Budapest (AFP)
The French sabers Cécilia Berder, Manon Brunet, Charlotte Lembach and Caroline Queroli, reigning world champions, won the team silver medal, beaten in the final by Russia's 45-key at 40 on Tuesday in Budapest.
In 2018 in Wuxi (China), the Blue Saber had beaten Russia in the final, to win a title that the tricolor women's saber had not won since 2007. But this year, they had to give in to Yana Egorian and Sofia Velikaïa, Olympic champion and Olympic champion in Rio in 2016, and their teammates Olga Nikitina and Sofia Pozdniakov.
The French arrived in Budapest as N.1 world, with four successes in the first four stages of the World Cup.
But their performance since the start of the period counting for Olympic qualifying, which runs from April 2019 to April 2020, have been below expectations, with a 5th place in the World Cup in Tunis and a 3rd place at the Championships of Europe in Düsseldorf (Germany).
This result at the Worlds, where the points scored count double, puts them in a better position to see Tokyo in 2020.
This is the fourth medal won by France in Budapest, after the titles of the gentlemen of the sword on Monday and Enzo Lefort in foil, and the money of Pauline Ranvier in foil, Friday.
The French delegation will return from Budapest with five medals, one of his best records of the last twenty years, since the gentlemen of foil will face the United States in the final at 18:50.
© 2019 AFP