Tokyo (AFP)

The French sabers Cécilia Berder, Manon Brunet, Sara Balzer and Charlotte Lembach became Olympic vice-champions on Saturday in Chiba, the result of a long process of updating the French saber, which gave France its 19th medal of the Games of Tokyo.

The task was looking very complicated against Russia and its two individual medalists: the very recent gold medalist Sofia Pozdniakova, world champion in 2018, and her compatriot Sofia Velikaïa, silver medalist and world No.2.

In fact, Russia ultimately won 45-41.

"The Russians, I know them, I shot so much against them! Finally, I say the Russians, it's the + ROC + (Russian Olympic Committee, Editor's note) now. It's up to us to dance rock!", Joked Cécilia Berder in the mixed zone before the final.

For lack of having danced it, they fought well, and until the end (7-5 ​​at the last assault for Berder).

The same "Céc" had confided during the day to have found the rage to win with the standard bearer of the French delegation, Clarisse Agbégnénou.

"We went to see (her) during her title, and an hour before she fought, she was laughing! She came to see us, to greet us: I have never seen an alien like that, she m 'took a deep breath, telling me + stop taking your head Cécilia + ".

In June, Manon Brunet described her teammates as follows: "Cécilia, she's the one who gives up nothing, Charlotte, she's the strategist and Sara (the substitute, back in 7th stint in the final, Editor's note), the news, she's coming back after having done the cruciate (ligaments) but I have complete confidence in her ".

"We are four girls with four different styles, we trust each other, and we know we can do great things," she added to AFP.

Inspired, motivated, recovered, the Blue came to seek gold at Makuhari Mess Hall in Chiba.

- outcome -

A feasible objective in view of their fine journey to reach the final, in particular by tearing off their qualification against Italy in the semi-final 45 to 39 with the forceps, after a 7th assault which was a real nightmare for Charlotte "Chachou" Lembach (18-5 conceded to the Italian Michela Battiston).

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Manon Brunet, individual bronze medalist on Monday, then set the record straight, to pave the way for the final.

This silver medal is a logical continuation for the Habs who have collected the finals at the Worlds for a few years (world champions in 2018 and vice-world champions in 2019).

This final is also the culmination of a long work of seven years put in place by Jean-Philippe Daurelle, the national coach in charge of the saber, when he takes the team at the end of 2013 after the Worlds-2013 in Budapest completely failed. .

It was the first Olympic final for the French women's saber.

This event was only introduced in Beijing in 2008 and was not scheduled for those in London in 2012. Only two Olympic titles have therefore been awarded for the moment in this competition, to Ukraine in Beijing. and to Russia in 2016. This is to say if that of Tokyo aroused all envy.

After the gold of the swordsman Romain Cannone on Sunday, the bronze of Brunet on Monday and the silver of the foil girls on Thursday, this medal is the fourth for French fencing since the start of the Tokyo Games, a performance already and already better than Rio-2016 (three medals).

And there is still the men's team foil on Sunday, which had returned five years ago from Rio frustrated by the silver medal after having led for a long time against Russia.

© 2021 AFP