Paris (AFP)
Ten days after the end of the Olympic Games in Tokyo, the Serbian volleyball players, bronze medalists in Japan, will defend their continental title at a European Championship of which they are the big favorites, from Wednesday.
World champions in 2018, European champions in 2017 and 2019, the Serbs were logically contenders for Olympic gold in Japan after winning all the titles of the Olympiad between Rio and Tokyo.
It is still missed.
The Serbs were completely powerless in the semi-finals of the Games against the untouchable Americans at the end of the Olympic fortnight (no set conceded in the quarter, semi-final and final).
Euro-2021, which begins Thursday in four different countries (Serbia, Romania, Bulgaria and Croatia) is an opportunity for the Serbs to offer themselves a nice consolation prize with a third continental coronation in a row, and to imitate the Russia, the last nation to have achieved the European treble (1997, 1999, 2001).
Especially since they will want to shine at home, since they will play in front of their Belgrade audience throughout the tournament, more than two weeks from the first round to the final.
The Serbs will have the Italians as their main rivals, led by one of the best players in the world, Paola Egonu.
The gap between Serbs and Italians seems immense, however, as evidenced by the correction inflicted by Tijana Boskovic and her teammates in the quarter-finals of the Games, drily won 3 sets to 0 (25-21, 25-14, 25-21) in 72 minutes.
Match between Italy (l) and Serbia (r) during a 2016 Volleyball World Grand Prix match at Carioca Arena 1 in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil on June 10, 2016 YASUYOSHI CHIBA AFP / Archives
Turkey, beaten in the tie-break in the Euro-2019 final by Serbia, will be revenge to get a title it has never won (two finals lost in 2003 and 2019, third place in 2011 and 2017 ).
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