Interesting ITW by Lemaitre, just after his 200 race:
"Here you are on the Olympic podium in the 200m ...
I ran fast, I did what I gad to do to get on the box.
Happy ?
No I am disappointed
(laughs). Besides Bolt, who would be disgusted to have an Olympic medal? Everyone would be happy. It's incredible.
How have you lived your end of the race?
I struggled to string, I had to fight. I was in a fight with Churandy
(Martina), I dug. I just knew that if he was in front of me, I was not on the podium. It was absolutely necessary to pass him. It came to nothing. Apart from Bolt and De Grasse, who made the expected race, it was tight for bronze. I do not think it would be played on the final bend, but a little earlier than that. But it is playing or broken a few meters before, it is important to be ahead. I'm glad I did a remake of Barcelona
(European Championships) 200m.
"I wanted to prove myself, to run for my own self"
And how did you feel when you saw on the scoreboard your name in third place?
It took a while
(to appear). When I saw it played to the thousandth, I thought ****, I won the medal for not much, it made me back down to earth. After I appreciated. I thought it was me that was before the photo finish with a bend that came four meters before the line. On the line, I saw that I was ahead Churandy but I did not see the interior corridors. I have not seen
(Adam) Gemili return.
What flavor is this medal to you?
No smell of revenge but of rebirth, resurrection. I hope this will not be a one shot, it's going to be confirmed in the coming years. This return to the fore, I did it just for me. And it rewarded the work of everyone. The others who have criticized me, I did not care. It could touch me, because when you're a competitor and you made counter performance, it touches your pride. But I stopped running to prove to others, I wanted to prove to myself, to run for me. And it worked for me. Just last year, I wanted to prove to others that I could be there. But I realized that it was useless. We must first make for onemself, for fun.
"Those years of struggling may have done me good"
This is your first Olympic medal in individual ...
Yes, and I will not spit, it is the "achievement"
(achieve) my career for now. Hoping that it brings in others. These years of misery may have done me good. I had moments of doubt that made me think. And try to transform me into someone else to succeed that I had to do: to live the high level as we must do, live my passion, do not overthink, to have fun.Anyway this is an incredible moment. I was happy to relive it all.
The medal you touch more than the Daegu World Championships in 2011?
Until Daegu, all succeeded me. There is an Olympic medal, that's better. I always believed in my ability. I knew it was not dead and that it was going to come back.
"We will see who will be the next crack sprint"
Your day has been long and stressful ...
The 200m, it always makes me freak, I say why I run, I do not want, it's long, it's the pressure, plus a final ... I'm too lazy. I had not slept enough the night before. I thought:
". Deeply it ends" Once back in the stadium, I thought:
"Give the start, get it over with all the waffle, these procedures ..." And finally c is all that is me, I am in the competition.
This medal she also proves that you have done well to stay in Aix-les-Bains to practice?
I knew that I was there. I am happy that it works with people I like. If I had Pierre
(Carraz his coach) on the phone? No ... But I know what he would say to
me. "Old idiot, you did not run as fast as you would have had to"
You Bolt coasted during his last Olympic individual race ...
There will be an after Bolt, people should be prepared to not see him . Now young people have to take their game to prove. We will see who will be the next crack of the sprint. It'll make fun of seeing our names on top of the podium, a little weird too. "
