A first since 1950! French gymnasts won the bronze medal in the team competition this Wednesday at the World Championships in Antwerp.
Thanks to a flawless performance, Mélanie De Jesus Dos Santos, Coline Devillard, Marine Boyer, Morgane Osyssek and Lorette Charpy collected a score of 164.064 points, more than enough to get a place on the podium behind the United States of Simone Biles (167,729 pts) and the Brazilians (165,530 pts).
Mélanie “DJDS” in particular shone on all the apparatus, bringing 56.50 points to Les Bleues alone. Third before the last apparatus, the French had to conclude their evening on the beam, the apparatus most prone to penalties, which could have raised fears of a demotion in the ranking. But they ensured an impeccable rotation which opened the way to the podium. Seventh in qualifications, the French quintet also obtained their place for the Paris 2024 Games.
Men miss the ticket to Paris
This team victory gives Simone Bile her 26th world medal and her 20th title, a new record. The American made her return to the highest international level in Antwerp, two years after the grueling Tokyo Olympics. The United States’ reign over the women’s team competition has now lasted since 2011.
A much better performance than their male counterparts at the start of the week. While it had to finish in the top 12 to qualify for the next Olympic Games, the French men’s gymnastics team only took 19th place in qualifying, still in Antwerp.
“We are not up to it, we have to accept it. There’s not much to say. We miss it, especially on the last apparatus. It didn’t work today. We will have to bounce back,” regretted Benjamin Osberger. This is the second time in a row that the French men’s team has missed the Games after Tokyo in 2021.
