From our special correspondent in Tokyo,
Remember Rio, those 15-14 defeats in full wagon fencing, Alaphilippe’s fall on the bike, early eliminations in judo, and that medal counter that remains stuck at zero until Sunday night. Since Athens in 2004, one pay, the Blues returned fanny to the Olympic village on day 1. But for our first Olympics on the battlefield, we hope to bring luck to the French delegation. Our prediction? This will be sorted out even before the first bowl of chocapics of the weekend.
Saturday morning at 4 a.m.: Océane Muller to release everyone before waking up
The rough diamond of this France team, and this is not a media exaggeration. The Fédé, initially reluctant to exhibit the young girl (18) this summer, ended up making an exception given her immense potential by deciding to outclass her at the last moment. Balance sheet? Gold medal in the rifle at the European Championships and qualifying for Tokyo. BIM. “It’s a promise that comes true, but we’re not going to put any extra pressure on him. It would be too soon, ”warns DTN Gilles Muller. Don’t worry big, we’re here for that.
What she says : “I am serene and I have always been serene whatever the competition since I have been shooting. I just can’t wait to get started. It will play very tight, we all have more or less the same level. My first goal is to make the final in the top ten. If I’m there, all I want is to get on the podium ”.
What we expect : A gauge of confidence a thousand at the age of believing itself immortal, what could go wrong? Especially since if we believed for a moment that Manu Macron could take a tour of the Asaka stand, the President of the Republic finally opted for judo and street basketball. No unnecessary extra pressure, great.
🥇 What an incredible performance from our shooter Océanne Muller this afternoon in #Croatia who won the title of European Champion in #Rifle Women and at the same time, an Olympic Rifle quota for France 👏🏻🇫🇷@Sports_gouv @EquipeFRA @MizunoFrance #Shoot pic.twitter.com/5YzFlZLSoM
– FFTir (@tir_ff) May 24, 2021
Saturday breakfast: Robin Hood brings down the Sheriff of Nottingham
Five years after his silver medal in Brazil, our favorite wild boar hunter Jean-Charles Valladont is still around to guide the little wonder Lisa Barbelin in the mixed team event. It is not the medal on which we count the most in the instances, but as long as the draw helps a little, who knows.
What they say, by Benoit Binon, team leader : “The Federation claimed a medal, today we are arriving with the arguments to be able to take one. To say that we will take it, now… Let’s say that statistically we always have a little more luck on the team medals. It will be necessary to show opportunism to take advantage of this somewhat particular context ”.
What we expect : To be there already, because since Kevin Costner who smashes drunken soldiers
throwing two arrows at the same time, we have a weakness for discipline. For the rest, let’s be honest, the medal is very hypothetical.
Saturday noon, at mealtime: Shirine Boukli snatches bronze in judo
The meteorite of French judo stung Mélanie Clément’s place on the gong in less than 48kg. European champion in 2020, she bluffed the audience by bending the Japanese vice-world champion and the double Ukrainian world champion during the Grand Slam in Tel Aviv. A regret all the same, she did not confirm enough to snatch a seeded place in Tokyo. The kind of details that matter at the Olympics, where the draw Ukrainian Bilodid reserved for him in the second round.
What his girlfriend Romane Dicko says : “I have confidence in us girls, we will bring home seven titles, even eight with the team by team”! A little optimistic but not devoid of common sense: all the girls involved in the Blues are potential medal winners.
What we expect : Logical defeat against the Ukrainian, then course without false note in repechage until the match for 3rd place against the Mongolian Munkhbat. Victory by Waza-ari in overtime, and zou on the box.
Saturday early April: Boladé Apithy hits the nail on the head in men’s saber
The Dijon fencer, who walked like a plane in 2020, had to digest the hard blow of the non-qualification by teams. All the saber mates decided to hang up in the process, and Apithy turned to Christian Bauer’s private academy in Orléans, where he trains with the Georgian Sandro Baladzé, a member like him of the world top 10. In a weapon where the first 15 are somewhat equal according to specialists, Apithy can go to the end provided he is in a big day.
What his trainer thinks about it (Jean-Philippe Daurelle) : “Boladé is world number 6, he won two of the last eight major tournaments in the discipline, knowing that seven of his tournaments took place before the pandemic. Now he was in great shape last year, so there is no reason to believe that he does not go like a ball to put in a good performance and clear the score for us ”.
What we expect : A 15-14 victory in the quarterfinals against an American history of offering two fights for a medal. Then come what may.
Sunday at mother-in-law: Buchard finally delivers the homeland
We will not come to such ends, but know however that if triumphant France were to forget to get out of bed on Saturday, Amandine Buchard will always remainAnd her scarecrow sign in the women’s table of -52kg in judo, where she even managed to knock out the reigning world champion Uta Abe, deemed invincible in 2019. “The goal is to be Olympic champion on July 25,” assumes the person concerned. This year, I beat the last girls I had never beaten. It gives confidence. I can tell myself that whoever it is in front of me, I have the solution to beat her ”.