Awaited for years, finally there: Mathilde Gros on Friday brought France its first gold medal at the World Track Championships in Saint-Quentin-en-Yvelines, in the same velodrome where the Olympic Games will take place in less than two years.
This is the first world title for the 23-year-old Provençale, a great hope of sprinting since the juniors, and she won it in the queen event: speed.
And this triumph, she did not steal it after having single-handedly dominated the powerful German team.
First, in the semi-finals, by ejecting the double title holder, Emma Hinze, from the tournament, despite the loss of the first round.
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She did it again for the gold by leaving Lea Sophie Friedrich no chance, this time in two straight matches to live the best day of her life on a bike.
Mathilde Gros, born in the Pas-de-Calais but who grew up in the Bouche-du-Rhône, discovered cycling by chance eight years ago when she was an apprentice high-level basketball player and dreamed of baskets at three points.
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A pleasure that she shared on Friday with the public, numerous and overexcited, of the velodrome of Saint-Quentin-en-Yvelines who sang passionate “Mathilde, Mathilde”.
He had been warmed up by the beautiful silver medal won earlier in the evening by Melvin Landereau, who was then the second charm for France in these Worlds after the bronze won the day before by the women's pursuit team.
