Until then, the Laval velodrome had only hosted a few training sessions for young people from the area. This Saturday, April 30, was the first official competition and the first public reception at the foot of Espace Mayenne. Over a thousand people responded.
On the track, runners from the great west, but also the sizes of the French team. At its head, Sébastien Vigier, bronze medalist at the last Tokyo Games. It is he who owns the reference time of the track on the 200 meters dash in 10.784. A completely correct time for a concrete track and with a little wind, but not enough for Sébastien Vigier: “I’m not satisfied because François (Pervis) had challenged me to approach 10 seconds flat! But there’s a bit of wind today so it was complicated, I tried to do what I could. But I’m very happy to be the first to put my name next to that of François as the track record. And I hope that this chrono will remain for a long time. I’m also very happy to see a lot of velodromes springing up in France. This allows young people to practice, to also discover this discipline because it is quite unknown and to be able to develop it.“
The public responded
Sébastien Vigier who then won the speed tournament ahead of his friend from the French team, Rayan Helal. On the edge of the track, François Pervis observed all this with attention. Sébastien Vigier’s time will serve as a starting point, explains the Mayenne champion: “this gives a reference for young people when they come to train. They will have a reference and will be able to measure themselves against the international level. and that will motivate them, it’s a good start. I am also very happy with the attendance. The public responded. I just made a video to capture it all. I’m happy because the velodrome is full. It’s awesome !“.
A successful trial that calls for many others. And there was perhaps on the track, among the young people, the successor of François Pervis.