HELSINKI (AP) — French sprinter Christophe Lemaitre won’t even try to defend his three titles when the European Championships start Wednesday. That would require too much exertion ahead of the Olympics.
That is what the Europeans have turned into this year — preparation for the London Games.
While athletes in the United States, Jamaica and elsewhere compete in clutch races at national trials a month before the games, their European counterparts will be testing their form against each other in Helsinki.
At the 2010 Europeans in Barcelona, Lemaitre surprised everyone by winning the 100, 200 and 4×100 meters relay to kick-start his international career.
Now he’s eyeing one individual Olympic medal, most likely in the 200.
