Tokyo (AFP)

A first revenge-like podium for the tricolor triathlon: the Blues won the bronze medal in the mixed relay of the Tokyo Games on Saturday, the first French Olympic medal in the history of the discipline, after the frustrating failure of Vincent Luis in individual Start of the week.

The native of Vesoul and his comrades Léonie Périault, Dorian Coninx and Cassandre Beaugrand finished behind Great Britain (1st) and the United States (2nd), after an impressive comeback in the second part of the relay, on the nautical base of 'Odaiba, by Tokyo Bay.

This format, which made its Olympic debut, while the triathlon has been at the Olympic Games since 2000, consists for each of the torchbearers in performing a short distance triathlon (300 m swimming, 6.8 km cycling, 2 km running) .

It allowed the triathletes to bring back to France its 14th medal of these Games.

The start had been difficult for Léonie Périault, first torchbearer, who was in 14th place after swimming.

"I'm doing a bit of a counter perf ', the girls in front were swimming really hard," said after the race the Frenchwoman, medalist on her 27th birthday.

This medal as a birthday present, "it's a bit crazy. I dreamed of it and it comes true", smiled Périault, who before blowing out his bronze candles had won fifth place four days earlier. of the individual event, the best result of a Frenchwoman at the Olympics.

- "Want to catch up on our races" -

This podium was the first at the Olympics for a French mixed relay already decorated many times in international competitions (4 world titles in 2015, 2018, 2019, 2020, 3 European titles in 2015, 2018, 2019).

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Because of this impressive track record, "we were definitely the team to beat", thinks Dorian Coninx.

"But even if we are favorites, we always have to go for the medal and we succeeded. We all wanted to catch up a little our races (individually)".

More than a consolation prize, this podium also represents a victory for the double world champion Vincent Luis, who declared after his failure in the individual Monday (13th place) to feel "not at the level sufficient to win an Olympic medal", but who knew how to re-mobilize to snatch the bronze with his accomplices.

Starting last torchbearer while the French were third, Vincent Luis "spent twenty minutes practically at full speed" even coming back to the front of the race for a while.

"I never thought about securing third place, what I wanted was to bring home the gold medal for the team. I had the best race I could do."

"I would have preferred to leave with two medals around my neck," admitted the Frenchman, who was taking part in his third Olympics.

"But there you have it, I have one. It's a first for the French triathlon and I'm very proud of it."

"My individual medal, I still have three years (before the Paris Olympics, Editor's note) to progress and try to have it," added Luis, 32 years old.

"It will forever be my childhood dream."

© 2021 AFP