“My Games were a success,” rejoices Alexandre Léauté after his second gold medal

In Clichy-sous-Bois

2 seconds 16. A breath. Enough to widen the gap with the Belgian Ewoud Vromant and win the gold medal in the time trial (C2) on a technical course (14.2 km) around Clichy-sous-Bois. Alexandre Léauté (23 years old, victim of a stroke at birth and deprived of 95% of power in his right leg), already crowned in the 3000 m on the Saint-Quentin-en-Yvelines track, takes a second gold medal. That of pleasure. In the mixed zone, he confided. Fulfilled. Extracts.

The race: “It’s so good! It wasn’t easy. It was quite complicated, I tried to manage my effort as best I could. I heard that I was late at the first intermediate but I didn’t get discouraged and I knew that it was the second part that would benefit me the most so I put everything I had into it.”

The track-road transition: “What was complicated was the fatigue. All my opponents had only done one event, I’m on my fourth, it was more complicated physiologically than mentally.”

The route in Seine-Saint-Denis: “At first, I was very skeptical because when you see all the athletes who have magnificent places like the Grand Palais for fencing, Versailles for horse riding… I thought we had been left out a bit in Clichy, but when the circuit is closed and there is an audience, there is no problem. There were people on the course. Especially at the finish, that was when it was most important because mentally, it was violent. The last kilometer after the last hill was really very, very complicated mentally and that’s where there were the most people, it helped me mentally. There were even volunteers who encouraged at each intersection, it was great.”

The first gold medal on the road. It rewards a lot of work. Since Mathieu (Jeanne, coach of the French team) got me, I spent a lot of time on the time trial, I struggled on it. There were times when I hated this bike, it’s worth it today and I’m very happy to have spent at least two days a week on it to get this result.”

And now the last event, the road race: “It’s going to be about enjoying myself. My Games are a success no matter what, I’m really very happy. It’s going to be about having fun and sacrificing myself for Thomas (Payronton-Dartet) on Saturday so that he too can enjoy a medal and a Marseillaise in front of the French public.”