The tricolor Paralympic athletes are off to a good start for their ten days of competition at the Beijing Games.
They have already brought back two medals including a title during the first events on Saturday even if this day was also marked by some disappointments in the ranks of the French delegation.
The Bauchet Surprise
Rather expected in the technical events, Arthur Bauchet created a sensation by winning the first French gold medal in the downhill in the standing category.
The 21-year-old skier started in second position and crossed the finish line in less than a second and 15 hundredths after an aggressive race.
He will not leave the first step of the podium and will finish ahead of the Austrian Markus Salcher and the Swiss Théo Gmuer who had been crowned in this same event at the Paralympic Games of 2014 and 2018. The licensee of the ski club of Briançon confirms his status as a new world star of Paralympic skiing, he who had already won four silver medals in Pyeongchang.
The title for Arthur Bauchet 🇫🇷🥇
🇫🇷 First gold medal for France, in men's downhill!
Silver medal 4 years ago, the 21-year-old Frenchman wins his first Paralympic title #Paralympic Games
▶️ Follow the Paralympic Games: https://t.co/pz4UL2aZG9 pic.twitter.com/Eh5IKESKj2
— francetvsport (@francetvsport) March 5, 2022
The initial disappointment for Marie Bochet
Unlike the young Varois, Marie Bochet was expected on this first day of competition in Beijing, especially since it was the first Frenchwoman in the running.
Eight-time Paralympic champion, the 28-year-old could approach these Games with confidence after her world title in downhill won last January in Lillehammer (Norway).
Finally, she was quickly disillusioned by losing a ski at the second gate.
“There was a small hole, I put my foot in it, she explained a few minutes after this failure.
The ski is made to take off if it is shocked.
It happens.
Except that we prefer when it happens in training, and not on the day of the Games downhill.
The Frenchwoman will have the opportunity to catch up on Sunday in the Super-G event.
A hard blow for Marie Bochet 🇫🇷⛷
Double Paralympic downhill champion, the Frenchwoman lost a ski in the first seconds of her race... #Paralympic
Games Follow the Paralympic Games live: https://t.co/pz4UL2aZG9 pic .twitter.com/mi4RPSAIhf
— francetvsport (@francetvsport) March 5, 2022
Hyacinthe Deleplace and Valentin Giraud-Moine open the counter
It was therefore necessary to wait a few hours for the French to obtain a first medal, through Hyacinthe Deleplace and his guide Valentin Giraud-Moine.
The duo took third place on the downhill podium in the visually impaired category.
A bronze medal with a slightly bitter taste for this recent tandem which had only known gold since its formation last December.
“We're disappointed because we didn't do our cross-country skiing,” lamented Valentin Giraud-Moine.
The result is good, we could have done better.
" Hyacinthe Deleplace shared this feeling in his post-race analysis: "Perhaps I lacked a bit of relaxation.
I made a big mistake on the bottom of the wall, I lost all my speed.
Like Marie Bochet, the two will be able to improve their performance in the Super-G on Sunday.
Frustration for Benjamin Daviet
The flag bearer of the French delegation would undoubtedly have savored his bronze medal in the biathlon.
Unfortunately, Benjamin Daviet fails at the foot of the podium after a shooting error: “Extremely difficult race, he summarized.
I make a silly mistake on the last one (ball), I thought I was catching up on the skis but, in the end, I draw throughout the race.
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Ukraine leads the medal table
With seven medals, including three gold on Saturday, and first place in the medal table of the Paralympic Games in Beijing, the Ukrainians were able to make their country shine despite the war and the Russian invasion in their country.
More than 6,000 kilometers from the fighting and the bombardments, on the tracks of Zhangjiakou, the Ukrainian athletes shone and multiplied the messages of support and peace during the first day of the Games, from which the Russians and Belarusians were banned.
The Ukrainian team has recorded three biathlon titles, despite a grueling journey to reach China, which began with a bus trip to Europe.
