Eleven years later, he is still unbeatable. French record holder in the 200 meters in 19”80 in September 2011, Christophe Lemaitre (32) has not seen anyone erase his mark at the national level. Yet in recent years, the sprinter, who spends his life between Aix-les-Bains, Metz and Nantes, has lost his luster.
So much so that he had not run since June. After a long reflection, the former French record holder in the 100 meters decided to change everything in his staff in October. And hope for better days thanks to optimal preparation. Christophe Lemaitre recognizes this: “He has never been in such good shape. »
How is the start of 2023 going?
Physically, I feel good. The training is going well too, and I’m quite happy with what I’m doing in training, especially after having changed a lot of things, whether it’s at the level of the coach, my entourage and my staff, in the way of train, my approach to training. Afterwards, I’m a little disappointed because I did a competition in Lyon (7”08 over 60m), and it’s very far from what I do in training. We were confused about this result, whether it was me or my staff. We will try to find out why, because, in training, I was far from that.
Did you find any explanation for this result?
It would be difficult to say exactly why I did this time. Afterwards, we can find explanations, such as the competition itself. I haven’t raced in competition since June. And then, I train alone, I’m not with a group with which I can be in confrontation when I do sprint sessions. And I’ve been back to sprinting really hard for only a month. It can explain the difference between what I produce in training, the sensations, and this result.
Was there a form of tension at the start of this competition, for your return?
There was still a bit of stress, after having been away for a long time, especially over a distance that is not mine at all, where I am not comfortable. But there was also the excitement of knowing where I was at, knowing if what I was doing in training was working. Because, in terms of physical condition, I have never been so fit in my entire life. But that in terms of this result it does not follow, it was a shock. But maybe soon, we’ll say it was just a hiccup.
You were talking about your change of staff, organization…
I changed coach and I added a lot of things to my medical staff. I work with a hospital in Geneva, Switzerland, which helps me with physical monitoring, to see my progress throughout the year. I also have a physical trainer who helps me in everything that is neuromuscular, bodybuilding, strengthening. It’s something that I haven’t had at all since the beginning of my career. For the sprint part, I also work with the national coach of the men’s 4×100 meters, who supports me and helps me in developing the training program. He also has an outside eye for fine-tuning the choices in the preparation.
You said you’ve never been in better shape. What are the indicators that allow you to say that?
In all that is strengthening work (abs, cladding, dorsal) of the trunk, where I was really behind compared to other sprinters. It was not something that I worked on a lot, but which is nevertheless an essential element in physical preparation, especially to prevent injuries. And, compared to the lower limbs, we saw that there were significant right/left differences, which can explain the injuries, and we had to rework that. And then there’s neuromuscular work, the muscle’s ability to produce force quickly. In my staff, there is also a person who works on VMA, aerobics, which is essential to avoid injuries or to recover faster.
Is working with data something that interested you?
Since I have been working with my staff, I have evolved a lot with data. For example, when I’m outside, I have a GPS on me that allows me to calculate my speed points, my distance, to follow the evolution of my performance. When I do my weight training sessions, I also have a device on me. I work with a lot of data, I’ve never had so many sports-related applications. All this to optimize my preparation, and therefore my performance.