While he was aiming for an Olympic medal for the last race of his career, Frenchman Yohann Diniz was further disillusioned by giving up on the 50 km walk.
In team sports, the handball and basketball players will try to imitate the boys and qualify for their final.
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After the incredible emotions offered by the French athletes on Thursday, between the gold of Steven Da Costa in karate, the silver of Kevin Mayer and the qualifications of basketball players, handball players and volleyball players in the finals, will France know a new successful day?
That of Friday in any case started badly with the abandonment of walker Yohann Diniz, who was competing in the last race of his career to try to finally win an Olympic medal.
The Blues, who have 27 medals, including 7 in gold, will in particular rely on handball and basketball players who will try to qualify for the final in their respective tournament.
The main information:
No medal for Diniz, who gave up on the 50 km walk
Handball players and basketball players compete in the semi-finals today
5:40 am: the eagerly awaited handball and basketball players.
For the handball players must play their semi-final at 10:00 am French, against Sweden.
An opponent they know well and who has not beaten them since 2014. In basketball, the Blue faces Japan at 1 pm to try to win a dream final against the United States.
5:20 am: Nicolas Delmotte forfeit.
A hard blow for the French riding team.
Its leader Nicolas Delmotte withdrew from the team show jumping event because his horse, Urvoso du Roch, suffered from colic overnight.
#RideToTokyo Urvoso du Roch and Nicolas Delmotte are unfortunately forfeited for the show jumping team event at the @ Tokyo2020 Olympics.
Mathieu Billot and Quel Filou13 join the French team.
More info: https://t.co/a1XUw56EMjpic.twitter.com/YtRCKTQRw1
- France_Equitation (@FRA_Equitation) August 6, 2021
What you missed last night: in a single-seater canoe, Adrien Bart in the semi-finals of the C1 1000m.
The French qualified for the semi-finals of the single-seater (C1) 1000m canoe event by finishing 2nd in his series. Bart, bronze medalist of the 2019 Worlds over the distance, was only beaten by Moldovan Serghei Tarnovschi. He will play his semi-final on Saturday early in the morning and will have to finish in the top four to access the final scheduled for Saturday at 11:53 am local (04:53 am French).
The other French team competing on Friday, the women's K4 over 500m, finished 5th in their series won by Hungary ahead of Lisa Carrington's New Zealand, and therefore did not get their ticket directly to the semi-finals. finals, since it was necessary to finish in one of the first two places.
But the French can still continue their journey through the quarter-finals, scheduled for Friday morning.
What you missed last night: Diniz gives up on the 50 km walk.
While competing in the last race of his career at 43, Frenchman Yohann Diniz retired shortly after halfway.
The world champion in 2017 will therefore never have managed to win a medal at the Games in four participations (retirement in 2008, disqualification in 2012, 8th in 2016).
World record holder since 2014 (3:32:33), Diniz experienced one last lively race: quickly embarrassed by gastric problems, he had stopped several times to refuel, losing contact with his head and accusing him of nearly two minutes behind at the tenth kilometer, before coming back dramatically to the front as it approached halfway. But he let go of the leading pack again, after several more stops, and finally sat down on a sidewalk, his head in his hands, after 2h15 of the race, shortly after the 28th kilometer. "It was one too many competition, one too many Olympics," he said.
❌ This time, it's over for Yohann Diniz who sits on the side of the road!
His Olympic adventure and his career will end there.
# Olympic Games # Tokyo2020
Follow the Olympics live ▶ https://t.co/vcD3RfzQAEpic.twitter.com/dZM3aqt9fy
- francetvsport (@francetvsport) August 5, 2021
The race was ultimately won by Pole Dawid Tomala
.