2023-12-17 23:18:59
They are world champions, but they promise: tomorrow, they will be even better. They are like that, the Blues of handball. Never satisfied, even after this third world title won this Sunday, December 17 at the end of a very close match against the Norwegians, lifelong rivals. This 31 to 28 victory, twenty years after the inaugural coronation of 2003, and six years after that of 2017, is in fact for them only a cherry on a cake which has not yet left the kitchens, the Olympic pastry which they intend to enjoy next summer at the Paris Games.
“It reopens the field of possibilities for our futurecommented captain Estelle Nze Minko. It’s very interesting and it gives us a huge confidence boost. Now, I think we’re scaring everyone even more.”. And it wasn’t easy to win again at the top, especially in front of the Norwegians who have been the scarecrow of Les Bleues for two years. Scandinavians who had extinguished the aura of the Olympic champions in an authoritarian second half during the 2021 World Cup final (22-29 defeat), then once again dampened the ambition of the French in the semi-final of Euro 2022 (20-28) finally finished in fourth place.
A paid questioning
Enough to leave a little room for doubt, or at least for the need to review a certain number of things, and especially this tricolor attack that is all too often difficult. A few months of upheaval and intense reflections on this offensive sector were followed by hard work from Olivier Krumbholz’s daughters to come back very strongly in the race. This World Cup in Scandinavia, in very hostile territory for the Bleues, should precisely be an opportunity to measure the effectiveness of the efforts made, with, at least in the discourse of the Bleues management, a tendency not to put too much of issues in the affair to repeat that the main thing was elsewhere, in a few months at home for Paris 2024.
The first match of the competition also revealed a certain excitement on the Blue side, the start against Angola bordering on a worrying false start (30-29). But the champions got back on track quickly enough, so as not to be derailed again. After the semi-final without trembling against Sweden (37-28), coach Olivier Krumbholz showed satisfaction that was already very present, but still in the tone of: let’s not get the wrong objective: “We wanted to show that the France team was moving towards a summer where we will be uncompromising and at a high level of play. Now, the appetite comes with eating…”.
Insatiable
And the Blues therefore enjoyed themselves without being embarrassed, because they really had the possibility of showing themselves to be sovereign in this matter. The Norwegians beat them twice rather than once after their success a few days earlier in the main round (24-23). In the final, they didn’t really tremble, giving up the score just seven minutes into the first half. But they went into the break with a three-goal lead, which they managed to maintain until the end. “I am so proud of our journeyapplauded goalkeeper Laura Glauser after the match. We made zero mistakes. We deserve to have this medal”.
The award especially highlights the success of women’s handball which quietly achieves the same consistency as its men’s counterpart. Generations pass, and renewal is assured for the better. From the 2017 world champions – it’s not that far away – only four players remain in the current team. And the Blues are also characterized by their homogeneity, no head really sticking out, each taking their share of the collective success without one or two stars needing to save the house as often happens.
Alongside Estelle Nze Minko who can play the veterans at 32 years old, the young Pauletta Foppa (soon to be 23 years old), Sarah Bouktit (21 years old) and Léna Grandveau (20 years old), were decisive against Norway, revealing the very high level of the next generation. Such a group can satisfy Olivier Krumbholz who for his part led his troops for the eleventh time in the final of an international competition. Excuse me a little. But the coach who had his last world championship there also always wants more. “The goal will be to be even better than that next summerhe insisted after the match. Even though it’s great to be world champion, the ultimate goal remains the gold medal at the Games.”. This is the promise of the insatiable.
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