French basketball players in the final, Thierry Henry’s “madmen” in silver, bronze in “ping”… What to remember from Friday August 9

The French delegation now has 56 medals on Friday, before the last weekend of competition.

We are entering the final stretch. Two days before the end of its Olympic Games, France won two new medals on Friday, August 9. While Thierry Henry’s team was frustrated by Spain and had to settle for silver in men’s football, French table tennis concluded a historic fortnight with a victory in the men’s team bronze match.

French basketball players in the final

In basketball, the French women beat Belgium in the semi-finals after a controlled overtime (81-75). And yet, they gave themselves a scare in the money timeseeing their six-point lead melt away with 56 seconds left in regulation time. With this victory, Les Bleues have taken their revenge after their setback against the Belgians, at this same stage of the competition, during the 2023 European Championship.

“We were blown away, we gave it our all. The first half was complicated, when they came back for extra time, it was complicated too. But we told ourselves that we were going to do it, we did a long preparation for this. We wanted to go get it and in the end it paid off,” reacted the winger Valériane Ayayi on France 2. The French players will play their second final after that of the “Braqueuses” in 2012, Sunday at 3:30 p.m. As in the men’s tournament, it will be against the United States, the overwhelming favorites of the tournament, seven-time defending champions.

Football “crazies” get beaten

At the Parc des Princes, General Alexandre Lacazette’s troops were hoping to take gold, forty years after the first French title in Los Angeles. But they were ultimately beaten by a very efficient Spain at the end of a scenario full of twists and turns (5-3 aet). After Enzo Millot opened the scoring on a mistake by Parisian goalkeeper Arnau Tenas, the Blues conceded two goals from Fermin Lopez and a direct free kick from Alex Baena before the break.

Maghnes Akliouche reduced the score in the second half to allow Jean-Philippe Mateta to equalize at the very end of the match on penalty. Despite a hard-fought extra time, Thierry Henry’s protégés were defeated by a double from Sergio Camello. It should be noted that the Spanish world champions lost to Germany in the match for bronze (0-1).

Historical assessment of French table tennis

The French Table Tennis Federation had only won two medals in its history before these Olympic Games. Now it has doubled its tally. Five days after Félix Lebrun’s bronze in the individual, the youngest of the most famous siblings in Paris did it again in the team with his brother, Alexis, and Simon Gauzy. Eliminated by China in the last four, the Blues got the better of Japan in the small final (3-2).

At 17, “Féfé” pulled out all the stops by first dominating the Japanese number 1, Tomokazu Harimoto, after three match points saved, then overcoming the most modest Hiroto Shinozuka during a fifth decisive match. Before that, Alexis Lebrun and Simon Gauzy had scored the first point for the Tricolores in doubles, but had each lost in singles. No matter, since they leave with the trinket around their necks and memories of a public in a trance in their heads.

Disappointments in athletics

French athletics still has zero points. We could have hoped for a surprise in the 400m hurdles with Clément Ducos’ final. We could also have hoped for a medal in the women’s 4x100m relay. But in the end, it was not to be. The hurdler took fourth place, like Orlann Oliere, Gémima Joseph, Hélène Parisot and Chloé Galet before him on the Stade de France track. And this, despite a complaint lodged against the British team for an irregular exit from their lane.

Not particularly expected, the men of the 4×100 m did not manage to excel either and logically ranked sixth in the men’s final, far behind Canada’s André De Grasse, Olympic champion. Deprived of Noah Lyles, who was ill, the Americans were however disqualified after a failed handover.

No medal for b-girls “Carlota” and “Sissy”

For the introduction of breakdancing at the Olympic Games, the French b-girls were widely supported on the Place de la Concorde. But neither “Carlota”, eliminated after three defeats in the first round, nor “Syssy” managed to reach the last four. The 16-year-old athlete got out of her group with one victory and two losses, but was finally beaten in the quarter-finals by the Japanese “Ami” (3-0).

Céline Boutier is back in position before the last day

The French golfer was not as successful as in the first round at the National de Guyancourt (Yvelines) but she recovered after losing her footing on Thursday. Thanks to three birdies on the last holes, she corrected the shot of her triple bogey from No. 13. The French No. 1 thus finished the day with 71 strokes, one under par.

Before the final, she is in 7th place equal, three shots from the Olympic podium and five from gold. “There’s not much to lose, so it’s a relatively easier position than being the leader. To still have a chance tomorrow is quite positive. The last nine holes are quite difficult, anything can happen.”she commented.