As the senior world championships (October 3-12, Norway) and Europe U20-U23 (October 28-November 4, Albania) are approached, the 16 athletes selected in the French team for an internship in Vittel (August 4-15) were passing through the Grand Sud of Langres complex on Friday.
The French Halterophilia team continues its preparation for the deadlines that are fast approaching, namely the senior world championships in Forde, Norway (October 3 – 12) and the European junior U20 and U23 championships, in Tirana, Albania (October 28 – November 4). Within the group of 16 athletes, supervised by the French technical team, including there Vincent Rigaud and Steven Graillot, the two coaches in charge of the internship in the absence of Luca Bardis and David Matam, appear the selected Juniors U20, Juniors U23 and Seniors.
Present on an internship in Vittel from August 4 to 15, the Blues were visiting Langres, at the Grand Sud complex. A visit that was not just a tourist stroll at all. Indeed, for a few hours, they posed their business in the Halterophilia weight training hall, a real Haut-Marnaise reference in the discipline.
Change one’s mind
The French came to repeat their ranges with the Langroise bars. Indeed, the various competitions are approaching at high speed. The first, the world championships in Forde (Norway), from October 3 to 12, concerns seniors. A key step with the approach of the 2028 Los Angeles Olympic Games and the other international competitions that take place in the meantime, in particular because it is during these Worlds that our Blues will finally know the qualifying weight categories for these 2028 games. Like each Olympiad, the French weightlifting must bend to changes in the different categories.
Regarding the U20 and U23 juniors, not affected by this change, their preparation is much more concrete for the European championships, which allows them to dream of a medal. “The objective already is that everyone is a minimum finalist. Afterwards, there are two – three that can go for medals. This will also allow them to send a message to the competition ”underlines their coach, Vincent Rigaud. Dreams of medals, but also a possibility for them to shine in the eyes of their accomplices and their selectors, and therefore why not, subsequently, integrate the senior group.
The young blue also bring a real bowl of fresh air for the most “old”. A momentum of youth which allows to maintain motivation at the top. It is also the purpose of this passage to Langres according to the French coach: “It feels good for athletes to get out of the room in which they are every day and to change their air. This mixed preparation (U20, U23 and Seniors) allows the youngest to get to know and learn older, and also the older ones to take advantage of the young motivation of the juniors. »»
The future remains vague …
Despite the good humor that reigns, one thing remains in the minds of all the contenders for qualifying for the Los Angeles Olympic Games. What will be the qualifying weight categories for games?
“We are in full transformation, with modification of body weight categories by the International Federation. We do not know more, among these categories, those that will be Olympic in Los Angeles. So we are a bit in expectation ”nods the coach of the Blues, Vincent Rigaud. Before adding: “We know that there are eight new categories, five of which will be Olympic. So, for us everyone will participate in a different category from what has been so far, which will rebut the cards. »»
A first question that quickly raises a second. Indeed, weight categories are only the first step. Then, the question of qualification methods arises. While for the Tokyo Games, it was the achievement of a performance every six months, with a final average on these and a half before the competition which was requested, for those of Paris 2024, a minimum had to be made over this same period upstream of the meeting.
A vague situation for our Blues, but which will be resolved in Norway, at the Forde World Championships, which will take place from October 3 to 12.
Yohan Bourrelier
