Special envoy to Tokyo
To discover
The full Olympic program
The Olympic medal table
What do you feel after this great success over Brazil (29-22), synonymous with qualifying for the quarterfinals?
Cleopatra Darleux:
“It's… (she hesitates) Especially happiness.
The joy of having seen a rediscovered team.
From a newfound state of mind too.
We had lost our collective a bit since the start of the competition.
There, it's really a pleasure to finally enter the competition.
Read also: Olympics: solid against Brazil, French handball players in the quarter-finals
How did you manage to find this collective?
We all talked a lot together.
We bared ourselves a bit to talk about what was wrong, what was going moderately.
It has done us the greatest good and that's what makes it possible for us to fight like that for each other on the pitch.
This allows us to be more liberated on the ground.
This was also seen in your performance and that of Amandine Leynaud. When the goalkeepers are doing well, the French team too ...
Yes it's clear. We have a very important position. Since the start of the competition, we had to turn to what, 28 goals conceded on average per game, which is not in our habits. Since the start of the competition, we weren't in it with “Doudou” (Leynaud). We were asking ourselves too many questions and we had entered a small negative spiral, from which we emerged today. It was the right time. We knew we could do the job. Defense needs us just as we need defense. It is based on mutual trust. I really think that having said things to each other allowed us to approach this game more relaxed, even if there was stress at the beginning.
With the quarter-finals begins a new competition ...
We must remember what happened against Brazil and start again on that basis. We have to continue our progress in each game, because our margin is important. We still make mistakes. We will always do it, that's the game, but we have to manage to do as little as possible. We must continue to want to move forward, to play, to take risks, while being smart. Talking with each other is very important, that's what makes our team so strong ”.
