The tricolor flag flew high this weekend in Saarbrücken (Germany). There was blue in three finals. The first, on Saturday during the mixed doubles, Thom Gicquel and Delphine Delrue captured gold, depriving the Danes Mathias Christiansen and Alexandra Bøje, seeded No. 1 in the tournament, of their due.
The pair Margot Lambert and Anne Tran took over this Sunday. Qualified for the Paris Olympic Games, the French women were crowned European champions in the women’s doubles, winning the biggest title of their career. They won in three sets 16-21, 21-17, 21-11 against the Bulgarian sisters Gabriela and Stefani Stoeva, three-time reigning European champions. An auspicious victory before their participation in Paris 2024. They form the first French pair to participate in an Olympiad since the 1992 Games (Virginie Delvingt and Christelle Mol).
After conceding the first set to the Bulgarian sisters, the French rallied from the start of the second, leading 6-1 before being caught. The Bulgarians held on until the end. “We made them move well,” says Margot Lambert, “against the Stoeva sisters it’s always long matches. Even if we lost the first set it was an investment. At the end they gave away lots of free points, and we managed to stay very strong, even when we were tired.”
The two French women finally won, as did the third set, ensuring their coronation in the wake of their mixed doubles counterparts from the day before. “We came to the competition with this objective,” says Margot Lambert, “we knew it was going to be hard, we worked like crazy.” “It’s incredible, I don’t think you really realize it,” adds Anne Tran. To finish the Olympic qualification with a title… To have managed to do it is great.” The Lambert – Tran duo, ranked 18th in the world, performed at the 2023 European Games, winning bronze.
Toma Junior Popov was expected to win the hat-trick. He will have to settle for a silver medal. The French player lost to the Dane Anders Antonsen (18-21 ‚13-21), the day after a success which shook the badminton world. The 25-year-old Frenchman won this Saturday, during the round preceding his qualification for the 2024 Olympics by eliminating the world No. 1 and reigning Olympic champion, the Dane Viktor Axelsen.
𝐈𝐍𝐂𝐑𝐎𝐘𝐀𝐀𝐀𝐀𝐀𝐁𝐋𝐄 𝐓𝐎𝐌𝐈 😱💥@Thomas_Jr_Popov has just beaten the world no. 1, Viktor AXELSEN 🇩🇰 21/19 17/21 21/9 and joins the European final for the first time 😍
This victory puts Tomi back in front of Christo in the Olympic race 🤯#EuropeanChampionships pic.twitter.com/y3UgcLtKXg
— FFBaD (@FFBaD) April 13, 2024
“European Champion”, the title will wait for the eldest of the Popov brothers who has always chased the score this Sunday against a rival who has never succeeded until now on the circuit. Eight defeats in eight matches. The Frenchman held on but the Dane (7th in the world) was able to cut off the Frenchman’s momentum with each of his intentions in the first as well as the second round.
However, he was full of confidence in Germany. Winning bronze at the European Games in 2023, Toma Junior Popov can hope for a new medal at home during the Paris Olympics, which he will compete in the brand new Adidas Arena. His qualification in the final allowed him to win a ticket for this summer’s Olympic events, dethroning his younger brother in the process.
2024-04-14 18:04:00
#European #Badminton #Championships #gold #medals #silver #great #weekend #French
