No medal for France but the handball players and the French basketball team in the semi-finals, just like Team USA… What to remember from Tuesday, August 6

While night owls were able to watch Tahitian surfer Kauli Vaast’s victory live, other French athletes were involved on Tuesday, August 6, during the 11th day of the Paris Olympic Games. The handball players did not tremble against Germany to reach the last four, while in Le Bourget (Seine-Saint-Denis), climber Oriane Bertone found her marks in bouldering. Evan Fournier and his teammates played a full match to reach the last four of the basketball competition, while Team USA rolled against Brazil and will face Serbia in the semi-finals.

Kauli Vaast in the legend of French surfing

His tube from the first wave had almost guaranteed him Olympic gold. On his spot of Teahupo’o, which he knows by heart, Kauli Vaast put on a show, and quickly put an end to the suspense in this Olympic surfing final. With a 9.5/10, the Tahitian only had to deliver – which he did brilliantly – on his second attempt. At 22, Kauli Vaast offers France its first Olympic gold medal in surfing, a discipline that appeared on the Olympic program in 2021 in Tokyo.

Just before him, Johanne Defay brought French surfing its very first medal, ensuring, at the age of 30, her status as the greatest French surfer of all time. In this small final, the Reunion Islander stood out from her opponent, Costa Rican Brisa Hennessy, thanks to maneuvers committed to reduced waves, compared to those for which the spot is famous.

The French handball team one step away from the final

World champions and reigning Olympic champions, the French handball players held their own on Tuesday afternoon. In the quarter-finals against Germany (26-23), Tamara Horacek and her teammates set the Pierre-Mauroy stadium in Villeneuve-d’Ascq alight. In a football stadium atmosphere with 27,000 spectators in the stands, the Bleues had a little more difficulty than in the preliminary round, without panicking. Confident in their strengths, notably thanks to the valuable saves of Laura Glauser, Olivier Krumbholz’s players are ready for the semi-finals.

Julien Epaillard and his mare Dubai du Cèdre at the foot of the podium

No second Olympic medal for Julien Epaillard. After the bronze obtained with the French show jumping team on Friday, the French rider finished in fourth place in the individual final on Tuesday in Versailles. With his mare Dubai du Cèdre, they had a perfect start to the race, before making a small mistake on obstacle number 12, right at the end of the event. Enough to fuel a little disappointment, even if the native of Cherbourg (Manche) quickly put things into perspective: “My mare was great, it was a great week with the public in France.”

Oriane Bertone scores in the block, it’s just past Bassa Mawem on the speed

Highly anticipated on Tuesday by the Bourget crowd, Oriane Bertone from Reunion Island did not miss her start in her first Olympic Games. Imperious during her four appearances in the bouldering semi-finals, she took second place (84.5 points), behind the reigning Olympic champion, the Slovenian Janja Garnbret (99.6). Zélia Avezou, the second Frenchwoman entered, finished 12th (49.3).

On Thursday morning, the climbers who qualified in these semi-finals will tackle the difficulty test, with the aim of finishing in the top eight, and thus qualifying for the final.

In the men’s speed, Bassa Mawem qualified for the quarter-finals by a hair’s breadth. Eighth in the qualifications, the 39-year-old climber won his duel against the Ukrainian Yaroslav Tkach by a hundredth of a second and will compete in the quarter-finals on Thursday.

Hurdlers qualify for semi-finals

Bronze medallist at the European Championships in Rome, Agathe Guillemot made a successful start to the competition at the Stade de France on Tuesday morning during the 1,500m heats. In the long jump, Hilary Kpatcha from Toulouse took 12th place in qualifying, giving her a ticket to the final by… a mere centimetre.

In the men’s 110m hurdles repechage, Raphaël Mohamed and Wilhem Belocian snatched their ticket to the semi-finals by a few thousandths of a second. In the 200m, Ryan Zézé also secured his place in the semi-finals.

The evening at the Stade de France was also a success for the French women: for her first Olympic Games, Louise Maraval, at the age of 23, secured a place in the final of the 400m hurdles – a first for a French woman. The Entente-Sèvre hurdler took second place in her series in 53”83, behind Sydney McLaughlin-Levrone. The American should compete for the Olympic title with Femke Bol on Thursday. Shana Grebo’s journey, however, ends at the gates of this final, fourth in her series.

A little over an hour later, their compatriot Alice Finot smashed the European and French record for the 3,000m steeplechase, after a spectacular sprint in the last lap of the women’s final. After such a race, the 33-year-old CA Montreuil athlete took great comfort in her fourth place, going under the symbolic nine-minute mark.

The trigger, finally, among French basketball players

They will continue their story, in search of their second Olympic medal after silver in Tokyo. Vincent Collet’s Blues snatched victory in the quarter-finals against Canada, who were nevertheless favourites. The score was 82 to 73 at the end of the match, and the French had found their smiles again.

“We have never shown such a solid face over 40 minutes, in all the preparationsaid Victor Wembanyama. Now it’s just a matter of small details to sort out.” The Blues will not have much time to remedy this: on Thursday, Germany awaits them in the semi-finals, after having beaten them comprehensively in the last group match.

A few hours after them, the United States, unsurprisingly, also pocketed their ticket to the semi-finals, by crushing Brazil. Team USA completely dominated the match by beating the Brazilians 122 to 87. The four-time reigning Olympic champions will also replay one of their group matches, facing Serbia on Thursday.

Mijain Lopez Makes Olympic History

The Cuban wrestler is simply the first athlete to successfully defend his Olympic title four times. In the final of the Greco-Roman wrestling in the under 130kg category, Mijain Lopez dominated the Chilean Yasmani Acosta 6 to 0 at the Arena Champ-de-Mars.

At 41, the Cuban has held his own all the more since he had not appeared in competition since his last victory, at the Tokyo Olympics in 2021.