Difficult to draw any good from this Friday, July 30 in Tokyo for the French Olympic team.
This morning, the French woke up hungover after missing gold medals for Teddy Riner and Romane Dicko in judo, BMX and fencing.
The 100% victory in team sport will not really make us smile.
Note also the thunderclap in tennis with the defeat of Novak Djokovic in the semifinals.
We summarize the essentials of this day at the Olympics.
Riner and Dicko: the bronze medals that we appreciate less
Teddy Riner had only come for the gold medal.
The French colossus will leave Tokyo with an individual bronze medal.
Beaten in the quarterfinals by Russian world number one Tamerlan Bashaev, he managed to bounce back this Friday at noon and proved that he was anything but his place far from the podiums.
The two-time Olympic champion won his small final against the Japanese Hisayoshi Harasawa, the revenge of the Rio 2016 final. A bronze with a very bitter taste for the greatest French judoka of all time.
🥋🇫🇷🥉 It will be bronze for Teddy Riner!
It is also in these moments that we recognize the true champions.
The French put aside the frustration to win the bronze medal against the Japanese Harasawa.
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- France tv sport (@francetvsport) July 30, 2021
“Of course, there is frustration he conceded at the microphone of France Televisions, while remaining smiling.
But I believe that today, we must remember age.
Of course I know I had the level to go to the final but the truth is, I'm still happy, ”explained the double Olympic champion.
🥋🇫🇷 The nightmare is over!
Romane Dicko offers a medal to the French delegation!
After many disappointments today, here is finally a medal!
She offered herself bronze at only 21 years old!
💪
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- France tv sport (@francetvsport) July 30, 2021
If Romane Dicko does not have the same record as Teddy Riner, the tricolor judokate came to seek the same charm as him, and also leaves with the bronze.
Twice European champion in 2018 and 2020, the 21-year-old Frenchwoman was beaten on waza-ari by Cuban world number one Idalys Ortiz in the semi-final.
She then defeated the Turkish patron Kayra Sayit.
A victory which made him burst into tears: "You don't spit on a medal", even if it is not the right one.
Epee and BMX: failures that still cannot be explained
The French swordsmen had everything to succeed.
They had been Olympic champions since 2004, had always been medalists since Barcelona in 1992, and had, in addition, in their team the reigning Olympic champion, Romain Cannone.
But nothing helped: the French team épée lost to Japan to everyone's surprise and on the last touch, while we are at 44-44.
Yannick Borel, disappointing in individual, is taken by the Japanese Kano.
"We feel below what is expected of us, we feel below everything," lamented the last torchbearer.
The end of a reign.
The symbol of a catastrophic day.
😭 The French épée team eliminated from the start!
🥇🥈🏅 One of the main medal chances flies away # Tokyo2020 #Olympic Games pic.twitter.com/42FvdfuXUK
- Eurosport France (@Eurosport_FR) July 30, 2021
And what about the tricolor BMX? Three French in the final out of 7 candidates for the podium, the medal was almost mathematical, and then patatras. Everything collapsed. Blame it on an average start of the French, and also an incredible fall of Joris Daudet in the last corner, while he firmly held the third place. Results of the race: 4th, 6th and 8th places. Considered the best in the world, the French riders in this ultra-spectacular discipline have completely made it through. "It's a shame… That's how it is, it's sport", launches, fatalistic and almost sounded Sylvain André. Total knockout for the supporters of the Blues.
😌 Huge disillusionment for French BMX
The three Frenchmen finished 4th, 6th and 8th in the long-awaited final.
Niek Kimmann wins Olympic gold ahead of Kye Whyte and Carlos Alberto Ramirez # Tokyo2020 #Olympic
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- France tv sport (@francetvsport) July 30, 2021
The little blue lightning: 100% of team sports
Fortunately, the French teams are there to make us smile this Friday.
The day started very well with a solid victory for the handball players against Spain.
The band of Nikola Karabatic won logically against Spain (37-31) and achieves a faultless in his group.
Four games, four wins, and first place in Group A. Head to the quarter-finals.
Then, the French women's basketball team recovered perfectly after its inaugural defeat against Japan.
