Tokyo (AFP)

A third title and an Olympic revenge.

The French handball players erased the reduction in Rio five years earlier by achieving a feat against the Danish double world champions (25-23) on Saturday at the Yoyogi stadium in Tokyo, in the final of the Olympics.

They continue to stretch French supremacy over handball.

Nikola Karabatic, Luc Abalo and Michaël Guigou all became the best medalists at the Games.

Triple Olympic champions and vice-champions in Rio, the last three of the Experts, well titular, do better than the Soviet then Russian goalkeeper Andrey Lavrov, his three gold medals followed by a bronze (1988, 1992, 2000 and 2004 ).

"It's a great outing. Very very proud of all this group who used everything they had to get the gold medal", savored on France 2 Michaël Guigou, of which it was the last match in Blue at 39 years old.

The joy of the captain of the French handball team, Michael Guigou, after the victory (25-23) against Denmark, in the final, August 7, 2021 at the Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games Franck FIFE AFP

Unlike 2016, it was in Denmark, double world champion (2021 and 2019) to defend his Olympic title and his status this time.

It has been seen.

Danish talent, the best player in the world Mikkel Hansen (9 goals), the best goalkeeper on the planet Niklas Landin (14 saves, 37%) were not enough.

The French opposed it with terrible harshness.

Like Ludovic Fabregas who threw himself on the ground to snatch a ball intended for Mikkel Hansen and serve Michaël Guigou (9-6, 19th).

Sign of a passing of the baton, the pivot of 25 years will have released his family at the last second of the match by scoring in the empty cage, thus closing the score, opened by their leader Nikola Karabatic.

The captain of the France team, Michael Guigou, during the handball final against Denmark, on August 7, 2021 at the Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games Fabrice COFFRINI AFP

- "Warriors" -

Everyone has played their part: goalkeeper Vincent Gérard has almost risen to the level of Landin.

His save to temporarily keep two goals ahead (23-21, 23rd) was decisive.

And in the process, the other goalkeeper Yann Genty defeated Mikkel Hansen for the first time in the final from the penalty spot.

It would be necessary "to be warriors" announced Nikola Karabatic.

Promise kept, no champagne handball but sixty rough minutes, as announced by the entry music "Battle without honor or humanity" by Japanese artist Tomoyasu Hotei, then the hymns.

The French Nikola Karabatic tries a shot despite the Danish defense, during their final, August 7, 2021 at the Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games Franck FIFE AFP

And when the Blues undulated with an electric tension during the Marseillaise, the Danes remained placid during "Der er et yndigt land" (It is a charming country).

Their goalkeeper Niklas Landin even pushed hygge (the Danish art of living) to the point of stretching in the middle of the field, match already launched.

The Blues also took advantage of the exceptional circumstances that led to the Tokyo Games: it is difficult to imagine this possible course without the postponement of the Games for one year due to the Covid, an additional period during which the reconstruction was able to take place under the aegis of new coach Guillaume Gille.

To gauge his part in this title, we must remember the conditions of his arrival: his promotion after the ousting of Didier Dinart, in the wake of the elimination in the first round of Euro-2020.

Guillaume Gille, the assistant who had never coached, straightened the Blues in less than two years.

In January, the semi-final of the Egyptian World Cup replaced France in a place more in line with its past in the handball pyramid, while giving the measure of the gap, rather high, which separated it from the best nations: six goals in the semi-final against Sweden (32-26).

This shows the extent of the work accomplished in six months.

© 2021 AFP