The defeat of the Popov brothers (Toma junior and Christo) this morning in the round of 16 of the European Championships in Saarbrücken, the last qualifying event for the Paris Games, therefore “offered” the final ticket for the men’s doubles of the Olympic Games to duo Ronan Labar-Lucas Corvée.
The misfortune of some has therefore brought happiness to others, as the famous adage insists! Ahead of the Fosséens in the rankings, the Labar-Corvée duo, who had recently taken points in a qualifying tournament in Kazakhstan, were eliminated from the start during these European championships and therefore had to wait for the result of the Popov brothers.
The favorable result known to him, Ronan Labar could savor with humility. “It’s an achievement for any high-level athlete to participate in the Olympic Games! It’s an achievement to end my career with the French team at the Paris Games. I’m very happy of course. With Lucas, who came to pick me up after the Tokyo Games to ask me if I wanted to compete with him in this “qualifying” race, we will be the first French people to compete in the men’s doubles at the Olympics! This had never happened until now I won’t hide from you that for several months, my daily life has been very trying with a lot of competitions for me but also a lot of absences for my partner and my granddaughter. So, upon arrival, be rewarded with this ticket for the Games, it’s great! We’re going to rest a little, I’m going to celebrate this post with the club before resuming in mid-May, a big preparation for these Paris Games where we’re going to try to create a surprise! »
A superb gift for his 35th birthday and 15 years of career
The feat is significant because only sixteen pairs will participate in the Olympic tournament divided into four groups of four teams. The first two pairs from each group qualify for the quarter-finals. Nobody or not many people gave the experienced Labar-Corvée duo a real chance of succeeding in their quest for the grail against the precocious talent of the Popov brothers.
But Ronan Labar, a 35-year old veteran (he will be on May 3) and a fifteen-year career behind him, never gave up, like his teammate, and gave everything or almost everything to realize his dream of compete in the Paris Games. A dream come true with the aim now being the desire to win, why not a medal. “It’s a great story, our qualification was decided in the last selective competition with all the suspense that that entails! I want to thank all the people who helped me, I am thinking in particular of Aix UC, of the partners! And now, a new page opens with this Olympic tournament. We will be in the running with the status of big outsider but anything can happen and we will do everything to achieve an authentic feat. Getting out of the pools would already be a huge achievement. Our program is known. We will resume preparation in mid-May with courses planned in Fos and at INSEP with Lucas Corvée to perfect our adjustments. This will last until the start of the Olympic tournament which will take place in the first week of the Games. I also want to thank the Fos club and Team Popov who allowed us to train with them. I’m going to savor this moment of joy, of this qualification before diving back into preparation. I will end my career with the French team after the Games for sure but I will continue the interclubs with Aix UC! For now, I’m going to rest a little and enjoy these rare moments in a career and very pleasant to experience!”
With this ticket in his pocket for the Games, “Conan the Barbarian”, as his Aix president Pierre Manuguerra likes to call him, has written a new and magnificent page in Aix sport. Before perhaps writing an even more sumptuous one on a global level in three months.
2024-04-11 16:07:19
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