After his fine performances at the EDF Paris Open, Yannick Agnel, the 18-year-old thriller of a prospect from Gaul, has been added to a troubled French 4x100m quartet bound for Budapest and the European Championships in Budapest. On paper, the quartet is all but assured gold, with Russia threatening, but much may depend on the healing of hurt.
The French choice (regardless of the selection policy for the solo sprint events that felled some medal prospects before they made it to the Hungarian starting blocks): Fabien Gilot, Alain Bernard, William Meynard, Frédérick Bousquet, Amaury Leveaux, and Boris Steimetz.
The final decision on who gets which berth for which relay is yet to be made but what is sure is that the man in charge of the relays is a women: Patricia Quint has been given the honour, and Bernard's coach, Denis Auguin, tells L'Equipe that perhaps only a woman could hope to pacify the passions running high in the French sprint crew.
Leveaux has switched coach twice in the past year and has nominated a fourth coach to look after him on national-team duty. Bernard tells the paper: "I'm not one to give Amaury advice but I don't know anyone who has switched coach regularly and made it work. For me, I just want Amaury to be in shape to race at the highest level with us." Leveaux's take: "I find it funny that a guy whose gold medal harps back to the Olympic Games should give me advice." Interesting. Quite valuable the view of an Olympic champion, one might think.
Agnel joins Bernard and Gilot as one of three sprint musketeers almost assured a relay berth. The others must wait and see. Fabrice Pellerin, coach to Agnel, tells L'Equipe: « Yannick is hungry for racing." As such, the coach savours the decision to nominate his charge for the relay, calling the move "a small light of pragmatism". Lionel Horter, team manager and former coach to Leveaux, and Pellerin believe the arrival of the teenage talent in the sprint quartet can only serve to improve the atmosphere among the crew of the swift. "This new blood will force a change in the nature of relationships within the group," says Horter.
Pellerin adds with sting: "France has traipsed along since 2008 and the 'almost gold medal' and if rivals find the same four adversaries staring back at them, they get a tab on the team. This new face will sew a seed of suspicion and uncertainty in the minds of rivals."
