Tokyo 2021: French handball players finally win Olympic gold
The goalkeeper of the French handball team, Cléopatre Darleux, on August 8, 2021 in Tokyo.
REUTERS - SIPHIWE SIBEKO
Text by: Nicolas Bamba Follow
1 min
Vice-Olympic champions in 2016 after their defeat against Russia, the French took their revenge on Sunday, five years later, by dominating the same Russian selection in the final (30-25).
Unstoppable, the Blue won everything in their path to afford the first Olympic title in their history and bring the French delegation a 33rd and last medal in these Olympics.
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Saturday, the French had shown the way: beaten in the final of the 2016 Olympics in Rio de Janeiro by Denmark, they had taken their revenge against the same Danes in Tokyo. This Sunday, August 8, the French women's team followed the same pattern against Russia (referred to as the Russian Olympic Committee). Five years after their defeat conceded in the final against the Russians, the players of Olivier Krumbholz washed away the affront with this time a resounding victory, synonymous with a gold medal.
If the score was tight between the Olympic champions and the defending Olympic vice-champions at the break (15-13 for the Blue), the French steamroller started in the second half.
Carried in particular by a giant Cleopatra Darleux in her cage - the Russians were kept at less than 60% of efficiency on shots - the French took the upper hand by scoring six goals in a row and brought the score very quickly to 22- 16.
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Olympic Games
2020 Olympics
France
Handball
Russia