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Tokyo Olympics: "We deserve more respect", the French triathlon redeems itself with a first Olympic bronze medal

2021-07-31T04:46:12.705Z


Disappointing individually, the French finished third in a discipline in which they are three-time world champions. A first louse


He finishes, spitting out whatever he has left in the engine, Tokyo's towering Rainbow Bridge in the background.

Pass the line.

And falls into the arms of his three partners who are waiting for him, mask on his nose, to embrace him.

Vincent Luis ends his race, and the Blues with him.

Here they are in bronze on the mixed relay of the triathlon of the Olympic Games, a first reward for France in this sport which entered the Games in 2000. And it redeems the results of these tricolors, landed in Japan with great ambitions in individual.

For those who slept at 12:30 am in France when Léonie Périault launched the festivities of her 27th birthday by throwing herself into a Tokyo bay warmed by the morning dampness, France has two ways of looking at this bronze.

One, remember that they are triple world champions in this relay and that Vincent Luis found himself driving the pace on the bike in front of the future British Olympic champion Alex Yee.

Two that they had the merit of not collapsing after generally disappointing individual events at the start of the week and that they made up for it after a delicate start to the race.

Worn out by his effort, Vincent Luis receives the support of his teammate Cassandre Beaugrand.

Reuters / Kacper Pempel KACPER PEMPEL

“We must not lie to each other, I am doing a poor performance, regrets the first tricolor torchbearer. The girls in front of me were swimming really hard. "" The other nations have put their best performing triathlete in swimming to fine the French relay, continues the DTN, Benjamin Maze. They knew we had to get out from the start. "We were the team to kill," said Dorian Coninx. Tossed around, France gradually caught up, by going up a notch with Coninx, by coming back to third position with Cassandre Beaugrand then by trying everything for everything with Vincent Luis. But after giving up everything to get back in front, the latter "ran out of gasoline" to continue the effort of swimming and cycling on the run.Despite the spirit of revenge that pushed the legs of the double world champion, only thirteenth in solo Monday.

"I wanted to bring back the gold medal for the team"

Revenge, and also a little bitter to be classified among the major tricolor disappointments.

“It's important to react after the individuals.

People have a bit of short memories, we have all made the top 5 here, France is a dominant nation in world triathlon, he was annoyed at the microphone of France Televisions.

We brought back a medal, we work hard, we deserve more respect than what was given to us after the individual.

"

🗣️😍 "It's a great reward"



Léonie Périault, who is celebrating her 27th birthday today, Cassandre Beaugrand, Dorian Coninx and Vincent Luis, heroes of the relay, come back to their race # Tokyo2020 #Olympic



Games Follow the Olympics live ▶ https : //t.co/Tki3Gsq4BI pic.twitter.com/AziJYqfMDX

- France tv sport (@francetvsport) July 31, 2021

A passage by the podium to receive his medal from the hands of Tony Estanguet, the anthem of the winners and a little "Happy birthday Léonie" sung by the British, American and French medalists, and we find a Vincent Luis softened during his second tour in front of the media.

"I would have liked to leave with two Olympic medals, I will only have one," slips the triathlete, forced to sit down to recover from the debauchery of energy granted.

But I've never had one, so don't spit on it.

It's incredible to bring back this first medal for the French triathlon.

"

“This bronze tastes like champagne, cowardly, all smiles, Benjamin Maze. After the disappointments in the individual events, we went into combat mode. The athletes managed to re-mobilize. We had high expectations, and this Olympic title made us dream. But we can leave happy. “Gathered on his own two feet, Vincent Luis projects himself on Paris 2024, where he could play at 35 his fourth Games in an attempt to scratch his personal medal. Another first, which the French triathlon still dreams of.

Source: leparis

All sports articles on 2021-07-31

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