Tokyo Olympics: parity, resources and experience ... Why the French hand dominates the world

The mines were tired, and we saw in the speech of some the scars of a difficult awakening, but Nikola Karabatic, Luc Abalo and the other Blues got out of bed to allow a historical image at Yoyogi stadium That of the simultaneous presence of selections from the same country, crowned in the same sport less than 24 hours apart. After the success of the Blues against Denmark on Saturday night in Tokyo, the coronation of the Blues against Russia on Sunday afternoon allowed France to afford an incredible double. In the history of handball, only two countries had already succeeded: the USSR in 1976 in Montreal, and Yugoslavia in 1984 in Los Angeles.

Five years ago in Rio, we thought we could already add France to this list, but the defeat of the two selections against their victims of 2021 had delayed the double explosion of joy.

Before a first double in 2017 with a double world title.

Very strong, but less tasty than the Japanese performance.

“Our double victory reinforces the joy of my gold medal,” smiles Alison Pineau.

To think that we can do it at the same Games is awe-inspiring.

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Same budget for men and women

“I'm happy for the double, but even happier for her because it is their first gold at the Olympics, blows the triple Olympic champion, Nikola Karabatic. They had won a medal in Rio, and we know the difficulty of winning this first title. "But where he and the Blues enjoyed the pleasure of the top step of the podium from Beijing in 2008, the French have failed four times in a row between Athens in 2000 and London in 2012.

"We copied and pasted later what we had managed to do with the men, there was a twelve-year gap between the two projects," pleads the president of the French handball federation, Philippe Bana.

When I became DTN in 1999, we were the 30th nation in the world and we had just miraculously qualified for the world championship.

Olivier Krumbolhz told me that he wanted to have the best conditions, and we put that in place.

Three months later, they are vice-world champions.

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To read alsoJO from Tokyo: “Fèmé boutik, fèmé!” Where does the Creole war cry of the Bleues du hand come from?

Since then, the federation has allocated similar resources to its two selections. “It costs ten million euros in all, and it's five each,” explains Philippe Bana. We want to allocate the same bonuses and the same level of supervision. Parity is not fair to make beautiful pictures with the girls on them. "

Speaking of beautiful image, we start dreaming of one: the two selections which retain their home title at the Paris Olympics in three years, where handball will be played in Lille. “These Games will be the competition of the century for us,” says Olivier Krumbholz. "I always say that the best day of French handball has never come, because we are not satisfied, slips Philippe Bana. But this best day can be called the double at home for Paris 2024. There, to chain two new titles, it would be like in Mission Impossible. But at the end of the series, they get there anyway. "