ATHLETICS – This Sunday, near Angers, the Frenchman Renaud Lavillenie, who remained on nine consecutive French outdoor champion titles, could not do better than 5.70 m and therefore sees his beautiful series s’ stop dead. It is also the fault of a very young pole vaulter, Ethan Cormont, only 20 years old. The latter achieves the minimums for the Tokyo Olympic Games.
Renaud Lavillenie will not be French champion this year. And it’s a small earthquake in the hexagonal pole world. The Clermontois took only second place in the pole vault competition of the French championships won by the young Ethan Cormont (20), Sunday in Angers. The 2012 Olympic champion, 10 times crowned nationally, had a difficult day (5.70m), losing in the number of tries against Cormont (5.70m).
Lavillenie, who had a fine performance last week in Chorzow, Poland (5.92m), started the competition very badly by erasing a bar at 5.55m on his third attempt. He then climbed 5.70m on his first attempt before failing at 5.80m.
Cormont, who broke his personal best this winter (5.80 m) and has therefore already achieved the minimums for the Tokyo Olympics, won the first major title of his young career.
SEVENTH TITLE FOR TAVERNIER
European hammer throw runner-up Alexandra Tavernier easily won the French championships in Angers on Sunday with a throw of 73.85m, her seventh summer national title, the sixth in a row.
After a first throw at 73.70 m to knock out the competition, Alexandra Tavernier (27) managed 73.85 m on her sixth and last try, her second best throw of the season. She was ahead of Rose Loga (69.48 m) and Lorelei Taillandier (62.18 m).
The 2015 world bronze medalist, who is aiming for the podium at the Olympic Games in Tokyo (July 23 – August 8), also had the pleasure of sharing her title with her family. His brother Hugo won at 21 his first senior title with 72.80 m, in the absence of the favorite Quentin Bigot, injured.