Thibault Placzek: “Maintain high speed for as long as possible!”
A student studying for a bachelor's degree in economics at the University of Montpellier, Thibault Placzek won the French university championship title in the 5000 meters last June.
There were about twenty of them representing the University of Montpellier athletics team in Vineuil during the French University Championships, which took place on June 1 and 2 in pouring rain. " We left in three minibuses, and the atmosphere in the team was really great, as was the atmosphere at the championships, even though the weather wasn't great," recalls Thibault Placzek. And it was indeed in the rain that the 22-year-old athlete crossed the finish line of the 5,000 meters in first place with a time close to his personal best."I ran in 14 minutes and 8 seconds, which is 18 seconds more than I did the week before." That's a speed of 20 to 22 km/h!
In the Placzek family...
Another medal for the middle-distance runner, who also holds the Val d'Oise record for the 10,000 meters with a time of 29'12. It must be said that in Val d'Oise, the Placzek family is well known for running as naturally as they breathe. First there is the father, Bruno, who was the first winner of the legendary Transbaie race in 1989, and the sister, Marion, with her five French championship titles. Thibault has been running with a club since he was eight and joined AC Soisy Andilly Margency in 2022, but the 5,000 meters "is really something I started this year. Before that, I ran shorter distances at a regional level." With his father and sister, the young athlete even had the pleasure of becoming vice-world champion in the team laser run, a discipline derived from modern pentathlon.
The economy in the race
Thibault Placzek's pursuit of excellence isn't limited to the track, as this finance enthusiast left the Paris region to study at the Faculty of Economics in Montpellier. He is pursuing a bachelor's degree without giving up his eight to ten training sessions per week. "It's not always easy, you have to be organized, but my status as a high-level student athlete also allows me to adjust my schedule and exams." His endurance has been thoroughly tested in his discipline, which he sums up as the art of "maintaining high speed for as long as possible!" " It's a motto that should help him achieve his next goal: a master's degree in accounting and audit control.