This is another historic medal for the Blues. This Saturday, August 10, the French volleyball players became Olympic champions for the second consecutive time, after triumphing against the Russians under a neutral banner in Tokyo in 2021. In the overheated atmosphere of the Arena Paris Sud, the French team won 3 sets to 0 (25-19, 25-20, 25-23) against Poland, world champion in 2014 and 2018. This resounding victory once again allowed captain Benjamin Toniutti’s team to build its legend: the French became the third nation to achieve such a double, after the USSR in 1964 and 1968 and the United States in 1984 and 1988. “They made their breakthrough by making French volleyball even more popular, it’s great to see how much the whole of France was behind them,” rejoices Gabrielle-Marie, a volleyball enthusiast. came to watch the competition. While the discipline is not widely publicized outside of the Olympic Games, the young woman is impressed by the enthusiasm of the spectators for the players of the French team, welcomed like kings in the temporary stadium at Porte de Versailles. “It’s incredible to see how this sport is becoming more democratic, the atmosphere is crazy!” she exclaims, raising her voice to cover a Marseillaise.
By noon, hundreds of supporters, mostly French, were already crowding around the structure, sporting blue-white-red flags, rooster costumes or hats bearing the image of the mascot Phryge. To the haunting sound of “Allez les Bleus”, the crowd was already getting into the mood. Some, like Pierre, had never attended a volleyball match before the Olympic Games, and would have been quite incapable of naming a single player from the French team a few days ago. “But their performances in the semi-final were so incredible, we have to get excited about this sport! Now, we’re all in, we’re behind them!” comments this Parisian, painted in the colours of the French flag.
It must be said that the Blues have managed to charm the fans since the start of the competition: after an up-and-down start, notably marked by a defeat against Slovenia, they were able to remobilise their forces against Germany in the quarter-finals on 5 August. Against Italy, two days later, it was the turning point: the French won 3 sets to 0 against the reigning world champions, and took an entire nation with them. “Everyone is discovering that volleyball is exciting, that it is a very tight, spectacular competition, with very high jumps, serves sometimes at over 100 km/h and extremely fast smashes. Once they have had a taste of this spectacle, the spectators will want to come back to watch competitions, or even to play!”, comments Colletty, a young volleyball player who proudly wears the French team jersey.
“Come on, the Blues, the supporters are here”
The show, in fact, was there this Saturday. Acclaimed by a delirious crowd, heated to white heat by the first notes ofI will survive by Gloria Gaynor, from Seven nation army White Stripes or even French Cancan, players Antoine Brizard, Barthélémy Chinenyeze, Trévor Clévenot, Nicolas Le Goff, Earvin Ngapeth and Jean Patry rush onto the court, focused. French volleyball legend Earvin Ngapeth, a member of the French team since 2010, opens the match with an energetic serve, to the applause of the crowd. The crowd makes the stands shake with each touch, sings Marseillaise and multiplies the clappingas if contaminated by the impressive energy of the players on the field. The first set is won by the Blues 25-19, and the French wave their flags while shouting, as encouragement.
After a giant karaoke to the sound of That I love you by Johnny Hallyday, the second set can begin. Much tighter, this second part of the match has the crowd at the Arena Paris Sud holding their breath. While the Blues are led at the start of the set by Poland, the crowd exults when the French regain control in a few minutes, notably via the ace of Quentin Jouffroy, who has just entered the court, then by the smash of Jean Patry. “Come on, the Blues, the fans are here”, shouts the crowd. The stadium, packed to the rafters, is in turmoil when the French volleyball players finally win this second set, 25 to 20. “He who does not jump is not French”, chants the hundreds of fans to start the third set.
In this last part of the match, Poland did not disappoint, quickly equalizing in the middle of the set, again very tight. With each point snatched by the Blues, the name of the player was taken up in chorus by the more than 10,000 spectators, furious when Quentin Jouffroy scored another ace, helped by the net, at the end of the set. At 21 points against 18, the tension in the stadium was at its peak. The points continued, the Blues took off. The speaker fired up the crowd, who cheered on their favorite team in unison. But the match tightened in the very last part of the set, the Poles quickly coming back: a few minutes before the end of the match, the score was 24-23 for France, and the atmosphere in the stadium was increasingly stifling. Until the service of the Pole Leon Venero, who went out of bounds and gave France its second gold medal. Amidst the chants and applause of the delirious crowd, the Blues embrace under the Freed from Desire de Gala, aware of having written a small page of history.