From left to right, from top to bottom: The ABV Les Herbiers champion of France in Ekiden with David Ouvrard, Jonathan Billaud, Anthony Guillard, Cindy Bousseau, Agathe Bonneau-Violleau and Clarysse Picard.
–
Athletics, a team sport you suspected? and indeed at the Athlé Bocage Vendée (ABV) Les Herbiers, we have believed in it for years and even more after this weekend when the club won again in Liévin at the French Championships in Ekiden, this relay marathon of 6 runners.
A second coronation one year after that of June 2019 where the ABV won in 2h26’26. This time around, Clarysse Picard, Jonathan Billaud, Cindy Bousseau, Anthony Guillard, Agathe Bonneau-Violleau and David Ouvrard improve their record by just 2 minutes and 26 seconds with a two-minute lead (2’05) over Arras.
“It’s really a real collective performance because we were not in the lead before the 5th stint, that of Agathe“, explains Anthony Guillard, who had already taken 2 minutes and 45 seconds during his 10 km (31’35), just after Cindy Bousseau’s 5 km (21’54).
Agathe Bonneau-Violleau achieved an identical performance over her 5 km (17’47), which also took 2 minutes and 30 seconds, and it was David Ouvrard who finished the remaining 7.195 km in 23 minutes and 48 seconds.
The tactics paid off in this mano to mano with Arras and Vernon. The team had decided to send Clarysse (5km in 17’31) then Jonathan (10km in 31’28) from the start.
A real group decision because there is no Ekiden coach, nor specific training for this event. Some have been able to compete recently such as the French 10,000m championships for Jonathan Billaud and Clarysse Picard or the Half Iron-man from Les Sables such as Agathe Bonneau-Violleau (relay).
For Anthony Guillard, “it was the 1st bib since last March”. We have experienced less prolific returns to competition!
–
–
