Without them, it wouldn’t really be the Olympic Games. The marathoners take to the track on Saturday, August 10th from 8am, with a highly anticipated duel in the Kenyan Eliud Kipchoge and Ethiopian Kenenisa Bekele, on a course that is expected to be particularly tough. The French record holder, Morhad Amdouni, will not be there, however: injured, he had to withdraw on Friday. Then, the French delegation will have its eyes above all on three team sports finals. Taekwondo, track cycling, modern pentathlon and athletics (finally!) could also bring their share of good news. Will the French gold medal record obtained in Atlanta in 1996 finally be equaled, or even beaten? Follow our live coverage.
The celebration of French team sports. The French delegation could have a historic day after three finals. The volleyball players, reigning Olympic champions, open the show (1 p.m.) against the Polish ogres. The handball players will also try to keep their place at the top obtained in Tokyo. They face their great rivals, the Norwegians (3 p.m.). Finally, in the evening (9:30 p.m.), the “Wemby” gang will try to achieve a new XXL feat against the kings of basketball, Team USA of LeBron James and Stephen Curry. Find the hour-by-hour program here and the major events not to be missed here.
Last Olympic evening in athletics. Mission of the day: no zero points for French athletics. The best chance is called Gabriel Tual, in the final of the 800 meters (7:15 p.m.). Also to watch, Cyréna Samba-Mayela in the final of the 100 m hurdles (7:35 p.m.), and the women’s and men’s 4×400 m relays (finals Saturday at 9 p.m. and 9:14 p.m.). The big finale of the evening will take place in the high jump, with an expected duel between the Italian Gianmarco Tamberi and the Qatari Mutaz Essa Barshim, Olympic champions equal in Tokyo.
The rest of the program. Bronze medalist in 2021 (+67 kg), world champion in 2023 and queen of Europe in 2022 and 2024, taekwondo player Althéa Laurin can go for the only title she has left (from 9:09). The French Elodie Clouvel and Marie Oteiza continue their work in modern pentathlon (semi-finals at 9:30 a.m. and 1:30 p.m.), while golfer Céline Boutier finishes her tournament and can still dream of the podium. Climber Oriane Bertone, fifth in the semi-final, will try to grab the podium in the combined (boulder at 10:15 then difficulty at 12:35). In track cycling, Mathilde Gros is competing in her 8th final (17:00), while the brand new Olympic omnium champion, Benjamin Thomas, will try to make his way in the Madison, with his partner Thomas Boudat (17:59).
Two more medals for France, but… The men’s table tennis team (bronze) and the French football team, beaten by Spain in the final (silver), allowed the French team to continue their harvest (56 medals, including 14 gold). However, in the medal table, France has dropped out of the top 5, overtaken by Japan (16 titles) and Great Britain (one more bronze medal). But the French delegation will have one more chance to increase its total thanks to a new team sports final, that of the women’s basketball team, victorious after the suspense of Belgium in the semi-final. French athletics has also flirted with the podium on several occasions (Clément Ducos fourth in the 400 metres hurdles, same place for the women’s 4×100 relay).