This should be a full-scale rehearsal. A final test run before sinking into the adventure of the Olympics. But the high-flying competition that Renat Lavilleni was about to compete with, especially the Americans Sam Kendricks, the dual world champion, and K.C. French.

After being dropped while warm-up, Polar Walter landed badly, on the side of the landing point. A moment led to inattention and his ankle. A few minutes later, he leaves the path taken by the rescuers and goes to a nearby hospital to do battery tests to assess the severity of the injury.

According to the first results, his entourage was optimistic. The 2012 Olympic champion will only suffer from sprains. He confirmed it this afternoon on his social networks. “The best situation for my last race before the Olympics was not clear,” he writes. Left ankle injury following poor reception on the mat. I leave the clinic with a “encouraging” verdict: no fracture, no major sprain. “

Race against time

So this injury does not call into question his participation in the Tokyo Games, the opening ceremony of which is scheduled for two weeks (July 23-August 8). Fortunately for the French, qualifications for the Polar Vault competition do not begin until July 31st. Nevertheless, Renat Lavilleni will now start a real race against time to get to the best conditions in Japan.

The 34-year-old former world record holder has one of the key chances of winning a French medal in athletics at the Olympics. After suffering several seasons of injuries, Clermontoise recovered to a height of more than six meters this winter (6.06 m).

After a six-week hiatus, he got off to a good start to the summer as he currently holds the world record (6.18m) behind the untouchable Sweden Armond Duplandis (6.10m) as the 2nd best performer of the year (5.92m).