Sandrine Gruda's teammates have largely won against Nigeria 87-62 and are relaunching in their group.
Next decisive match against the United States, even if the French can qualify with a defeat, as the best third.
🔥 "Basketball is easy!"
Yes, especially with @ gabbywilliams15 in his team!
🇫🇷 At half-time, the French lead largely against Nigeria # Tokyo2020 #JeuxOlympiques pic.twitter.com/dnPoODClnz
- Eurosport France (@Eurosport_FR) July 30, 2021
Just after, it was the French rugby sevens who came a little closer to an Olympic medal. Les Bleues dominated China 24-10 in the quarterfinals. Attention big piece in 1/2 with Great Britain. The French are already doing better than at the Rio Games where they finished in 6th place. With five wins in five games since the start of the competition, the France team can hurt the British.
The perfect Friday for team sports ended with a great victory for the volleyball players against Russia.
In difficulty in their group, and in the obligation to win, today, the French have found their game to beat the Russians in four sets (25-21, 20-25, 25-17, 25-20) .
We will have to continue on this series to beat Brazil and fight for a first medal at the Olympic Games in men's volleyball.
Mixed record for swimming and athletics
Still on the French side, the Tokyo basin does not yet succeed perfectly for French swimmers. This Friday, the 4x100m medley relay stopped in the semi-finals. In 4th place in their series after the disqualification of Brazil, the Blues only obtained 10th time in total and will therefore not compete in the final. Yohann Ndoye Brouard, Antoine Viquerat, Léon Marchand and Mehdy Metella finished in 3′33 ″ 41, very far from the national record.
Another elimination in 50 m freestyle.
Marie Wattel finished in 6th position in her series in 24 ″ 82.
With the 18th time, the Frenchwoman will not even see the semi-finals.
On the other hand, it goes for Mélanie Henique in 24 ″ 62, who sets the 13th fastest time in the series.
Still in the 50m freestyle, no worries for Florent Manaudou and Maxime Grousset who qualify for the 1/2.
The London Olympic champion signed a beautiful 21''65, second time in the series, just behind Calaeb Dressel.
🇫🇷 Florent Manaudou finished 2nd in his series in the 50m freestyle behind Caeleb Dressel.
In the semi-final, the London Olympic champion will be joined by another Frenchman, Maxime Grousset, author of the 15th time # Tokyo2020
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- France tv sport (@francetvsport) July 30, 2021
We get out of the water to go paddling.
Boris Neveu, in canoeing, finished 7th in his final.
For his first Olympic Games at 35, the French hoped to win a medal.
And since you can't run on water, head to the athletics tracks with the start of the trials.
In the 10,000m men, Morhad Amdouni took tenth place in 27′53 ″ 58.
It will especially be necessary to watch the tricolor runner on the marathon.
Finally, in the triple jump, Rouguy Diallo got his ticket to the final with a jump at 14m29.
The shock of the day: the elimination of Djokovic
If a typhoon approaches Tokyo, the Japanese capital experienced a real earthquake this Friday with the elimination of Novak Djokovic.
The world number 1 who aimed for the "Golden Slam" (Editor's note, Winning the 4 Grand Slam tournaments, and Olympic gold in the same year) was overthrown in the semi-final by Alexander Zverev in 3 sets (6-1, 3-6, 1-6).
🎾🤯 ZVEREV EXPLOIT!
# Tokyo2020
🇩🇪 The German overthrows world No.1 Novak Djokovic in 3 sets!
He will meet the Russian Khachanov in the final of the #Olympic
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- France tv sport (@francetvsport) July 30, 2021
However, the Serbian was perfectly engaged in his match.
Largely dominant on the ground, the "Djoker" rocked with a set and a break in advance (6-1, 3-2 service to follow).
Behind, the 24-year-old German signed eight consecutive games to soar to victory.
An unpredictable scenario for the world number 5 who burst into tears in his briefcase.
Difficult day for Djokovic as the world number 1 was also released in the semi-final of the mixed doubles.
At 3 years of the next Olympics, it's hard to say if the Serbian will be able to get an Olympic gold medal.