This Saturday, April 13, Thom Gicquel and his French compatriot Delphine Delrue were in the mixed doubles final at the European Badminton Championshipswhich take place in Saarbrücken, Germany.
After being silver medalists during the 2022 edition of this continental competition, the five-time French champions won in two sets (21-16, 21-15) against the Danes Mathias Christiansen et Alexandra Bojeseeded No. 1 in the tournament.
If the Blues led 3-1 in their direct confrontations against the Danish pair before this final, they were still chasing their first major title.
“Our goal is to win. Two years ago, we failed in the final. This time, we want to bring home the gold,” confided Delrue with determination after their victory in the previous round.
“You will have to be very focused on the first three shots,” explained Gicquel before specifying that “attack will be the key”.
And this is indeed the strategy that was put in place by the 25-year-old French pair who then occupied 13th place in the BWF rankings to become 2024 European champions!
In the first set, the Blues who played blank for this continental final had to wait a few minutes to put their game in place. After a relatively tight start, from 7-7, the Danish pair began to widen the gap to 11-9. But the French duo was able to stay in contact to equalize at 14-14. They then played their game to regain control and win 21-16.
Christiansen and Bøje then started the second set with determination, leading 3-0. Suspicious, the Blues did not allow themselves to be destabilized to the point of returning to 4-4. Determined to take control of the game, they chained together points to take a comfortable lead of six points: 10-4. Then, the two teams took turns trying things, but the Danes’ delay was not enough to pick up the score. Thom Gicquel and Delphine Delrue had a match point at 16-20 and made it happen on the first try.
Cry of joy for one, fall to her knees for the other. They then hugged each other to enjoy their first European title. A historic first for French badminton!
One thing is certain: their Olympic qualification for Paris 2024 was already acquired. What if they continued this good momentum by winning another title this summer, at home?
*The National Olympic Committees (NOCs) being the only authorities authorized to determine who will represent their country at the Olympic Games, the participation of each French athlete in the Paris 2024 Games will in fact be the responsibility of the Olympic Selections Advisory Commission (CCSO) of the Committee. National Olympic and French Sportsman (CNOSF), which will select its national delegation in Paris.
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2024-04-13 07:00:00
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