Bolt absent, the french out in force

“As reported a few weeks ago I had to miss some training in late March and early April due to a foot injury.  Thankfully my foot is 100% healthy now and I am back in full training.  Unfortunately due to the training that I missed I am behind where I am at normally at this time of year and will not be ready to race in the Ostrava Golden Spike meet or Meeting Areva in Paris, Usain Bolt explains.  These are great events that I have competed in many times in the past and I plan to run in many times in the future.  I have a lot of support in both countries and always get a good reception there.’’

The organisers wish him a speedy recovery and have already planned a great line-up. Indeed, the show boasts a plethora of stars from international athletics of course and we’ll later reveal the whole raft of French stars too, which are an illustration of the increase in strength of the French athletics team, which is even more brilliant, high-performance and diversified than ever. The facts speak for themselves…

Renaud Lavillenie – Pole vault: – World No.1

Pascal Martinot-Lagarde – 110m Hurdles: World No.1

Jimmy Vicaut – 100m: World No.3 – European leader

Pierre-Ambroise Bosse – 800m: World No.5 and European leader

Christophe Lemaitre – 200m (but competing in the 100m at the MEETING AREVA): World No.8 and European leader

Eloyse Lesueur – Long-jump: World No.3 and the 3rd best performance in Europe

Cindy Billaud – 100m Hurdles: World No.7 and European leader

Melina Robert-Michon – Discus: World No.7 and 5th best thrower in Europe

Topping the bill is Renaud Lavillenie. The Olympic pole vault champion has made his annual bid for victory at the Stade de France a speciality. This year, he’ll be using his status as world record man (6.16m) for the first time in front of a French audience. In addition to a third European title, Renaud Lavillenie has this year set himself the goal of dominating the final Diamond League ranking once again. Undefeated this season, he is at the top of the world leaderboard with a jump of 5.92m. In Paris, he’ll be aiming for at least 6m, the current record for the meeting, and better still, weather permitting.
Another great surprise: the presence on the MEETING AREVA programme of a 110m hurdle race. This event has been added by the organisers to showcase the unique trial of strength between French athlete, Pascal Martinot-Lagarde, World No.1 this season (13’’13), and American David Oliver, the reigning World Champion. The two men admit that the Paris meeting has a special appeal for the pair of them. The former showed just what he was made of here last year by securing second place with a time of 13’’12, his personal best. The second created a stir here in 2010, racking up a time of 12’’89, which is still his personal best too.
The same dazzling atmosphere is set to envelop the track at the start of the men’s 100m. Here too, the power of the French presence will be unmistakeable. Jimmy Vicaut, one of the guys at the peak of fitness early this season (9’’95 on 18 May in Aix-les-Bains, 9’’89 two weeks later in Eugene with a slightly too favourable breeze) will cross paths with Christophe Lemaitre. An explosive face-off then with a little over a month to go till the European Championships in Zurich, where the European title could be played out between the two French athletes.
Last season’s French revelation, Pierre-Ambroise Bosse is currently 5th best in the world over 800m (and the first placed European) since performing at the Diamond League meeting in Eugene, where he ran a time of 1’44’’44. His personality, his style and his boldness will make him one of the biggest attractions at the MEETING AREVA 2014.
Among the women’s contingent, there will be at least three French athletes pushing open the door of the Stade de France with their sights on victory. Cindy Billaud absolutely smashed it with a very convincing time of 12’’69 at the Golden Gala in Rome on Thursday 5 June. The best European of the season (and 7th in the world), she has never made any secret of her intention to snatch the long-standing French record set by Monique Ewanje-Epée (12’’56 in 1990). She’ll be gunning for that accolade at the MEETING AREVA.
Eloyse Lesueur also benefited from her first international competition to mark her territory. Clearing 6.87m in the long jump on 30 May in Eugene, has secured her the position of world No.3 this season, just one centimetre shy of the best jump in a discipline dominated by Europeans.
World No.2, after her performance in Moscow last summer, Melina Robert-Michon has taken on a whole new status in French and international athletics, which has coincided with a great boost in her confidence. The French discus thrower has made the MEETING AREVA a priority on the road to Zurich, where she’s aiming to secure the European title. A familiar face at the Paris meeting, she dreams of adding her name to the list of winners.

One final piece of good news, and a wonderful surprise: Renaud Lavillenie will be performing in front of the Parisian audience twice in one week. On the initiative of the French Athletics Federation, the organisers of the MEETING AREVA, a demonstration will be arranged on Saturday 28 June, on a legendary site at the heart of the French capital. This event will be in line with the tradition of shows presented by the discipline in the late seventies and early eighties. A homage to the prestigious school of French pole vaulting.

*Usain Bolt has also announced his withdrawal from the Ostrava meeting following on from the cancellation of his participation in the meetings for the start of the season.