There was no miracle for the French women’s archery team. In front of the audience at the Charléty stadium in Paris, Lisa Barbelin, Mélanie Gaubil and Angéline Cohendet lost in the round of 16 of the Olympic qualifying tournament (TQO) against Spain by one point in the last set (3-5 ; 54-51, 51-51, 52-54, 52-53). The France team will therefore not participate in the Tokyo Olympic Games (July 23-August 8).
Only Lisa Barbelin, winner of the individual TQO, will be present in the individual draw as well as in the mixed event. The choice of his partner, between Jean-Charles Valladont, Thomas Chirault and Pierre Plihon, qualified on Saturday by teams, will be decided before the Olympics, but after the World Cup which will be played in Paris from Tuesday.
“I really wanted us to go to the three-way Games, I have the impression that we didn’t miss a thing”, lamented the European champion and world number 1 Lisa Barbelin, in tears, at the end of the match. “A little luck maybe, added Mélanie Gaubil. We gave everything, we have no regrets, it’s just frustrating because it doesn’t go through. “
Benoît Binon, the national technical director of the French Archery Federation, admitted that it would have taken a feat for the Bleues to qualify. “The expectation was not the same because they don’t have the past that the boys’ team has. They lack a bit of performance in absolute terms, but at the same time we can not blame them, they had their best game of the season, which means that they have been able to prepare. “
The six representatives of the French teams will play, from Tuesday, the last World Cup before the Olympics, still in Charléty.
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