Athletics – Kevin Mayer, an average but not crippling first day (6th)

The continuation, from Sunday, 6:35 p.m. (French time), with the 110 meter hurdles.

400 meters

His performance: Fourteenth (49″40)Points on this event: 842Total points: 4372Ranking: 6th

A potential turning point, but not one we like. Damian Warner, reigning Olympic champion and leader after four events, collapsed during the 400m on Saturday. The Canadian touched the back of his left thigh, lying down on Eugene’s track. His injury deplorably makes the race for the world title very open. Kevin Mayer is still there, in sixth place. He ran in 49″40, far from his record (48″26) but much better than in Tokyo (50″31).

Far ahead of the French – who did not participate in the same series as them -, Ayden Owens-Delerme (Puerto Rico) achieved a phenomenal time, for a decathlete, during the race that Warner did not complete. He won in 45″07, just seven hundredths from Ashton Eaton’s historic benchmark. A performance that allows him to take the lead. Mayer is 234 points behind him, but only 97 units to regain for Zachery Ziemek and the podium.

High jump

His performance: Seventh (2.05m)
Points on this event: 850
Total points: 3530
Ranking: 5th

A cry of joy? A sigh of relief? A bit of both probably. Kevin Mayer managed to cross 2.02 meters on his third and final attempt, during the first test of the evening on Saturday, in Eugene (night from Saturday to Sunday, French time). The French decathlete would have seen his medal hopes dwindle in the event of failure. He continued his high jump contest by clearing 2.05 meters.

This performance does not allow Mayer to nibble points compared to the leader, Warner, also author of 2.05m. The two men are separated by 166 units. Sander Skotheim (7th) made the best jump of the day (2.17m), while Kyle Garland took advantage of his takeoff at 2.14m to take his place on the provisional podium, 52 points ahead of the leader of the Tricolors. This one retains its fifth position, after four of the ten rounds.

Shot put

His performance: Ninth (14.98m)
Points on this event: 788
Total points: 2680
Ranking: 5th

Present in group A, Kevin Mayer launched in fourth position. His first throw was measured at 14.98 meters, while his best throw of the season is 15.61 meters. A first try which allowed him to provisionally rank third in his group. The French then missed, biting his last two tries, in a competition which is usually his strong point. He therefore had to settle for sixth place, behind Grenadian Lindon Victor, German Leo Neugebauer, Ziemek, American Kyle Garland and Australian Daniel Golubovic, and ninth overall in these two groups.

As a reminder, his personal best is 17.08 meters. For comparison, Warner started at 14.83 yards, before making his best throw of the season, at 14.99 yards, then biting his third down. Consequently, the Canadian does better than the Frenchman – by one centimeter – and in the general classification he remains in the lead, with 2,846 units, while Kevin Mayer, with 788 additional points, climbs one position to find himself fifth, with 2,680 points.

Long jump

His performance: Sixth (7.54m)
Points on this event: 945
Total points: 1892
Ranking: 6th

After the 100 meters, the length. Kevin Mayer confirmed during this second test. Present in group A, the Frenchman finished fifth, with a best jump measured at 7.54 meters, his best jump of the season and the ninth of his career. The sixth best jump overall for both groups. In his group, Warner, Ziemek, Owens-Delerme and the Norwegian Sander Skotheim did better.

This allowed him to score 945 additional points, to consolidate his sixth place in the general classification of this decathlon, with a total of 1892 units. The Canadian Damian Warner consolidates his position as leader, with 2057 units.

100 meters

His performance: Sixth in 10’62”
Points on this event: 947
Total points: 947
Ranking: 6th

Proper start. Present in the third series, Kevin Mayer, Olympic vice-champion in the decathlon and world record holder (9,126 points), took sixth place in his race, in a time of 10’62”, his best time of the season and the fourth fastest 100 meters of his career. The best remaining that of the Doha Worlds, in 10’50”, while it does better than that of Tokyo (10’68”). A time which corresponds to the sixth fastest time over all three series, this Saturday in Eugene.

In his race, ahead of him, Canadians Damian Warner, reigning Olympic champion, and Pierce Lepage, Australian Ashley Moloney, Puerto Rican Ayden Owens-Delerme and American Zachery Ziemek did better. The Habs were therefore able to glean 947 entry points, to obviously also take sixth place in the general classification of this decathlon. It was Warner who took the lead in this decathlon of the Worlds, with 1,030 points.