France delivers Macron's wish securing best Olympic medal tally in a century

RFI

11 August 2024 at 12:01 pm·1-min read

President Emmanuel Macron had set the bar high by calling for 50 to 60 French medals at the Paris Olympics and Les Bleus duly delivered, reeling in the country's biggest medal haul since 1900, as the Games came to an end on Sunday.

The French women's basketball team delivered the delegation's 64th medal when they took silver after their final defeat against the US, the highest number since the 1900 Games – also held in Paris – when fewer nations competed, and some events were only contested by French athletes.

With 16 golds, France also beat their tally from Atlanta 1996 of 15 gold medals, and their 64 medals overall easily eclipsed their Beijing 2008 tally of 43.

Race to retain the Olympic cauldron begins as Paris Games come to an end

"This result is an exceptional result," Claude Onesta, High Performance Manager at the French National Sports Agency, told a news conference on Sunday as France finished fifth in the medals table.

"I wanted share our big satisfaction, with results that reflect the structural strength of our nation," sports minister Amelie Oudea-Castera added.

On X, the sports minister expressed her pride in the French women's basketball team's achievement, saying: "Well done girls for your exceptional tournament. You were giants!"

Marchand and Riner shine

Although expectations were not high, the major disappointment came from the athletics, where France only managed one medal.

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Marchand and Riner shine

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