Handball, basketball, volleyball, the Blues dream of gold… The Olympic events of August 10

Very busy program for the last Saturday of the Olympic Games, with many major events, in particular for the French team sports teams.

After two weeks of sowing dreams, it’s time to harvest the medals. France will add a little more to its medal count in these Paris Olympic Games, Saturday, August 10. Three are already assured thanks to team sports. But the total may well not stop there, as the day is rich in opportunities and events to follow.

The three events not to be missed: men’s marathon, women’s combined climbing, 4×400 m relay

This glorious day will begin at 8 am in the streets of Paris and towards Versailles with the men’s marathon (announced on France 3). Kenyan Eliud Kipchoge is aiming for a third consecutive title, something never seen before in the history of the Olympic Games. At 40 years old, the feat would be major, as much as the course promises to be grandiose and complicated, with a rare elevation gain for a marathon of this magnitude.

There will also be a steep climb in the first part of the day on the Bourget side (Seine-Saint-Denis) with the spectacular combined women’s boulder-climbing difficulty (boulder at 10:15 a.m., difficulty at 12:35 p.m., in full on the digital channel france.tv Paris 2024 and on France 2). Frenchwoman Oriane Bertone can aim for a medal and has the talent to do even better than her 5^e place in the semi-finals.

This frenetic day will conclude in particular with the 4x400m athletics relays at the Stade de France. The French men’s and women’s teams have qualified for the finals (9 p.m. and 9:14 p.m., announced on France 2). The Blues won their series on Friday, while their women’s counterparts posted the third fastest time.

The three French teams not to be missed: men’s volleyball, women’s handball, men’s basketball

There is a sense of déjà vu. The three French teams, already in the final of their discipline in Tokyo, are back to play for the gold medal. The volleyball players (1 p.m., announced on France 3, then France 2), then the handball players (3 p.m., announced on France 2) will try to retain their Olympic title. The former face Poland, the reigning European champion and author of a complicated course, in the style of… France 2021.

The French handball team will want to go all the way in their competition, with a final against Norway at 3 p.m. in Villeneuve-d’Ascq (North), the same match as for their title at the 2023 World Cup.

The French men’s basketball team will seek to achieve the ultimate affront: to bring down the American ogre, in a rematch of the Tokyo final. The Tricolores have already achieved this, during the 2019 World Cup, then during the group stage of the 2021 Olympics. The last-minute victory against Serbia in the semi-finals confirms that Team USA is not invincible, while the Blues arrive, themselves, launched.

The full program and the finals of the day

Want more chances for French medals? Choose from the following selection. Valentin Prades and Jean-Baptiste Mourcia are in the final of the modern pentathlon (starting at 5:30 p.m. on France 2). Althéa Laurin, 2023 middleweight world champion, is aiming to do better than her bronze from Tokyo 2021 in taekwondo +67 kg (round of 16 at 9:09 a.m. against Tajik Munira Abdusalomova, final at 9:37 p.m., announced on France 2).

After his omnium title, Benjamin Thomas can hope for a second medal on the Saint-Quentin-en-Yvelines track, this time on the Madison with Thomas Boudat (5:59 p.m., announced on France 2). Céline Boutier will have to sign a big last day to get back on the podium of women’s golf (from 9 a.m., announced on France 3).

On the break side, Danis Civil and Gaëtan Alin, aka Dany Dann and Lagaet will want to join the fight with first battles at 4:11 p.m. before a possible final at 9:29 p.m. (announced in full on the digital channel france.tv Paris 2024 and on France 2). Maxime Beaumont in K1 1,000-meter kayak (semi-final at 11:10 a.m., final at 1:10 p.m.), and Manon Hostens in K1 500 meters (semi-final at 10:30 a.m., final at 12:40 p.m., announced on France 2) will try to put a smile back on the face of the French canoe-kayak team.

In athletics, the programme will be just as tough with the finals of Gabriel Tual in the 800m (7:05 p.m., all announced on France 2) and Cyréna Samba-Mayela in the 100m hurdles (7:35 p.m.), the two best chances for the Blues individually. Also to follow, the finals of the men’s high jump (7 p.m.), the women’s javelin (7:30 p.m.), the men’s 5,000m (7:50 p.m.) with Hugo Hay and Yann Schrub, and the women’s 1,500m, with world record holder Faith Kipyegon and the Frenchwoman Agathe Guillemot (8:15 p.m.).

On which channels can you watch the events on France Télévisions?

On France 2, from 9:35 a.m. to 12:57 p.m., then from 1:29 p.m. to 7:57 p.m., and from 8:40 p.m. to 11:15 p.m.
On France 3, from 7:55 a.m. to 12:03 p.m., then from 12:57 p.m. to 7:17 p.m., and from 7:57 p.m. to 11:50 p.m.
On France 5, from 12:03 p.m. to 1:29 p.m., and from 7:17 p.m. to 8:40 p.m.
On france.tv Paris 2024, from 8:30 a.m.