Kevin Mayer crowned in the heptathlon, rain of medals for the Tricolores

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After the bronze medal of Azzedine Habz on Friday, the French team won five other charms on Sunday.

A slow start and a whirlwind finish. The last day of the European Indoor Athletics Championships, held from Thursday March 2 to Sunday March 5 in Istanbul (Turkey), was marked by a shower of medals for the Habs. After the bronze won by Azzedine Habz on Friday in the 1,500 meters, the French athletes brought five new charms to the loot on Sunday.

A silver relay to start the day

An explosive last lap and a hard-fought silver medal. From the start of the last afternoon of the indoor European championships, the Habs Gilles Biron, Téo Andant, Victor Coroller and Muhammad Abdallah Kounta set the tone by taking second place in the 4×400 meters relay behind Belgium and ahead of the Netherlands.

Kevin Mayer offers gold to the Blues

At the end of the suspense and for a handful of points, the double decathlon world champion Kevin Mayer won his third European crown in the heptathlon, after those of Torun (Poland) in 2021 and Belgrade (Serbia) in 2017.

In the lead before the last heptathlon event, Frenchman Kevin Mayer, double world champion and double Olympic vice-champion, managed his lead in the standings to finish with 6,348 points ahead of Norwegian Sander Skotheim (6,318 pts), ten years his junior. The Estonian Risto Lillemets (6,079 pts) grabs the bronze and the podium. Makenson Gletty, the second tricolor in the race, finished tenth with 4,335 points on the clock.

Benjamin Robert, for a first

For a breath, he could have climbed to the top step of the podium. Coming to win his first international medal, Benjamin Robert did not fail in his mission by winning silver in the 800 meters. With a time of 1’47”34, the Toulousain lost three thousandths behind the Spaniard Adrian Ben, getting stuck a few meters from the line after a perfectly controlled race. The Belgian Eliott Crestan completes the podium.

Toulouse's Benjamin Robert believed in victory for a long time on the Istanbul track before being caught in the final meters and then overtaken by just three thousandths by Spaniard Adrian Ben (1'47"34). At 25, he won his first continental medal. In third place, the Belgian Eliott Crestan (1'47"65).

Agnès Raharolahy, winning retraining

Another satisfaction in the 800 meters: by adorning herself with bronze, Agnès Raharolahy won her first international individual medal, at 30 years old. The proof of a paying choice for the one who has been climbing for two years on the higher distance, after a first career on 400 meters. The French completed the distance in 2’00”85, behind the untouchable Briton Keely Hodgkinson (1’58”66) and the Slovenian Anita Horvat (2’00”54). With this charm, Agnès Raharolahy saves the honor of the French women’s team.

Britain's Keeky Hodgkinson (1'58"66) achieves the double in the 800m, just 21 years old, after his European indoor title of 2021 in Torun. Behind her, the Slovak Anita Horvat (2'00"54) takes silver just ahead of the unexpected French Agnès Raharolahy (2'00"85). Fourth tricolor medal of the day, the fifth of these European Indoor Championships in Istanbul.

Just Kwaou-Mathey, confirmation of a great future

A fifth charm was needed to conclude this day led drum beating. As in Munich this summer, Just Kwaou-Mathey again won bronze. The 23-year-old Frenchman threw himself on the line of the 60m hurdles to grab a second European podium in 7”59, behind the Polish Jakub Szymanski, second, and the Swiss Jason Joseph, very close to the European record in 7 “41.

Show of strength from the Swiss Jason Joseph in this final of the 60m hurdles with a time to the height in 7"41, best European performance of the year. The Polish Jakub Szymanski (7"56) finished in silver and the Frenchman Just Kwaou-Mathey (7"59) in bronze, five thousandths ahead of the Italian Lorenzo Ndele Simonelli.


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