Olympic 200m bronze medallist Christophe Lemaitre made up for a disappointing showing in the 60m with a European-leading performance over 200m at the Meeting Elite en Salle de Metz, a European Athletics Area Permit Meeting, on Sunday (11).
Lemaitre gave a candid assessment of his performance in the 60m. He finished third in his heat in 6.71 - his slowest time in five years - although he did win the ‘B’ final in a more respectable 6.66 as Jamaica’s Kimmari Roach won the ‘A’ final in 6.59, a time Lemaitre has surpassed in 2018.
“I had a mediocre reaction time in the 60m heats which cannot be excused,” said Lemaitre, who clocked 6.58 and 6.57 in Mondeville last weekend. “As soon as I started to rise, I was two strides behind everyone. It was bad.”
But Lemaitre was quick to put that performance behind him as he finished the meeting with victory over 200m in a European-leading mark of 20.53, the sixth fastest time in 2018.
“I attacked the turn strongly and I lied on my experience and finish to be able to win.”
Lemaitre’s victory was one of three European wins on the track in Metz. Finland’s Nooralotta Neziri won the 60m hurdles in 8.03 while Switzerland’s Sarah Atcho defeated European indoor 400m champion Floria Guei over the seldom run distance over 300m, 36.89 to 37.01.
Greece’s Paraskevi Papachristou also won the triple jump with 14.17m.