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| French triple jumper Teddy Tamgho will be among the favourites for the European indoor title in Paris. |
France’s 2010 European Athletics Rising Star of the Year Teddy Tamgho got a flying start to his competitive year by leaping out to the 2011 world-leading triple jump mark of 17.46m at a local league meeting in Liévin on Saturday night.
Never before has the 21-year-old world indoor record holder, with a distance of 17.90m which he achieved when he won at the 2010 World Indoor Championships, started his season so emphatically.
As a point of comparison, only he and Cuba’s Yoandri Betanzos bettered Saturday’s performance in the whole of last year’s indoor season.
In an interview with the Nord ‰clair newspaper after his competition, Tamgho talked about his stunning debut for the year and some of his other plans for this winter.
Q: Was this performance consistent with what you expected?
A: I was not expecting anything special in terms of performance. I have been in Liévin for the last few days training and I just decided to do this competition to make some adjustments and make some gentle progress.
Q: Does this competition now suggest a brilliant winter, and puts behind you a lacklustre summer?
A: To say I want to erase last year is inaccurate. Don’t forget that I was the world champion indoors and I became the world record holder indoors. After the winter, I had to deal with some physical concerns which meant I couldn’t quite compete and train the way I wanted to. These are the vagaries of sport. This summer, I want to come out stronger. The page has turned and, for sure, every year you start to better than the previous one.
Q: What are your goals now?
A: My primary objective will be getting used to using my speed and make the best use of my bounding ability. I did 17.46m here almost without running, really. I don’t think I’ve ever had a jump measured over 17 metres that was so poor in terms of technique. I am already at 17.46m but I've still got much work to do before I return here (to Liévin) and I hope to compete much better here in early February (at the IAAF Indoor Permit Meeting on February 8).
Q: Do you now expect records?
A: I am always looking to get titles and hold a record. Now, I'm fighting with this in mind. Last year, I started my season with 16.72m. However, you can’t plan to do big performance but you can prepare for a championship. This year, this performance has come early but I have to be careful because maybe in my next outing, I'll go backwards. Everything starts in earnest in early February when I start to come up against the best Europeans and Cubans.
Tamgho’s main target for this winter will be the 2011 European Athletics Indoor Championships on home soil in six weeks time.
They will be held in the French capital Paris at the Palais Omnisport Paris-Bercy from 4-6 March.