Athletics: affected by a new injury, sprinter Christophe Lemaître announces his retirement at 34

The sprinter made his mark in the 2010s. EPA – CHRISTOPHE PETIT TESSON

Sprinter Christophe Lemaitre, quadruple European champion and Olympic and world bronze medalist in the 200m, but no longer at international level since 2018, has decided to end his career at the age of 34, overtaken by yet another injury , he explained Thursday.

"The reasons are quite simple: it's just that I did everything this year to participate in the Paris Games, except which I did not succeed, unfortunately. This is a sign that I am having trouble getting back to a high level and that we must stop trying to chase performance and now think about running simply for the sake of performance. moi", indicated Lemaitre, confirming information announced by several media.

"There was yet another calf pain that appeared and it jeopardized all my chances of hoping to qualify", he clarified. It was a muscular injury to a calf which made his last hopes disappear – even very slim for one who has not returned to the international level since – of treading the purple track of the Stade de France with athlete's spikes on the feet.

A busy career

Before being overtaken by repeated injuries and disappearing from the highest level, Lemaitre wrote one of the most beautiful pages in the history of French sprinting.< /p>

His career as a European and international multi-medalist was marked by two highlights. The first, in 2010, when he was crowned triple European champion in Barcelona, ​​in the 100 m, 200 m and 4×100 m, at just twenty years old.

The second, in 2016, on the Olympic track in Rio, when he emerged to win the bronze medal in the half-lap and accompany the sprint legend on the podium , the Jamaican Usain Bolt.

Between the two, the Savoyard sprinter also collected a world medal, another bronze over 200 m in 2011, and five European medals, including a second title over 100 m in 2012, plus the #39 ;silver in the 200m and bronze in the 100m in 2014.

In 2010, by completing his race in 9 sec 98, Lemaitre became the first white athlete to run the 100 m in less than ten seconds, a title of glory which he never claimed never proud