Christophe Lemaitre is a French sprinter who specialises in the 100 and 200 metres.
20 Facts About Christophe Lemaitre
2.
In 2010, Lemaitre became the first white athlete to break the 10-second barrier in an officially timed 100 m event.
3.
Christophe Lemaitre has run a sub-10 second 100m on seven occasions: three times in 2010 and four times in 2011.
4.
Christophe Lemaitre was the fastest European 100 m and 200 m sprinter in 2010.
5.
Christophe Lemaitre won a bronze medal in the 200 m at the 2011 World Championships.
6.
Christophe Lemaitre grew up in the town of Annecy, where he took part in handball, rugby and football, before his sprinting prowess was discovered.
7.
In 2005 at the age of 15, during national sprinting events, Christophe Lemaitre ended up with the fastest 50 metres in the country.
8.
Christophe Lemaitre won the 2009 men's European Athletics Rising Star of the Year Award for his achievements in 2009.
9.
On 9 July 2010, Christophe Lemaitre officially became the first man purely of European descent to run 100 metres in under 10 seconds, with a time of 9.98 s at the 2010 French National Championships in the city of Valence.
10.
Christophe Lemaitre had the fastest time in the semi-finals, but he only finished in third place in the final.
11.
At the 2011 World Championships in Daegu, Christophe Lemaitre reached the final of the 100 m event, where he finished fourth.
12.
Christophe Lemaitre, after consulting with his coach, opted out of competing in the 100 m in the 2012 London Olympics.
13.
Christophe Lemaitre has now won a record eight medals at the European Championships.
14.
At the Olympics, Christophe Lemaitre didn't reach the 100 m final after finishing third in his semi-final in 10.07, although it was his season's best.
15.
Christophe Lemaitre was selected by the French Athletics Federation for the 200 m and 4 x 100 m relay at the 2019 World Athletics Championships.
16.
Christophe Lemaitre was assigned to run the anchor leg for France in the 4 x 100 m final in Doha, but the French team failed to pass the baton on the first exchange and did not finish the race.
17.
Christophe Lemaitre struggled with injuries in the buildup to the 2020 Summer Olympics and his preparation was further hampered by a bad reaction following a COVID-19 vaccination.
18.
Christophe Lemaitre was the winner of the 2010 men's European Athlete of the Year Trophy.
19.
Christophe Lemaitre was named the 2010 L'Equipe Champion of Champions by the French sports daily L'Equipe and the 2010 RTL Champion of Champions by the French commercial radio network RTL.
20.
Christophe Lemaitre took second place in the total points received that decided who was to win the 2011 men's European Athlete of the Year Trophy.