France ends its Tokyo Olympics in 8th place on the medal table with 33 charms including 10 in gold.
If team sports have made French training shine, the missed appointments in swimming and athletics tarnish the final results of the French delegation, three years from the Paris 2024 Olympics.
TO ANALYSE
It's time to take stock for the French delegation at the Olympic Games in Tokyo, while all eyes are on Paris 2024. The France team finished its Games in 8th place on the medal table, that is, one position. below its ranking at Rio 2016 and London 2012 (7th).
Above all, the 378 French athletes entered in Japan have collected "only" 33 medals, against the 42 gleaned five years ago or the 41 won in Beijing, in 2008. Behind the Tokyo figures below the ambitions of the delegation , which again aimed at forty podiums, there are all the same satisfactions with the historic success of team sports.
Promises that mingle with concerns, three years before the Paris Olympics.
Olympic Games - French
medals Infogram
The incredible success for team sports
•
The historic double of handball
French handball
landed on the roof of Olympus in Tokyo.
The Blues won their third Olympic title in four consecutive finals, while the French women's team won for the first time in the final of the Games, after their first silver medal in 2016. Since Yugoslavia in 1984 , no country had won both handball tournaments in the same Olympiad.
It is undoubtedly the greatest success of French sport in Tokyo.
•
The first Olympic title for Les Bleus in volleyball
Like the handball
players
,
the French volleyball players
also won their first Olympic title in Tokyo, after a legendary final against Russia. The long-awaited consecration for the golden generation of Earvin Ngapeth, Jean Patry and Trévor Clévenot, essential throughout the competition. Coach Laurent Tillie was able to straighten out his team, close to elimination in the group stage. The consecration also for the emblematic coach of the Blues, who leaves office at the end of the Olympics.
WHAT EMOTIONS !!
THE BLUES ARE OLYMPIC VOLLEYBALL CHAMPIONS!
They did it, the Russians were back to 2 sets everywhere, the Blues never gave up!
Bravo Gentlemen
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- francetvsport (@francetvsport) August 7, 2021
•
The promises of basketball
Like the hand, France also performed in both tables of the basketball tournament, with men's silver and women's bronze in a discipline still dominated by the United States.
After their inaugural victory against a diminished "Team USA", and the feat in the semi-finals against Slovenia,
Vincent Collet's players
barely stalled against the Americans in the final.
On the side of the Blue,
Sandrine Gruda's partners
recovered perfectly from the heavy defeat in the semifinals to take third place.
Two podiums for France in basketball, a first in the history of the Games.
Rudy Gobert consoled by Evan Fournier after the final lost to American basketball players.
Credit: Mohd RASFAN / AFP
In addition to these historic results,
the Bleues of rugby sevens
won silver at the end of the first week.
In total, France ranks 2nd in the world in team sports in Tokyo (3 gold, 2 silver, 1 bronze), behind the United States and ahead of Japan.
The delegation is also in a good position in combat sports, in particular thanks to judo and fencing.
Combat sports meet in Tokyo
•
Beautiful harvest in judo and a historic title
One of the favorite sports of the French delegation, judo, has honored its status in the temple of discipline in Tokyo.
The French collected eight medals (2 golds, 3 silvers, 3 bronzes), a record number in one edition.
Special mention to the flag bearer of the delegation,
Clarisse Agbégnénou
,
who performed with an individual and team title.
Indeed, for the first time at the Games, a mixed team judo event closed the week of the discipline.
The French judokas
, led by a
vengeful
Teddy Riner
after his individual bronze medal, won the very first title of this event against the Japanese.
An end in apotheosis for French judo, which is already dated for Paris 2024.
•
The return of French fencing to the fore
A great French specialty, fencing has also contributed to the building (2 golds, 2 silvers, 1 bronze).
The competition had started perfectly on the French side with the unexpected and sensational Olympic title from Romain Cannone on the épée.
Her
foil
colleagues
then ensured by winning the gold medal against the Russians, who had beaten them in 2016. Finally,
the foil and saber fencers
brought two silver medals, and
Manon Brunet
a bronze charm. individually.
With five medals, French fencing is back after two disappointing last Olympics (three medals in 2016, none in 2012).
•
Steven Da Costa's flash in karate
The appearance and early death of karate at the Tokyo Games is heartbreaking for
Steven Da Costa
, who became the first (and only) Olympic champion in the discipline in the history of the Olympics.
The world number one has met expectations by outclassing his opponents, and no doubt he would have liked to try to keep his gold medal in Paris.
Despite everything, the 24-year-old karateka won the most beautiful title of his career in the country of the discipline.
He only thought about gold, only participated for that, Steven Da Costa did it!
The world number one (-67 kg), World Champion, also becomes OLYMPIC CHAMPION
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- francetvsport (@francetvsport) August 5, 2021
In combat sports,
Althéa Laurin
gleaned his first Olympic medal, bronze, at age 21 in taekwondo.
But other disciplines leave empty-handed like boxing, five years after the "golden couple" Estelle Mossely and Tony Yoka.
In wrestling, the seeded N.3
Koumba Larroque
, a great chance for a medal, was taken out.
All this does not make us forget the immense disappointments and concerns that have punctuated French sport in Tokyo.
Swimming, athletics, cycling ... these disciplines where France did not shine
•
Behind Florent Manaudou, French swimming not yet at the top level
French swimming star
Florent Manaudou
won his third consecutive medal, silver, in the 50m freestyle at the Olympics.
It is the only charm that France brings back from Japan in swimming.
