Elaine Thompson (100 m)
« In Lausanne, it was my first time of the season competing in the cold, so I am grateful to the time. This long season took a lot on my body. I have no idea where I get the force to keep running fast. But it is part of my job, I train for that. Even if I am tired, hopefully I can get more energy tomorrow. I am sad that Shelly-Ann will not be there tomorrow. She is a hard working athlete and a source of inspiration. She gives me motivation to keep running fast at the next Olympics. I will be 32 in 2024. This year, I was quite nervous going into the Olympics. I didn’t really know what to expect as I have been struggling with injuries at the beginning of the season. But I was more mature than in 2016 and I know how to compete and win a medal. The world record was not in my target this year. Many years ago, I would say it was not possible. But hopefully I can break it before the end of the season. If not, I will have to put everything together to get it next season. I can still improve my start, which is not great. »
Mondo Duplantis (pole vault)
« Yesterday in Lausanne, I did a lot of things wrong and some tactical errors. Not winning is part of the game, you have to lose sometimes. My dad was not there with me. I realized how important it is when he is with me. But sometimes, you need to figure things out on your own. I had to ask Renaud for help, and I appreciate him trying. He knows about my jumping just as much as my dad does! After the Olympics, I crashed down a little bit. I didn’t do much in training, but I am starting to feel the motivation again, especially after last night! It is an understatement to say that I can breathe again. The Olympics are such a big deal. Because of the pressure, it almost felt like it was a box to check more than something to enjoy. Since I was three years old, I felt like I could get to that point. I am glad that I did it. »
Alysson Felix (400 m)
« I just want to enjoy these races after the Olympics. Paris has always had a very fond place in my heart. It is always fun to perform here. After the Olympics, it was amazing to reunite with my family. I have been a long time away from my daughter. It was fun just to be together again. I love that most stars in athletics are currently women. It is amazing to see, it’s been a long way to get to that point. Athletics is at the forefront! Women have been so exciting to watch. Femke Bol is one of them. I don’t know her personally, but she is a fantastic talent. I also want to encourage female athletes like Sydney McLaughlin (who recently shared her mental health issues on Instagram). People sometimes forget that there is pressure on us. We need to support athletes. The people around me do help me go through down periods. I would love for Camryn (her daughter) to play sports. She will not have some barriers that I had as a woman, but I want to do a little more for that cause. Next season, it is very appealing to have the world championships close to home (in Eugene, United States). I will see in the coming months how I feel about it. And I am excited for the Los Angeles 2028 Olympics. I was involved in the pitching and I will probably be involved again in the organization. Being a LA girl, it is close to my heart! »
Sam Kendricks (pole vault)
« Tokyo sucked for me. I don’t wish anybody to experience what I have, but I am proud of my friends who competed and that an American got on the podium. I know how hard it is when the whole weight is on your shouldes. Congrats to Mondo for winning the Olympics, just like Renaud in Londres. They have two world records and two Olympic titles, but I have two world championships’ titles ! (laughters) I Now, I have nowhere to go but up. I am a very positive guy. It is good to have some competitions to break off the dust. I am happy to have people on the stands. I want to perform in front of people. And I am so pumped for Paris 2024. So much of my career was already built in France! »
Hansle Parchment (110 m hurdles)
« Yesterday I was running too quickly to the barriers. Maybe it is because of the strong wind... I wasn’t able to correct it quickly enough, but I definitely hope to do it for tomorrow. I feel like I can run fast here in Paris. Yesterday, I also experienced a similar transportation incident as in Tokyo. The bus broke down on a hill and stopped for 10 minutes. Since it wouldn’t start again, I had to jump off, so my friend called an Uber and I got to the track. I guess I have to be aware of the bus now! (laughters) When I came back home from the Olympics, everyone was happy to see me. Omar McLeod and Usain Bolt even said I deserved to win and that it was long time coming. There was a lot of celebration, so I am happy to come back to Europe to concentrate on training. I didn’t expect such a return after the bus incident in Tokyo. It seems bigger than the gold medal for some people. They almost forget that I am an Olympic champion! Paris 2024 is just around the corner. I am still feeling young and looking forward to it. »
