“We’re not going home! ” In turn, French handball and basketball players have won: they are extending their stay in Tokyo by a few days. First badly embarked at the start of the fortnight, both are still there, qualified, Wednesday August 4, for the semi-finals of the Tokyo Olympic Games (OG). The Blue handball after a success over the Dutch world champions (32-22), those of basketball after a victory over their “Best enemies” Spanish (67-64). At the Yoyogi National Stadium as at the Saitama Super Arena, a similar exultation: “We are in semis! “
“Very happy to have won with the manner”, right-back Laura Flippes (6 goals) wants to see in this match ” a click “. “We can say that the France team [de handball] is back ! ” Finally on a firm footing, after a difficult start to competition: out of the five matches in the first round, two defeats against Spain and Russia and a draw against Sweden.
The ball is different, but the Bleues in basketball were also forced to bounce back. Beaten by surprising Japanese in their first match, Gabby Williams’ teammates qualified in extremis for the quarterfinals, having to take out the calculator. “Against Japan, it wasn’t us, it wasn’t our game, expresses the French wing. It was too easy for them. There, we are really a different team from the first game. “
Faced with Spain, selection having martyred it during the past decade (three defeats in the Euro final since 2013), the French basketball team showed a conquering face on Wednesday. “We don’t lose! Today we do not lose ”, shouts Marine Johannès, while the last seconds seem interminable. “We no longer want to find ourselves in the role of victims, it’s not us”, expresses the captain, Endy Miyem after the fact. So they rebelled, when Spain passed in front, at the very end of the match, and folded without breaking.
“War in every game”
The reason for these surges? “It cannot be explained, it has been a while since we have struggled to enter the competitions”, recognizes handball player Laura Flippes. Her partner Méline Nocandy admits it without difficulty: “Last week, I really thought we were going to come home, it was difficult, war in every game. ” Tight competition, the Olympic Games often reserve Dantesque group stages. “Qualifying for a semi-final of the Olympics is not trivial, corroborates Valérie Garnier, coach of the Blue basketball. Three teams from our group are in the semi-finals [France, Etats-Unis et Japon], in the end, maybe it wasn’t that easy. “
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