The quartet made up of Marion Borras, Clara Copponi, Valentine Fortin and Victoire Berteau won the small final against Australia in the last event of the day.
“
We worked tirelessly.
We are not often at home, it's nice to have a good result like that at the end.
We are working on our history and we hope that it will continue and that it will be even more beautiful
, ”said Marion Borras.
"
The audience was incredible, it really pushes
," added Clara Copponi.
The wait has been long for the French camp, which has run from disappointment to disillusion since the start of these Worlds at home, less than two years from the 2024 Olympics which will take place in the same velodrome.
Thursday again, it is a long time the bad luck which dominated.
Two Frenchmen were for example among the six finalists of the keirin with Sébastien Vigier and Melvin Landerneau, enough to hope for at least a medal.
But they finished at the foot of the podium, fourth and fifth, behind the Dutch, undisputed masters of the sprint, starting with Harrie Lavreysen who won his third consecutive title in the event and his tenth world title overall.
Disappointment again in the scratch, a non-Olympic event, dominated by the Canadian Dylan Bibic and where Donavan Grondin, who was defending champion, could not do better than fifth on Thursday.
The example of the chasers will perhaps inspire Mathilde Gros who made a strong impression to reach the semi-finals of the speed tournament which will take place on Friday.
The 23-year-old Frenchwoman, bronze medalist at the Worlds in 2019, won with a substantial margin in the quarterfinals against Briton Sophie Capewell in two sets.
“
Tomorrow it will go up a notch again, against the three best in the world.
The goal is to try things, to crush as much as I can and end up dead from this day
, "