A vertiginous fall that began in London in 2012 (7) and Rio in 2016 (3).
The relays
did not take any charm, a first since 2004. The relief illustrated by
Maxime Grousset
(22), 4th in the 100m freestyle, or
Marie Wattel
(24), 6th in the 100m butterfly, did not bright enough to take the podium.
Perhaps a necessary transition year for French swimming before the Paris 2024 Games.
•
A worrying track record in athletics
Swimming's famished record is the same in athletics, with
Kevin Mayer's
only silver medal
in the decathlon. An overall result probably more worrying since very few athletes had the weapons to negotiate a charm this summer.
Alexandra Tavernier
(4th) and
Quentin Bigot
(5th) failed at the foot of the podium in the hammer throw, as did
Pascal Martinot-Lagarde
in the 110m hurdles (5th). The injury of
Renaud Lavillenie
, 8th in the final pole vault competition and the disappointments of
Mélina Robert-Michon
or
Pierre-Ambroise Bosse
, eliminated quickly, increased the tricolor record in athletics.
With swimming, the two star disciplines of the Olympic Games disappointed the French side and worried three years before the Paris Games.
Kevin Mayer is the only tricolor medalist at the Tokyo Olympics in athletics, with the silver.
Credit: Giuseppe CACACE / AFP
•
Tricolor cycling on a downward slope
Cycling is the other discipline that has showered French hopes. Without its stars (Julian Alaphilippe, Romain Bardet…), the French team struggled to exist in these Games. The big disappointment came from the women's cross-country, where
Pauline Ferrand-Prévot
, double reigning world champion, and
Loana Lecomte
finished far from the podium. French cycling is saved thanks to its variant on the track, where
the French speed team
and the trackers
Benjamin Thomas and Donavan Grondin
on the American won the bronze medal.
France takes bronze on the Madison!
Benjamin Thomas and Donovan Grondin offer a 30th medal to the French delegation.
Denmark is Olympic champion ahead of Great Britain # Tokyo2020
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- francetvsport (@francetvsport) August 7, 2021
If the traditional sports of the Olympic Games were disappointing on the French side, the new disciplines have not succeeded in rectifying the situation despite the promises of medals.
The disappointment of the new disciplines
•
The BMX fiasco
BMX freestyle made its first appearance at the Olympic Games, but
Anthony Jeanjean
, in good place from the semi-finals, only finished in 6th position in the final.
A result that sounded the death knell for hexagonal BMX in Tokyo, after the races missed by the French
riders
in the final.
Despite four finalists, including
Joris Daudet
and
Sylvain André
, former world champions, none managed to take a charm for the French delegation.
•
The bad luck of French climbing
For its entry into the Olympic program, climbing represented a good opportunity for France with
the Bassa brothers and Mickaël Mawem
.
The first, the leader of the competition before the final, was injured during his last visit and was unable to defend his chances afterwards.
Mickaël came very close to a medal but finished in 5th place in the first men's competition in the history of the Games.
️ "I think I tore my bicep" ... Huge hard blow for Bassa Mawem.
The Frenchman was injured at the start of the combined difficulty.
More information to follow ... ▶ https://t.co/oQuEFfAwUcpic.twitter.com/XLmxQfUFWo
- francetvsport (@francetvsport) August 3, 2021
•
The soaring promises of board sports
Much was expected of surfing when it entered the Olympic program.
Jérémy Flores
, former world champion,
Johanne Defay
, world No. 2, and
Pauline Ado
did not go beyond the round of 16, while
Michel Bourez
stopped him in the quarterfinals. Disappointment also in skateboarding where France does not bring back any medals despite the presence of
Vincent Matheron
in the final of the park event.
The variant of 3x3 basketball was also making its appearance at the Olympic Games, and
the French women's team
came very close to the bronze medal after their short defeat against China.
Result, apart from karate, the French athletes engaged in new disciplines did not take the slightest medal in Tokyo.
Conversely, other less publicized sports have done well.
Promises and challenges
•
Rowing, sailing, shooting… How to capitalize on French success?
Among the 378 French athletes participating in the Olympics, some have represented their discipline well this summer by winning a medal. This is particularly the case in water sports, with sailing and rowing.
Charline Picon
and
Thomas Goyard
each won silver on the board event.
Camille Lecointre and Aloïse Retournaz
took bronze in the 470 event. Above all, the French rowing pair
Matthieu Androdias-Hugo Boucheron
won in the couple category to bring an additional title to the delegation. Another success to report in these Games, the title of
Jean Quiquampoix
in pistol shooting at 25 m, which confirms his performance in Rio 2016 where he took thesilver.
Triathlon and horse riding have also brought medals for France, but also a lot of disappointments.
The world triathlon champion
Vincent Luis
failed in individual before helping
the mixed team
to glean the bronze medal, thus offering the first charm in the history of the French delegation in this discipline at the Olympic Games.
Finally, in horse riding, if
the French eventing
team also won a beautiful bronze charm,
that of show jumping
cracked in the last passage and gave up all hope of the podium.
•
Challenges before the Paris 2024 Olympics
Finally, other disciplines leave Japan with a zero point which raises questions before the Olympic Games in Paris 2024.
The French football
team suffered a fiasco by being eliminated in the first round. In tennis, apart from the quarter-finals of
Ugo Humbert
and
Jérémy Chardy
, no French player has passed the round of 16, in singles or doubles. Canoeing, the discipline of choice for Tony Estanguet, the president of the organizing committee for the 2024 Olympics, is also leaving the Games empty-handed. In short, there will be work in all these sports, three years before the Parisian meeting.