Mariya Lasitskene (high jump)
« Yesterday in Lausanne, it was not easy. I don’t like this cold weather but I still won. It felt good. I hope the weather will be much better tomorrow so I can jump higher. I am ready to compete. I have yet to realize that I am an Olympic champion. When I won the gold in Tokyo, all my emotions came outside. I couldn’t control it. This season was very hard. I was anxious to be allowed to compete in Tokyo, which was not easy. I also got injured in the end of May, but now everything is good. When I came back to Moscow after the Olympics, everyone was so happy. Many people told me how they cried in front of TV. I am really glad so many people could share my victory. I am not thinking about the next Olympics yet. I still want to reap the benefits from Tokyo! »
Femke Bol (400 m)
« In Tokyo, I felt a bit of pressure to see the men run really fast. And it was crazy to see how fast the first two girls ran in the finals. During the race, I didnt’ feel if it was really fast or not, focus. It is slowly sinking in that I won an Olympic bronze medal. It will take some more time. I am really excited to run against Alysson Felix in the 400m tomorrow. I have always looked up to her. I have run a lot of races this season, indoors and outdoors. But it is always exciting to run, especially in France. My progress on the hurdles help a lot on the flat. But I don’t plan on running both in championships. I want to keep focusing on the hurdles and the relay. However, I would really like to run below 50 in the 400m. I am not sure of the shape that I am in, but I will try to. »
Renaud Lavillenie (pole vault)
« I am happy to be able to jump, even if I have not been able to do decent training for weeks and weeks. I just want to enjoy being on the track and jumping with these guys. I need to train and work on my ankle. I didn’t want to end my season with the feeling of Tokyo. It is really nice to come back to Paris in front of the crowd. We tend to forget how important it is. We are fortunate to be elite athletes and to have so much support. It is nice to come back here at home two days after Lausanne and I hope many people will come here in Paris to support us. The atmosphere was great here this past few years, I enjoy coming back every time. As Frrnch athletes, we are also lucky to have the Olympics in Paris in 2024. It is hard to anticipate, but I definitely want to be an actor then, not just a spectator! »
Pascal Martinot-Lagarde (110 m hurdles)
« In Tokyo, I was disappointed at first, but with time it made me more hungry towards Paris 2024 Olympics. It is the only championship that I never got a medal at. Yesterday, I expected to run a lille slower but my legs answered well. Tomorrow, I trust the power of Paris and hope to run faster than yesterday. I never won here. I got second twice, so I hope to win one time in Paris. I was tired after the Olympics. I got some rest for a week and got back to normal training after La Chaux de Fonds. Yesterday in Lausanne, I really enjoyed seeing a full stadium again. It was amazing to hear the crowd and feel the adrenaline again. I can’t wait to be in Paris tomorrow, I hope it will be loud! Physically, I struggle with two nagging injuries, but I learn a lot from my errors to try to avoid more. I have always enjoyed positive competition with other French hurdlers. Rivalry doesn’t scare me, it makes me wake up early and work even more! At Sasha Zhoya’s age, I was running 13.37 on the juniors hurdles. He smashed the junior world record and my own at the time. He is a freak and I can’t wait to see him on the senior hurdles. »
Mélina Robert-Michon (discus)
« I took a break for a week after the Olympics to recover and spend some time with my family. Then I resumed training to finish the season well. THe Paris’ meet is important to me. We will finally meet the public again. It’s been a while, especially in France! Here, I want to see what I am capable of and have some fun again. This Olympic season has been very difficult. It took a lot of adjustments and organization. I missed a few training camps with good weather conditions, and even until June-July the weather was bad at home. I also missed a few competitions. This is why I missed consistency and repetitions in Tokyo to be confident technically. Tomorrow, I would like to throw around 62-63m. Then, I will throw in Brussels on Sept.1 to score poins and hopefully qualify to the Diamond League final in Zürich. After this season, I will continue until the Paris 2024 Olympics. It is incredible to experience such an event at home. The Olympics have guided my whole career. It will be important to see my relatives in the stands, I missed them in Tokyo. Age is not a factor, I want to show it is possible to throw far for a long time. »
