Sprinting is dominated by Americans and Jamaicans. What does the rest of the world have to do to catch up? Don’t forget the Bahamas and Trinidad and Tobago. I had a quick look, out of curiosity, [to see who was] the last European medallist on a sprint competition on the Olympic Games and it was in 2004. Obikwelu in the male 100m and Nesterenko on the female 200m. I don’t know if any magic formula exists but I would say it is necessary to be inspired by a winning culture.
What’s the most important thing you need to be good at sprinting? You know, when you’re behind the start line-up, you have one-track mind: you just focus on being the first to cross the finish line. So I would say you need to be fully determined to excel yourself. Of course, there are many other criteria and, above all, hard work. You cannot succeed without hard work, even if you are gifted.
You’ve made a film with Asics about how details are important for success, and how you spend hours in training working on them. Which of the details have had the biggest impact on your running? When I am on the track at the stadium, I spend hours with Pierrot [Carraz, his coach]. He’s continuously trying to improve the way I run, trying to perfect it. It is high-level training. For my part, I pay special attention to the start, which is my weakness, but also the curve. But behind the scenes there are all the details of everyday life, like recovery and food. I changed a lot recently and I pay much more attention [than I used to] on all those details that became habits.
What has been the highlight of your career so far? Daegu and the 200m. That’s by far the highlight of my career. I ran under 20 seconds on the 200m for my first time ever and shared a good time on the victory ceremony with Usain Bolt, who is a living legend. The atmosphere in the stadium was incredible. Although my parents and my relatives were in France, I felt like I was hugely supported. I hope I will have the same emotions in Moscow this summer. Anyway, I’ll do my best.
Do you remember your first-ever race? How did you fare?
I still remember this race as if it were yesterday: I was 15, it was in a small village in Belley (in my region): a 50m race was organised. At this time, I was playing handball. I fared pretty well since I ran the fastest time.
Where is your favourite place to run? Aix les Bains, it is a fantastic place to train. Everything is close: hillsides, a grass field track, a weight room and a nice stadium. Really, it’s perfect for hard training. As an athlete, I enjoy running in the most famous stadium.
What’s the best piece of advice anyone has ever given you? I really appreciate the advice Bolt gave me during the Areva meeting. It can seem obvious but being focused and hard training: these are the keys to success. Bolt is an example for that. He is a very hard worker and I have to get inspiration from his culture of hard work.
What is your favourite running gadget? Definitely my spikes. Without my spikes, I’m nothing. My sponsor really takes care of me: I often receive new custom-made spikes, each time an improved version, lighter, more responsive… For sure, the answer to your question is my spikes.
Do you ever run while listening to music? No, usually not. I often train with my relay team-mates so I do not have time to listen to music. However, during competition I like entering into my own world and music helps me to do so.
What is the worst thing about running? Running when it’s raining, no doubt. We have an indoor stadium but I admit that rain remains my enemy. Or, on the contrary, running when it’s really hot… But when it’s warm, Pierrot and I adapt ourselves.
What do you eat before a big race? I do not change my habits at all. I’m not that nervous before the big races. Never tried nuggets, but maybe I should.
What’s the furthest distance you have ever run in training? Do not misjudge sprinters. In winter, sprinters work very hard, with many aerobic training sessions. I have never run a 10k but, when retiring, why not? Ask me the question again in 15 years and I would probably answer you that I had run a marathon.
Have you ever run barefoot? Each summer, I run barefoot during warm-up and recovery on the grass quite often. This allows me to stimulate different foot muscles to the ones I use in my usual running. It makes my feet stronger. However, once on the track, I wear my favourite spikes, otherwise it burns.
Who do you think was the greatest runner of all time?
Hmmm… this is a hard question. Many runners made sprint history: Jessie Owen, Michael Johnson and of course Usain Bolt. Yeah, I would say Bolt.
Christophe Lemaitre is a global ambassador for sports performance brand Asics. Christophe stars in the latest ‘Better Your Best’ brand film, which can be viewed at asics.co.uk
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