22nd March 2012 09:03
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| French sprint star Christophe Lemaitre. |
The meeting comes less than a week after the end of the European Athletics Championships in Helsinki, which will be from 27 June – 1 July, and so it's highly likely that many of the men and women who will win medals in the Finnish capital will be making their way south to Paris.
The 2010 European Athlete of the Year Lemaitre and his team mate Vicaut, the 2011 European Athletics Junior Championships 100m gold medallist and the fastest man in Europe over 60m this winter - the only two Europeans in the World Championships 100m final last summer - came together on Tuesday afternoon to talk about the summer ahead.
Q: What conclusions do you draw from your indoor seasons?
Lemaitre: I think I've made progress, particularly in terms of body movements, but this progress hasn't translated into solid times on the track. I may have paid the price in competition for the work I did in training. Despite all that, I became the French 60m champion.
Vicaut: Quite honestly I hadn't planned to run indoors this winter. My coach (Guy Ontanon) convinced me to do it. I'd hoped to run under 6.60 in the 60m. I ran 6.53, the best French time (in fact, the best European time) this winter. I didn't expect it at all.
Q: What are you expecting from the MEETING AREVA 2012 on 6 July?
Lemaitre: For the past two years, I've been coming to this meeting and hoping to pull off a great performance in front of a home crowd. I have really strong memories of the very special ambiance and atmosphere from my first two experiences at the Stade de France. I'll be approaching this year's competition with the same mindset.
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| 'His (Christophe Lemaitre) presence certainly makes me want to aspire for greater things,' says Jimmy Vicaut. |
Q: What's your view on the current state of French sprinting, which was further boosted by the emergence of Emmanuel Biron, a 60m finalist at the recent World Indoor Championships in Istanbul?
Lemaitre: It's very positive, especially for the relay. With the team we have at present, plus the arrival of some very young runners with massive potential, including Mickael-Meba Zeze, and also the experience of Ronald Pognon, we have the best possible team. I don't see any threat in it; quite the contrary, in reality it motivates you to continue to improve.
Vicaut: My aim has never been to beat Christophe Lemaitre but rather to be the best in France, then in Europe and finally in the world. His presence certainly makes me want to aspire for greater things.
Q: What part of the race is Jimmy stronger in than Christophe, and vice versa?
Lemaitre: Jimmy is considerably better than me at the start.
Vicaut: At the end of the race, he's far better than me. If you were to combine the pair of us, you'd be inventing a real machine!
Q: Are you leaning towards the 100m or the 200m this season?
Lemaitre: In the European Athletics Championships, I'll only be contesting the 100m and the 4x100m. At the Olympic Games, I don't know yet. The decision hasn't been made. However, I certainly won't be doing both of them. With two days between the 100m final and the 200m heats, it would be too risky. I'm inclined to go for the 100m. However, my decision would doubtless be more favoured towards the 200m, where I have the most potential to win a medal.
Vicaut: I've always favoured the 100m. However, to my mind, a great sprinter has to pull off the double. As such, this season I'm going to try the 200m more regularly, where my record (21.02) dates back to my first year as a junior. If I achieve the Olympic qualification time over this distance (20.38), my coach and I will consider which decision is the right one.