Their fate was in the hands of the Popov brothers, Christo and Toma Junior. After their defeat, in two sets, in the round of 16 of the European Championships, the brothers send Ronan Labar and Lucas Corvée at the Paris Olympic Games. An Olympic qualification which will have kept all its promises.
“I hope it wasn’t my last international match,” said a disappointed Ronan Labar at the start of the week after their defeat in the round of 16 of the European Championships. He, who planned to retire this season, thought he would put his rackets away earlier than expected. Ronan planned to bow out at the Paris Olympic Games. But this poor performance, in three sets (18-21 21-15 16-21), at the Europes on Tuesday, brought the cards down. “We will see the result of Tomi and Christo. It would be hard to come out with this defeat, if it is the end of my career,” added Ronan.
Because with Lucas, they thought they had done the hardest part. Last week, both left at the last minute for a tournament in Kazakhstan. At this moment, in the “Race to Paris” ranking, the Popov brothers have just moved ahead by only 55 points. Only one pair will be able to obtain their Olympic ticket. We must therefore seek valuable points and only a final in Kazakhstan will allow them to regain the advantage. Goal achieved.
“We are very happy with our performance. We came to take as much of a lead as possible here. It will be close until the end,” analyzed Ronan. With a victory there, the French pair arrive in Saarbrücken in Germany with a 1195-point lead. “It’s slightly more comfortable to be ahead than behind in the standings. We have our destiny in our hands by giving ourselves a good result. Nothing is certain yet. We have an intense week left,” recalls Lucas Corvée, 30 years.
“Qualifying for the Olympics was the main objective”
And he was right. This last week of competition will have kept everyone in suspense. Tuesday evening, Lucas and Ronan enter the fray in Germany. This is their first match at the European Championships and they go into this encounter as favorites against the Germans. Defeat in three sets.
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Bitter result for Lucas Corvée: “We lacked a little energy and control in the first set. We had difficulty finding our sensations and our best level. It was complicated.” They who had their destiny in their hands, send it, neither one nor two, into those of Christo and Toma Junior Popov. The calculation is simple: if the brothers go to the quarter-finals of the European Championships, it is they who will obtain their Olympic ticket. The pressure is now on the Popovs’ side.
Thursday morning, against the Danes, Christo and Tomi were unable to do anything, clear result: 21-8 21-13. “There’s a lot of disappointment. It’s a shame to end with a non-match on our part, we could have given more. Unfortunately, we tried everything, tried things. A lot of disappointment to end up there”, blurted out Christo a few minutes after the match. Meanwhile, Ronan and Lucas know: they will see the Paris Games this summer.
“We are super happy. There aren’t too many words to define the accomplishment and what it means to us. The wait was long, the wait for the last day was the most stressful. We experienced it from a distance but it’s a relief once it ends. It would have been nicer and more moving to qualify with a victory rather than a defeat by someone else. But it allows us to qualifying, that was the main objective”, rejoices, without too much emotion in his voice, Lucas Corvée.
“Experiencing the Olympics from the inside is quite incredible”
Both of them, at 30 for Lucas and 35 for Ronan, will discover the Olympics. “It’s incredible. I was born into a family of athletes, so I’ve been following sport since I was little, especially the Games. My first memories date back to 2004, then I watched the 2008 games from A to Z. But to be able to experiencing them from the inside is quite incredible,” smiles Lucas. In addition, this event will have a special flavor, Ronan will end his career at the end of the competition.
“It’s a strong moment for him. When we started together, three years ago, we said we would try everything up to the Olympics with the ultimate goal of going there. We managed to achieve it. It’s gratifying. He will end his career in the most beautiful way,” continues Lucas. Now time for a little rest but above all: “Ronan has decided to come to Paris this Thursday evening to see each other and celebrate.”
Original article published on RMC Sport
2024-04-11 17:17:58
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