Kevin Mayer during a long jump event at the University of San Diego, California, March 21, 2024. SANDY HUFFAKER / AFP
The disappointment is great for Kevin Mayer. The headliner of French athletics was forced to retire on Thursday, March 21, after only four events in the decathlon in San Diego, California, where he hoped to qualify for the Olympic Games (JO) in Paris (July 26 – August 11).
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The 32-year-old athlete, visibly hampered in his right leg, failed to clear a bar during the high jump. He has until June 30 to achieve the Olympic minimums (8,460 points).
The double Olympic vice-champion in the decathlon suffered a setback four months before the Paris Games, the goal of a lifetime, he who hoped to take advantage of the small university meeting in San Diego, under the Californian sun, to qualify .
Mayer had given up at the World Championships in Budapest in the summer of 2023 and has not completed a decathlon since his world title acquired in Eugene (Oregon, United States) in July 2022. The Frenchman had decided to start his competition at the height of 1.89 m, but aborted two jumps, before giving up. “I can’t go”he whispered after an uncertain run-up, while his right thigh and right ankle were bandaged.
Read also | Athletics: Kevin Mayer, hampered by ischio, shortens his 60 m at the French indoor championships
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Mayer decided to quit after a meeting with his trainer Alexandre Bonacorsi and the boss of the French athletics team, Romain Barras.
Decathlon world record holder
He had started his day correctly over 100 m, before experiencing a first alarm during the length, slightly twisting his left knee during the warm-up due to the loss of two spikes under his shoes.
World decathlon record holder (9,126 points in 2018), Kevin Mayer still has three months to complete a decathlon and achieve the Olympic minimums. But his quest for the Olympics suffered another setback after he gave up on a first qualifying decathlon in December 2023 in Australia. Above all, this new abandonment raises questions about his physical state, which has increased the pain and injuries in recent years.
Read also: Paris 2024: Kevin Mayer postpones his attempt to qualify for the Olympic Games until March
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