The French women's handball team finds Russia in the final of the Olympic Games on Sunday morning (8 hours) for a remake of the Rio final in 2016. Allison Pineau and her teammates have only one goal: to bring back the first Olympic title in the history of French women's handball.
This is the last title missing from their charts.
The French handball players play Sunday (at 8 am in France) a second consecutive Olympic final at the Olympic Games in Tokyo, against Russia, as in Rio in 2016. The story of a logical rise of the Blue led by Allison Pineau, star of the France team, who at 32 wants to win in Tokyo a first gold medal after silver five years earlier.
World champions in 2017, then Europe in 2018, the destiny of Olivier Krumbholz's players seems marked out but the Russians, under a neutral banner, are favorites to take their own succession, in particular thanks to their short victory against the Blue in phase of groups (28-27).
"This year is completely different (from the Rio Games)"
"We were already very happy to have a medal (in Rio in 2016). This year, it's completely different", announces Béatrice Edwige, one of the five of the lost final in Rio which will play that of Tokyo. That of 2016 was unexpected, after four years without reaching the last four of any tournament and the catastrophic recall of Olivier Krumbholz to the post of coach before the Games.
"For me, it was unlikely that we would make a medal, given the state in which we were six months before," recalls the 32-year-old pivot. This time, "the goal is really to win the gold medal," says goalkeeper Cléopâtre Darleux. Even if the serial injuries of the spring, those of captain Siraba Dembélé, their shooter Orlane Kanor and right-back Aïssatou Kouyaté had darkened the blue horizon.
Sunday's final looks like a rematch against the Russians who beat them 22-19 in Rio.
"That's not what drives me," rejects Grâce Zaadi.
"Regardless of the opponent, we will want to go for the gold."
Their Olympic title would be the first for a French women's collective sport team.
World and European champions can therefore mark their time and write the history of French sport as a whole, in addition to that of handball.
"On the same path" as the men
"It reminds me a little of boys. I watched them, they won everything. They were really stars and it would be good if we were stars", laughs Cleopatra Darleux. "They were above," she continues, seriously. "I want us to be on the same path." A victorious path the day after the third Olympic title of the Blues against Denmark (25-23). But across this path await the Russians, twin team of the Blue in this tournament which they had just as badly started and recovered by a success against the French (28-27).
"After the draw against Brazil and the horrible match against Sweden (36-24), I think everyone thought that Russia would come home from the group stage but we are there," said Vladlena Bobrovnika after eliminating the big Norwegian favorites in the semifinals (27-26).
A mirror image of the French handball players, transformed since their match to the tunes of the round of 16 against the Brazilians (29-22) followed by an overwhelming success in the quarterfinals against the reigning Dutch world champions (32-22).
A determined defense that must be there
"Since the famous meeting that we all had together before the match in Brazil, during which we talked and broke everything down, we have always wanted to fight for each other more", appreciates Grace Zaadi.
"And play with what defines us."
Namely a determined defense.
This will be put to the test by Anna Vyakhireva.
The sparkling little Russian back (1.68 meters) against the Norwegians (9 goals) had caused problems for the players of Olivier Krumbholz in the first round by obtaining four penalties and scoring five goals, as in Rio.