Saitama (Japan) (AFP)

They did not want to stop there: the French basketball players overcame the disappointment and fatigue only seventeen hours after their lost semi-final against Japan, to defeat the Serbs (91-76) and afford a bronze medal Olympic Games in Tokyo.

"I'm just too happy. We were keen to finish in the best possible way, we really, really didn't want to lose. We had scores to settle against Serbia," said captain Endy Miyem. on France Télévisions.

And rather twice, a month and a half after the defeat in the Euro final, the 5th in a row at this stage, and five years after that in the match for 3rd place at the Rio 2016 Games.

And it was badly knowing the coach Valérie Garnier and her players to imagine a collapse of the troops while a place on the podium was still possible.

"If we are frustrated, we have to put this frustration on the Serbs. We have revenge to take on them. Fighting for a medal is the watchword," she called on Friday evening after the severe defeat (87-71) conceded against the Japanese.

The latter had at the same time offered the opportunity to challenge the great American favorites in search of a 7th consecutive Olympic coronation, Sunday.

To see the eye of the tiger displayed by the players, it was heard.

And the tears that flowed, sometimes of pain when Gabby Williams took a Serbian hand on the face, were ultimately those of a very legitimate joy.

- Gabby the warrior -

In the first half, not everything was perfect, the French women alternating excellent collective streaks and preventable loss of balls.

But in any case, they had entered the match well, in the wake of its interior and leaders Sandrine Gruda (16 pts in the end) and Endy Miyem (14 pts), dominant in the first period (43-40).

Upon returning from the locker room, the determination on the faces of the Blue was even more visible, even among the youngest of them, like Marine Fauthoux (12 pts), who had a hell of a heat between banderilla behind the bow and acrobatic basket under the basket with the help of the board, followed by an interception (58-51).

With eleven lengths ahead at the start of the last quarter, the Blue accelerated further (78-59), anxious to kill in the bud any risk of an opposing rebellion, but it was without counting on Yvonne Anderson ( 24 pts).

Coming back to less than ten lengths, the Serbs then came up against "Gabby oh Gabby" Williams (17 pts, 8 rebounds, 4 assists) who knows his small business, when it comes to dismissing the opposing inclinations.

After two warrior rebounds, despite her painful eye, she did not miss the target behind the arc to seal the fate of the meeting, with her most beautiful smile as a bonus.

"We worked together, it was hard and it took a long time, but we know why we did it, for a result like this, to come away with a medal. We watched the boys' game a bit. A silver medal is superb, well done to them, well done to us ", concluded Miyem.

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