French handball players in gold: "It will be engraved forever", realizes Amandine Leynaud

INTERVIEW

They dreamed of it and they did.

The French handball players became Olympic champions on Sunday morning at the Tokyo Olympics, the day after the coronation of handball players in the same discipline.

This gold medal won against the Russian Olympic Committee (30-25), the first for the French women's handball team, was also the last Olympic medal for the French delegation.

"It's just huge, it will be engraved forever. We were the first to do it. And I'm very happy to have participated a little bit in this thing," reacted one of the guardians of this legendary team, Amandine Leynaud, Sunday evening on Europe 1.

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"I have to try to repeat it to myself to really be aware of the trick"

"What is certain is that we are part of history", she realized. "We were the first to have won a medal in Rio. There, we are the first to have won the gold medal. I am very proud of us for that. We are also the first to make a double with the boys in team sport." "It's just huge when you hear that," continued the Hungarian club Györ player. "I think I have to try and repeat it to myself to really be aware of the stuff."

The French delegation finished 8th in the Tokyo Olympic Games medal ranking. In total, 33 medals (10 in gold, 12 in silver and 11 in bronze) were won by the French athletes. It is below expectations, which were around forty medals. On the other hand, the France team reaches the same level as in Rio concerning the gold medals. During the 2016 Olympics, the French won 42 medals in total.