After a disappointing 2015 season in which he failed to reach the World Championships final in Beijing in either the 100 m or the 200 m, Lemaitre started to think about changing his coach. After months of reflection, he decided to stay and train in his hometown of Aix-les-Bains. On February 27, Lemaitre captured the indoor 200 m French national title with a personal best time of 20.43. Afterwards, he stated his desire to run a sub-20 second 200 m again, a time he had not achieved since 2012. However, an injury in June forced him to withdraw from the European Championships in Amsterdam in order to prepare for the Olympic Games.