the French Martinot-Lagarde and Kwaou-Mathey in silver and bronze

Reigning European champion in the 110m hurdles, Pascal Martinot-Lagarde was stripped of his title but the Frenchman nevertheless took a very good 2nd place in Munich, during the final of the European Championships. Despite his “broken fox“, as he had called it in the past – especially when he won the European title in 2018 in Berlin against the Russian Sergueï Shubenkov -, Martinot-Lagarde bowed with a breath against the Spaniard Asier Martinez , the two men being credited with the same time of 13”14. The difference will have been a matter of a thousandth, undetectable to the naked eye on the photo-finish.

Not enough to spoil the pleasure of a Martinot-Lagarde who will not have had an easy season due to various physical glitches. “The broken fox can’t walk every time“, he confided with a smile on his lips at the microphone of France Télévisions. This season, he had never been able to do better than 13”22, even failing in the semi-finals of the World Championships in Eugene in July. So this silver medal and this time of 13”14 almost look like a victory for the 30-year-old, whose permanence at the very highest level is remarkable.

The third step of the podium goes to another Frenchman, the young Just Kwaou-Mathey (22 years old), in 13”33. Despite a big mistake, the Norman athlete, who trains in Poitiers under the direction of Fabien Lambolez, hung on to be two hundredths ahead of the Swiss Jason Joseph (13”33 against 13”35). Only disappointment finally of this beautiful final, the fall of Sasha Zhoya and her last place in 16”51. A fall that will leave him with no regrets because he did not seem able to finish on the podium, even without it. At 20, he is continuing his high-level training. The France team, it ended this Wednesday with four medals to its counter, which will give it a little balm in the heart after the failed Worlds. And there are still four days left…