Published on : 08/08/2021 – 09:27
The French handball players imitated the boys by also winning Olympic gold. The Blue beat the Russians (25-30) in the final and took their revenge on Rio. The France team achieves a historic double in this sport.
Five years after the lost final in Rio, the French handball players did not miss their chance this time. They took their revenge, Sunday, August 8, on their great Russian rivals, under neutral banner (25-30), and won Olympic gold in Tokyo, the only title missing from the list of double world champions.
Under the gaze of their male counterparts, crowned the day before against Denmark, they stifled their opponents and allowed France to achieve a historic double in the women’s and men’s tournaments. Only the USSR (1976) and Yugoslavia (1984) had achieved this. This is the 33rd and last medal, the 10th in gold, won by the tricolor camp in Tokyo.
Allison Pineau’s team (7 goals) was only led for just over three minutes. The brief Russian comeback (16-16, 39th) was erased by a scathing 6-0 inflicted in the wake (22-16, 45th). A rain of bullets burst into the Slavic cage. The French then closed the shop, in accordance with their Creole war cry “fèmé boutik, fèmé”.
The guardian Cleopatra Darleux, entered at the break, even installed a double curtain with 9 stops (43%). No question of depriving her of the title this time. “I knew we were going to go to the end. To see that we win this final in this way, it’s fabulous”, exulted Allison Pineau on France 3.
A tournament started badly
Fate had yet been fierce on the players of Olivier Krumbholz in the spring. The Olympic vice-champions lost their captain Siraba Dembélé, their shooter Orlane Kanor and right-back Aïssatou Kouyaté to injuries. A series all the more unfair because without the postponement of one year of the Games, they would undoubtedly have walked the floor of the Yoyogi stadium.
In Tokyo, their start to the tournament was difficult. The first four meetings, including a single victory and a defeat against the Russians (28-27), had left an impression of feverishness. As if the weight of those absent was too heavy to conquer the gold they lacked in Japan.
Three matches later and as many successes against the Brazilians, the Dutch world champions and the Swedes, they finally presented a different face. A collective force has emerged from these Blue champions of the world (2017) and Europe (2018).
Norway, favorite for gold, had unexpectedly lost its semi-final on Friday against the Russian team (27-26). As a consolation, the Norwegians won, on Sunday, bronze in the small final against Sweden (36-19).
With AFP
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