And in the end… France wins again. It has become a habit: the music that accompanies Les Bleues from Tokyo is always synonymous with success. Sometimes the recital is sung without a false note, as against Russia on December 13. And when the quack is near and the audience is ready to leave the room, like this Friday against Denmark, Krumbholz the maestro puts the notes back in their place. For this to work, you still need a great band of virtuosos. With a mind of steel.
“The status of favorites does not weigh us down, we are used to it,” said Allison Pineau before the duel against the Scandinavians. However, it was necessary to pull out all the stops when the latter, who had not even qualified for the last Games, found themselves in front, that is to say for almost the entire meeting. So the French clenched their teeth and put on the heating blue, a color they wear so well.
The great strength of this team is not to have stars, so no oversized ego which can prove to be impossible to manage when the urgency arises: “We have a crazy team, I don’t even have a name to qualify it, explains Coralie Lassource, the captain. There was a lot of pressure, but we knew there was a gold medal to go for. The most beautiful thing is victory. “Especially when there is the world title at the end.
“We also knew how to show intelligence”
Handball is a sport where it is not enough to be great to win. It only takes a small detail to tip a score. By putting out a phenomenal parade at the very end of the game when the Danes had the equalizer, Cléopâtre Darleux demonstrated: “It was really difficult. Fortunately the energy, aggressiveness and envy were still there, analyzes the guardian of Brest. We also knew how to show intelligence. All these elements will serve us for the final. “
Since the start of the competition in early December, the Olympic champions have had the merit of never failing. The quarter-final against Sweden is the best example of this. The opponent is in front, so the girls look at each other in the locker room and say the words: “We know the skills of each of us and the fact of having had a complicated course for the moment has reinforced our certainties”, launches Allison Pineau.
The half-center also speaks of “pleasure” and “joy”. And it shows, like Grace Zaadi taking selfies after the game with a supporter. For the young people, those who joined the group after the Games, integration was obvious: “We didn’t give up from start to finish, even when it got tough, smiles Alicia Toublanc. It’s a crazy thing! “
“It’s only happiness,” concludes Olivier Krumbholz with great serenity which can also characterize him. Is the (the Danes) felt more fragile, and the girls were strong enough and kept a cool head to bring it all up. Whatever happens this Sunday, we can not imagine that this team has no mind. We hope so.
