Victim of Covid-19 in March, the hammer thrower went into virtual isolation to reduce the risks before embarking for the Olympics.
Since September 2019, Liberation has followed the vice-world champion in a march towards the Tokyo Games that their postponement has not interrupted.
We almost had the ticket in our pocket to go see Quentin Bigot and his coach Pierre-Jean Vazel at the Dezavelle stadium in Metz, where they train practically all year round. But the Covid-19 forced us to change our projects, as several times already in this year and a half spent following the preparation of the Moselle launcher. “Sorry, but indeed, I prefer that we do it by phone because I limit my contacts as much as possible before my departure for Japan”, entrusts us with his usual courtesy the vice-world champion of Doha, in 2019.
Quentin Bigot was struck by the virus last March, a severe but brief form, treated at home: “In agreement with the Fédé doctor, we decided to postpone the single dose of vaccine that I have to do after the Games. Apparently, people who have had Covid in the past have relatively strong reactions to the vaccine. So I want to avoid spending three, four or five days in bed or at least knocked out. Right now, I can’t afford it ”, Bigot tells us a few days before his departure for Japan. “I see my family, but for example I don’t go to gatherings like birthday parties or dinners. I don’t want to be positive another time which could delay my departure for Japan, or even make me stay at home! ”
Especially since he has already had to ease off at the end of June because of a contracture in his back which kept him away from the French Championships in Angers. “It was a lumbago triggered during a session with a training hammer, heavier than the one used for competition [7,260 kg, ndlr]. But hey, I was already tired by traveling and by the series of competitions between the end of May and the beginning of June. There, all is well ”, he says reassuringly.
Improved personal record
Quentin Bigot will set foot on the Tokyo Olympic Stadium on Monday August 2 for the qualifications. The final is scheduled two days later. His last outings nourished his serenity. During the meetings in Andùjar (Spain), Samorin (Slovakia) and Turku (Finland), he constantly improved his performances to finish with a new personal best at 79 m 70. “I didn’t really think I would do this performance in Turku because I was starting to get tired. In the middle, there had also been the European Team Championships in Poland where I had perhaps the best preparation but the pitch was too slippery… In short, I am very happy with my season so far because , if it is true that the world level is rising in my specialty, I remain in the game. Moreover, it is a very good thing that the density and the general level are progressing in our specialty, the medals will have an even greater value. “
The athlete does not tie any knots in the brain to reach the 80 meters that will most likely have to be exceeded to reach the podium in Tokyo. “I don’t think in terms of performance as such. I haven’t thrown to 80 meters yet, as some of my opponents have already done, that’s okay. It will have to be done at the right time, what I’m looking for is a medal, the performance will just be the consequence. ”
Cooling vest
Bigot is not afraid of the pressure cooker type climate that athletes are likely to find in the Japanese capital, where the summer weather is a mixture of high heat and humidity. “First, it’s like that for everyone, so if the climate influences the level of service, there will be no real upheaval in values”, he puts into perspective. The vice-world champion also developed the “Tips” that he had successfully implemented at the Doha Worlds in 2019 to beat the heat. “This year, for example, I bought a vest that goes in the freezer: it’s like a bulletproof vest that you put on to lower your body temperature.”
Before joining the Olympic Village three days before the competition, Quentin Bigot and his coach Pierre-Jean Vazel will spend a period of acclimatization and training in Kobe. In the two suitcases that the Metz athletics metropolis launcher is taking on Monday, there will also be two training hammers: “8 and 9 kg. As we arrive more than 15 days before the competition, I need them for sessions and there I will not find them, unlike the competition hammers which are made available by the organization. “
Quentin Bigot also flies away with the many messages of support that have poured in before his departure. “Friends and family, then also some politicians like the mayor of the city of Metz and the president of the department. Normally, politicians are known to jump on the winner’s chariot, but they supported me even in the darkest part of my life, when I was tested positive in 2014.»
Previous articles in the Let’s JO series with Quentin Bigot
# 1 Quentin Bigot, his hammer, his past, his coach, his medal; # 2 The loneliness of the hammer thrower; # 3 By train to work; # 4 “We don’t know when we can get back to the stadium, normalcy”; # 5 The well-confined hammer; # 6 The revived hammer; # 7 Like a cage pitcher; # 8 Aren’t we making a little hammer video? ; # 9 Pierre-Jean Vazel, a self-taught coach; # 10 A strong man overwhelmed by the Covid
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