Liza’s Games. Teddy Riner, Léon Marchand, Florent Manaudou: the Titans

Every day, Bixente Lizarazu, 1998 football world champion and franceinfo consultant, gives us his analysis of the Paris 2024 Olympic Games.

What a day yesterday, Friday August 2nd! Nine medals in just one day, and not the least for the French, what a harvest! Bixente Lizarazu, our consultant followed everything for us.

franceinfo: Bixente, you are a happy supporter…

Bixente Lizarazu: Yes, it was a bit like “live my life at the Olympics”. Yesterday, nine medals for the French delegation. Well, I didn’t do anything, I just watched, but witnessed Teddy Riner’s gold medal and then continued with swimming and Léon Marchand and his gold medal too. So we were a little disappointed, obviously, about the bronze medal of judoka Romane Dicko. For Florent Manaudou, I think it was a medal he was hoping for because the level was very high. But there you go, I never get tired of it.

Every time I see champions, I’m really moved. I feel their emotions and it’s amazing to be there. Yesterday, the atmosphere was completely crazy at judo with Teddy Riner, because he was obviously highly anticipated. It was electric, everyone was hoping he would win this Olympic title. Once again, he did it. And it’s the same with swimming. There was a crazy atmosphere with Léon Marchand who won four consecutive gold medals, so that’s what was crazy.

And if I see a common point between the two, it’s that I have the impression that they have hit something called “the zone” in high-level sport. It’s like the perfect match, the perfect race or the perfect fight for Teddy Riner. We feel like we’re invincible. We feel like our senses are heightened, it’s a very special mentality. And Teddy Riner, yesterday, he didn’t just win, he was beautiful in his victory, because he gave ippons to everyone, especially in the final.

I think that when you compete, you want to win, of course, but you want to look good, you imagine, for example for a footballer, scoring a magnificent volley. And for Teddy Riner yesterday, I think it was one of his best competitions because he practiced very beautiful techniques, and I think he was also very proud to win, but to look good while winning.

With this beautiful victory by ippon, does it count?

Yes, it counts a lot. It happens very rarely, if I give you an example, for us, it was France 98 against Brazil, in the final against Brazil, World Cup. Brazil was the best possible opponent, and we won three to zero. There is no discussion. There you go, it is a perfect match, like in dreams, and I think Teddy Riner experienced that, and Marchand, it is the same. He experienced that too, because it is a perfect sequence of four victories, and he has to manage his efforts and that is very difficult.

And so I think they were in that famous “zone” which is very rare in high-level sport. It’s very rare to reach it, it happens a few times in a career, but when you reach it, it’s fabulous, and they will realize it in a few years.