500 m, swallowed in 4’43 ″ 17, will not change anything. Kevin Mayer is once again Olympic vice-champion in the decathlon. After the tears of the day before, the world record holder in the discipline is all smiles in the mixed zone: “ That height and that javelin, how good it was! These are the only two events where I didn’t need speed, just good positioning. In Rio, I was Olympic vice-champion by optimizing everything. And today, just when I thought I was going to give up, I managed to get the money. I’m very happy “. Here he is already thinking of the Eugene Worlds next summer (July 15 to 24, 2022).
We had not seen the Montpellier on an international outdoor podium since his world title in London four years ago. Obviously, when you are a winner, which is moreover a world record holder in the discipline, victory seems to be the only valid result. The reality of top-level sport is quite different. And finally, even when your name is Kevin Mayer, silver sometimes tastes like gold.
Find the thread of the two days of the decathlon, event by event, in click here.
Discover our most beautiful pictures of Kevin Mayer captured by our photographer Solène Decosta on our account Instagram.
Text: Mathilde L’Azou
Photo credit: STADION
–
