France secured second olympic gold in a row! Poland defeated in straight sets
2 min read
France successfully defend Gold Medal they won in Tokyo three years ago, becoming the first back-to-back Olympic champions in men’s volleyball since the USA in 1988!
France retained their Olympic title by defeating Poland in just three sets in the Paris 2024 final.
The match, held at the South Paris Arena 1, saw an amazing crowd of more than 10,000 cheering France to victory with set scores of 25:19, 25:20, and 25:23.
The winners were made to work for it in the final set, as at one point it seemed as if Poland would save four match points to give themselves one more shot, but a service error from Wilfredo Leon (after a great ace that was worth a dangerous 24-22) gave France a 25-23 set win and with it the match in front of a jubilant volleyball fans.
The French team, with ten members from their Tokyo 2020 gold medal squad, showcased their prowess despite a shaky start in the preliminary rounds.
They rallied with a dramatic comeback over Germany in the quarterfinals, and then overpowered Italy and Poland in the knockout stages.
All perfect, today, for France: from setter Antoine Brizard, author of 3 decisive kill blocks (4 points for him), to opposite and top scorer Jean Patry, who left the court with 17 points including two blocks and one ace through 65% in attack, but also outside hitters Trevor Clevenot (11) and leader Earvin Ngapeth (8), from middle-blocker Barthlemy Chinenyeze (8) to libero Jenia Grebennikov, until Quentin Jouffroy, who made a significant impact with four crucial aces off the bench.
Also team numbers speak in favor of the winners: 9 winning blocks to 4, 8 aces to 4, 47% in attack (80% only in first set), 57% in reception for France, to 30.7% and 54% respectively for the rivals.
Polandâs top scorer was Bartosz Kurek with 10 points but, in any case today’s losing side, led by coach Nikola GrbiÄ, made history, earning their first Olympic medal in 48 years, securing a well-deserved silver medal.
The bronze went to the USA, who yesterday defeated Italy with the same result, 3-0.
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đ| Volleyball Olympic Games – Paris 2024
Friday, August 9, 2024 | Bronze Medal Match
16.00 (Local Time) | Italy – USA đ„0-3 (23:25, 28:30, 24:26)
Saturday, August 10, 2024 | Gold Medal Match
13.00 (Local Time) | France đ„- Poland đ„ 3-0 (25:19, 25:20, 25:23)
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