The double of the French volleyball players, Althéa Laurin in gold, the basketball players beaten by Team USA… What to remember from the day of Saturday August 10

The French delegation broke its post-war Olympic title record on Saturday, equalling and then surpassing the 15 gold medals won in Atlanta in 1996.

We are entering the final stretch. On the eve of the end of its Olympic Games, France now has 62 medals in its purse, including 16 titles, its record since 1900 (27) at a time when its delegation represented nearly half of the thousand participants. It was the French volleyball team who opened the ball of this historic day in the most beautiful way, Saturday August 10, by retaining their Olympic title. A few hours later, Althéa Laurin imitated them by winning, at the age of 22, her first gold medal at the Olympics. A feat that neither the French handball players nor the basketball players were able to achieve, who had to settle for silver after their defeats in the final.

The Blues of volleyball achieve the double

This team has no equal. Three years after its first Olympic title in Tokyo, Earvin Ngapeth’s team did it again against Poland in Paris. As in the semi-final, against the Italians, the Blues left only crumbs to their opponents to win easily, almost too easily, in three sets (25-19, 25-20, 25-23). ​​This is the third time in the history of volleyball that a nation has achieved a double of this type. Before, there was the USSR (1964-68) then the United States (1984-88).

A title that also allows France to equal its record for medals of the most beautiful metal in the Olympic Games with fifteen gold trinkets won. You have to go back to Atlanta, in 1996, to find such a performance.

Althéa Laurin, the gold of records

In a Grand Palais totally committed to her cause, the taekwondo athlete had the perfect day to adorn herself with gold in one of the most majestic settings of these Paris 2024 Games. Four victories, first by a wide margin in the first two rounds, then more hard-fought in the semi-finals and final, but always without losing a single round, with impressive mastery from a 22-year-old athlete.

This gold medal weighs doubly heavy. It is the one that allows Paris 2024 to surpass the number of titles won by Atlanta 1996 to allow these home Olympics to enter the history of French sport with 16 titles. It is also the first in the Olympic history of French taekwondo, which had to wait for its tenth medal to discover the most beautiful of metals.

The French basketball team is still struggling with Team USA

Unbeatable. That’s the impression the Americans gave at Bercy in the final of the Olympic basketball tournament against the French. Always behind, but in contact, the Tricolores thought they had Team USA, but the increasingly contested kings of basketball accelerated. Like Stephen Curry and his four three-pointers to extinguish the Tricolores’ hopes in the last three minutes and once again take the Olympic gold medal.

As in Tokyo, France stumbles on the last step, which seems to be a wall, and is content with the silver medal, the first place of the others. See you in four years in Los Angeles to try once again to shake up the established order.

Handball players are also content with money

Les Bleues missed out on a historic feat. The reigning Olympic champions, Olivier Krumbholz’s players were dominated by the Norwegians (29-21). While Les Bleus gave the illusion during the first quarter of an hour, they then gave in to the opposing attacks. And this time, neither Laura Glauser nor Hatadou Sako were able to stop the Norwegian fury.

But it was especially in attack that the French team failed, starting with its rear base. Estelle Nze-Minko (0/4) and Tamara Horacek (4/9) struggled to finish. Against a team like Norway, this lack of execution proved crucial for the team, while the native of Pozega had led the Blues to the final thanks to his accuracy in front of goal. The Tricolores leave with the money and certainly a lot of regrets.

Cyréna Samba-Mayela avoids zero points in athletics

The athletics federation was counting on this Saturday, August 10, to avoid finishing these Olympic Games empty-handed. It was in the 100 meters hurdles that came the first and only medal for the French athlete on the purple track of the Stade de France. Cyréna Samba-Mayela unlocked this counter at the end of an ultra-tight race that needed a photo finish to determine the order of the podium. She finally finished second (12″34), one hundredth behind the American Masai Russell (12″33).

The 23-year-old hurdler was able to find her best form after heats and semi-finals that were below the times needed to get on the podium. With a final two tenths faster than her semi-final and only three hundredths off her personal best, she was just a breath away from bringing home a gold medal.

“Dany Dann” succeeds in breaking through

A sport added to the Olympic Games program in Paris, breakdancing brought a medal to the French clan with the silver of “Dany Dann”, beaten in the group stage, then in the final by the Canadian “Phil Wizard”. A great performance for the Frenchman, who won his quarter and semi-final against two Americans in tight battles that ultimately turned in favor of the dancer from Perpignan.