“This medal is for the whole French team, we all deserve it”, estimated the torchbearers of the 4×400 m, whose silver medal allowed the Blues to avoid in extremis a zero point at the Worlds of athletics in Budapest on Sunday.
The French quartet made up of Ludvy Vaillant, Gilles Biron, David Sombé and Téo Andant took the opportunity to improve the emblematic French record for the 4x400m (2:58.45 against 2:58.96), established at the 2003 Worlds at the Stade de France by Leslie Djhone, Naman Keïta, Stéphane Diagana and Marc Raquil, also silver medalists at the time, before recovering gold after the United States was downgraded for doping.
It is the first world medal in the French men’s 4×400 m since.
“We were told about saving honor, there is no honor to save, there is no one who has dishonored the shirt, everyone has given themselves, from there there is no has no honor to save, insisted Sombé. We bring back the medal, we are super happy to do it, we had two objectives, it was the French record and the medal, we achieved both. It’s monstrous.”
“This medal is for the whole French team, we all deserve it, it’s the medal of the French team,” he added.
“The guys did an incredible job, praised Andant, the last torchbearer who started in second position. In my head, I said to myself: ‘They must not catch up with me, they must not catch up with me’. I kept some underfoot for the final stretch, to be able to control.
“I’m super proud of my teammates, super proud of the France team, we prove that we’re here one year from the Games (Paris Olympics), we’re going to get this Olympic medal,” he promises.
“We will all go back to work and win this beautiful gold medal at home”, aims Vaillant, who launched the French relay.
But before, “we’re going to party, we already have no voice, we won’t have a head tomorrow (Monday).”