Paris (AFP)
Coraline Vitalis was crowned European champion at the sword on Wednesday in Düsseldorf (Germany), becoming the first Frenchwoman since Laura Flessel in 2007 to adorn herself with gold at the continental level in this weapon.
In the final, Vitalis beat compatriot Marie-Florence Candassamy 15 touches to 11, for a first final 100% French sword at the European Championships.
For their only clash in competition before this final, they who rub shoulders every day in training at Insep, Vitalis had taken the best on Candassamy (15-9). It was in 2015 in Rio for a Grand Prix event.
Past close to elimination after the pools (only 63 out of 64 qualified for the main draw), Vitalis was imperial in knockout matches.
To reach the final, she notably released the Romanian Olympian Ana Maria Popescu, Olympic champion in Beijing in 2008 and Olympic team vice champion in Rio in 2016, and the Ukrainian Yana Shemyakina, Olympic champion in London in 2012.
Since the international retreat of legend Laura Flessel, two-time Olympic champion in 1996 (individual and team) after the 2012 London Games, the French swordsmen have slowly rebuilt, winning teams including the continental title in 2017 and 2018.
Vitalis' gold and Candassamy's money bring France's fourth and fifth medals to these European Championships, after the money from the fencer Manon Brunet and bronze for the florists Ysaora Thibus and Enzo Lefort.
Halfway through the race, the French are almost as good as at the 2018 European Championships in Novi Sad (Serbia), where France had recovered six medals, two of each metal.
The team events, crucial for qualifying for the Tokyo Olympics in 2020, take place from Thursday to Saturday.
? 2019 AFP