Having yet to achieve the minimums imposed by World Athletics to qualify for the Tokyo Olympics, Kevin Mayer intends to tackle it during a meeting he will organize in Reunion in December.
Kevin Mayer doesn’t want to bother with the minimums for Tokyo. While World Athletics requires a minimum of 8,350 points, the native of Argenteuil has still not managed to exceed this limit, having not completed a decathlon since … his world record on September 16, 2018 (9126 points) on the occasion of the Décastar de Talence. However, with the health crisis and faced with the difficulty of organizing competitions for several months, World Athletics decided to reopen the window allowing the minimums to be achieved on December 1 and until May 31, 2021. To be in the best conditions, Kevin Mayer confirmed in an interview with the daily L’Equipe that he will make an attempt next December. “The international federation said that we could not try to qualify before December, confirms the French athlete. We want to do it as soon as possible, so it will be in December. ”
See you in Reunion on December 18 and 19
An attempt which will take place within the framework of a meeting organized in a very particular place, on an idea suggested by his former trainer, Bertrand Valcin. “As in mainland France, it would be complicated at this time, what better way than to do it in a French territory where I have already been and which I love: Reunion, says Kevin Mayer. I will therefore do a decathlon to achieve the minimums in Reunion, on December 18 and 19 at the Saint-Paul stadium. ” A meeting which, he assures us, will have the approval of World Athletics and which will follow a national course organized on site from the beginning of December. “We are the ones who set out to organize this meeting, but it is a competition which will be stamped World Athletics and which will count for the world ranking, confirms Kevin Mayer. It will be an international meeting. ” If he will not be able to count on the presence of the world champion Niklas Kaul, currently injured, the world record holder launched an invitation to the Canadian Damian Warner, bronze medalist at the Doha Worlds as well as to many athletes from the four corners of the world.
Mayer is prepared for all eventualities
While the goal will be to exceed the 8,350 points mark set by World Athletics, Kevin Mayer is not yet fixed on the mark he intends to reach at the end of the two days of competition. “It will also depend on how it gets started. What is certain is that I will not brake myself on the 100m or the length. Afterwards, if there is pain, we will brake in height, throws, etc., adds the Olympic vice-champion in Rio in 2016. But frankly, since I changed staff, there has been a big evolution in what I have done and chances are I will dispute it without any apprehension about the pain. If I can make myself happy, I will be happy. ” What is certain is that the minimums are not a cause for concern for the one who holds the world record. “I think I have a margin on the minimums so as not to frighten me or stress me with it”, adds Kevin Mayer who, if he succeeds in the minimums in Reunion, intends to reserve himself for Tokyo, where he will not aim for anything. other than gold.
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