France’s men’s handball team won their second Olympic gold medal on Sunday, 22-21, despite a difficult second half. This was the first time a male handball team had won two gold medals in a row. “I have lived the best day of my life,” remarked defender Jerome Fernandez.
France squandered scoring opportunities that would have made the triumph easier, but it was aided by the brilliance of its defense, with goalie Thierry Omeyer making 11 stops and veteran Didier Dinart blocking and keeping the Swedes out of the goal. The large crowd of French supporters in the stadium also assisted, yelling “Allez les Bleus” and leaping about for much of it.
The victory was especially sweet for the French because several critics had urged for changes in the squad following its 11th-place performance at the European Championships earlier this year. They believed that the players, ten of whom won in Beijing, were too elderly, and that London 2012 was too far away. “We showed the people who pitied us that they should feel silly and bad,” explained Nikola Karabatic.
Few anticipated Sweden to reach the finals before the competition started. It won its fourth Olympic silver medal since 1992, after never winning gold. Earlier, Croatia defeated Hungary 33-26 to win bronze.
Both teams failed to score during the first half. Swedish goalkeeper Johan Sjostrand saved four of France’s first six efforts, and after ten minutes, the score was 3-3. The sides remained within a point until the 24th minute when France took a three-point lead with Xavier Barachet’s third goal of the half. Sweden quickly responded, but the world champion led 10-8 at the break.
Sweden scored shortly after the restart and came within a goal of France twice more throughout the half. Niclas Ekberg halved France’s advantage to 16-15 at the 46th minute, but Sweden immediately lost Kim Ekdahl du Rietz for two minutes due to a foul.
France scored twice during the suspension, relieving some of the burden. In the final minute of the game, Luc Abalo scored to make the score 22-20. Ekdahl du Rietz of Sweden scored again, but France called a timeout and hung on for the victory.
“We wanted gold but had to make do with silver. “This is life, and we have to keep smiling and celebrating our success at the Olympics,” Swedish coach Staffan Olsson remarked. “The players were exhausted by the end, but they continued trying and almost won the tie or better. The French triumph reinforced their dominance in handball in previous years. After winning in Beijing