Full card for the French at the Gymnasiade

The 2022 Gymnasiade ended this Saturday in Caen (Normandy), after a week of competition. The French archers, particularly in good shape for this home edition, leave with 5 medals.

Victor Bouleau leaves with gold

In compound bow, it is Victor Birch (Beauvais) who won the title. He meets André TYUTYUN (Kazakhstan), first of the qualifications, in the semi-final. After taking a 2-point lead over the first 2 ends, an error puts him 1 point behind his opponent. But Victor refocuses his shot and ends with 2 ends at 29 points while his opponent cracks on the last end by making three 9s. He thus wins the match 142-141 in front of the president of the UNSS Olivier GIRAUD. In the final, he meets the Turkish eren kirca2^th qualifications. The young archer does not give up and imposes his rhythm on his opponent 29/28; 29/29; 28/28. The 4th end is decisive and Victor knocks out KIRCA 30/28, he just has to unroll his shot and ends up winning with the score of 145 to 142. He brings the French team his 4^th medal but above all the first title in compound bow awarded at the Gymnasiades.

New medal for Amélie Cordeau

In recurve bow, there is not much missing Amelie CORDEAU to get the gold. First opposed to the Ukrainian Dzvenyslava CHERNYK in the semi-finals, Amélie takes the lead and wins her ticket to the grand final. She finds there the first of the qualifications which had eliminated her compatriot Anna Yakusic in quarters: LI Tsai-Chi (TPE). Amélie suffers from her opponent’s precision since she concedes the first 2 sets (27/28 and 27/30). The 3rd set could have sealed the match but the resident of the Pôle France Relève de Bordeaux scores a 30 then a 29 to get back in the game. The Taipéienne imposes her quality of shooting on a last decisive set with 29 points and wins the title, leaving Amélie the silver medal.

In the end, the Blues leave the Gymnasiade with 5 medals : 3 in bronze; 1 in silver and 1 in gold. Archery will have contributed to France’s influence in the competition.