The French Athletics Federation has announced the death at 82 of Pierre Carraz, who brought Christophe Lemaitre to the top of European sprinting.
Pierre Carraz, the coach who led Christophe Lemaitre to the top of European sprinting, has died aged 82, the French Athletics Federation (FFA) has announced.
«The FFA learned with deep sadness of the death of Pierre Carraz, who passed away at the age of 82. It salutes the memory of an immense trainer and educator, figure of the AS Aix-les-Bains club, who notably took Christophe Lemaitre to the highest level.“, she said on her Twitter account on Saturday.
With Carraz, a former PE teacher who had been training him on a voluntary basis since 2005, Lemaitre went below the mythical threshold of 10 seconds over 100m in 2010 (9.98), a first for a white sprinter.
In the same year, he achieved an unprecedented treble by winning the 100m, 200m and 4x100m relay at the European Championships in Barcelona. The winners of this unlikely duo, separated by half a century of age difference, also include two Olympic medals (3rd in the 4x100m relay in 2012 and 200m in 2016) and two world medals (2nd in the 4x100m relay and 3rd in the 200m at the 2011 Worlds).
«To train an athlete well, you have to know him well.“, told AFP in 2010 “Pierrot» Carraz.
If he had taken a step back, the former educator always kept a close eye on his best-known student, aged 32 and who would like to end his career at the 2024 Olympics in Paris.
