His participation in the Paris 2024 Olympic Games was still in doubt, but the final straw has come! This August 1, the French athletics delegation announced that French athlete Kevin Mayer would forfeit the decathlon events."Kevin Mayer will not take part in the decathlon event at the Paris 2024 Olympic Games," they explained. The athlete had injured his thigh at the Paris Meeting in early July, and more specifically his hamstrings.
On Sunday July 28, the double decathlon world champion (2017 and 2022) gave some news, mentioning " surprising progress ". " The workload is limited, but the situation demands it ," he explained. "Today, there are no certainties, just a fiery determination not to regret anything. I can't tell you if it's going to happen or not. It seemed impossible at first, but every day has brought its share of positive surprises, and I find myself imagining a miracle," he concluded on his social networks.
On Tuesday July 30, at a press conference held at Club France and relayed by AFP, Kevin Mayer nevertheless estimated that he had " maybe a 10% chance of being at the start of the 100 m " decathlon this Friday morning. Everything will depend on the 30-meter test the athlete is due to perform on Thursday August 1. " If it doesn't hold up in the 30 m, it won't hold up in the 100 m," he added.
The athlete also spoke about his injury, referring to " a 95% partial tear of the high portion semimembranosus tendon ". " A lot of people would say there's a 100% chance I won't be there. I've been working like I've never worked before for three weeks to try and get there. It's a very, very big injury," he continued, adding that it would be " an amazing miracle if it goes through ".
So, does the decathlon still have a chance of a medal? All hope is not lost... And for good reason: Kevin Mayer is not the only Frenchman competing in the discipline. Another Frenchman is in the running, according to the Paris 2024 website: Makenson Gletty, also competing in the heptathlon. French champion in the heptathlon, he also won his first international medal at the European Championships last June, as reported by Midi Libre. So we're keeping our fingers crossed for further fine performances from the Frenchman.
As a reminder, the decathlon events will take place on Friday August 2 and Saturday August 3, 2024 at the Stade de France. The decathlon is one of the combined events. The discipline therefore comprises ten events made up of four races (100 m, 400 m, 110 m hurdles and 1,500 m), three jumps (long, high and pole vault) and three throws (shot put, discus and javelin).
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Dates and Opening Time
From August 2, 2024 to August 3, 2024
Location
Stade de France
93200 Saint-Denis
93200 Saint Denis
Official website
olympics.com
Paris 2024 Olympics: history, events, Olympic venue... athletics and para-athletics at the Games
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