The French handball players, Olympic champions in 2008 and 2012 and silver medalists in 2016, qualified for the Tokyo Games (July 23-August 8), at the end of the tournament played on Friday Sunday in Montpellier.
For their last match, the French lost against Portugal 29 to 28, and finished the Montpellier TQO with two victories in three games, a setback of no consequence for the quest for the ticket to Tokyo.
This success of Portugal, however, eliminates Croatia and gives the Lusitanians the second ticket to Japan.
The Blues will thus compete in the Olympic Games for the eighth consecutive time.
Since their emergence at the highest level in 1992 in Barcelona, the French have not missed any edition of the Olympics, playing the last three Olympic finals.
This qualification comes six weeks after the French team's 4th place at the 2021 World Cup in Egypt, and thirteen months after the Euro-2020 fiasco (elimination in the 1st round and 14th place).
In the Montpellier tournament, against top world handlers such as Croatia and Portugal, the French confirmed their progress in recent weeks and will come to Tokyo with the ambition of regaining the Olympic podium, which they no longer have. left from Beijing-2008.
On the Olympiad of the past five years between Rio and Tokyo, Denmark with its two world titles (2019 and 2021), and Spain, double European champion (2018 and 2020), have taken a head start, but the French have returned to the hierarchy.
The copy made is almost perfect, especially the second half against Croatia on Friday, which allowed them to win by four goals and open a tournament announced difficult but which the French have made easier.
A last match that allowed defeat
Sunday, in a match where the challenge was not to lose with a seven-goal gap, Michaël Guigou's teammates provided the show, like Luc Abalo, author of a shot in the back on a cons -Quick attack to give the French a comfortable first advance (7-2, 9th).
After a euphoric quarter of an hour (11-5, 16th), the French saw Portugal come back on their heels at the end of the first period (13-12), despite the many saves by Vincent Gérard (8 out of 20 shots).
In the second half, the crossover between Portuguese and French took place, the Blues still struggling to play seven field players in the Portuguese offensive phase.
Hugo Descat's entry on the left wing was not enough to win and end this tournament undefeated.
Portugal qualifies for the first time for the Games, just days after the death of goalkeeper Alfredo Quintana, who suffered cardiac arrest on February 22 and died four days later
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