Aurane Lapouge and Maël Lamouret won a silver medal in the mixed team archery event at the Youth Olympic Games in Dakar, Dicodusport reported.
The French pair opened the tournament strongly by finishing third in the ranking round. They defeated Slovenia 6-0 in their opening match after their opponents struggled in the third set, according to Dicodusport.
In the quarterfinals, France faced the United Arab Emirates in a tight contest. After trading points early and ending subsequent sets level, the match went to a shoot-off. Maël Lamouret shot a 9 and Khalifa Alkaabi shot a 10, while Aurane Lapouge responded with a 10 and Huda Alali managed an 8, giving France a 5-4 victory.
🥈 #Dakar2026 | 🇫🇷 Aurane Lapouge et Maël Lamouret en argent ! 👏 La paire française s'incline en finale du tir à l'arc face aux États-Unis et décroche la dixième pour la France dans ces JOJ. 📺 Suivez les JOJ en direct : https://t.co/n3e9MiwxNM pic.twitter.com/8ozfPtCpUI
Dicodusport reported that the French team then faced Turkey in the semifinals. After a back-and-forth battle that included tense moments on the shooting line, France secured a 6-2 win to advance to the gold medal match.
In the final at the Stade Abdoulaye-Wade, the United States proved too strong for the French duo. The American archers shot eight 10s during the semifinals and carried that form into the final, winning the first set 38-37 and the second 38-36.
Faced with a 4-0 deficit, Lapouge and Lamouret needed to win the third set to keep their title hopes alive. Both French archers scored 10s, but the American team matched them to secure the fifth point needed for victory, taking the match 5-1 and leaving France with the silver medal.
Following the medal ceremony, Maël Lamouret reflected on the team’s performance and the overall Olympic experience. C’est une belle médaille d’argent, on arrive quand même à représenter la France, ça fait plaisir,
Lamouret told Dicodusport.
On aurait pu aller je pense chercher une médaille d’or, mais ça reste quand même grandiose ce qu’on a fait et on est fiers de nous, on est fiers de la France.
Aurane Lapouge shared similar sentiments about competing at the Youth Olympic Games. C’est un bilan positif, une expérience très enrichissante et on a pris plein de plaisir,
she said, noting the vibrant atmosphere of the Olympic Village and the unique experience of competing in the national stadium of Senegal.
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