“We’re pulling our punches”: the Popov brothers fighting for the only Olympic ticket in badminton

2023-10-24 08:34:15

On this sunny Thursday morning in October near the Etang de Berre, Toma Junior (25 years old) and his little brother Christo (21 years old) start their training at the Fos-sur-Mer club (Bouches-du-Rhône) where they have been laid off since childhood. The session takes place in a renovated gymnasium located next to a former elementary school. Relaxed, Toma Junior brings a speaker near the badminton courts that spews out the biggest dance hits of the 1990s like “The Rythm of the Night” by Corona or “It’s My Life” by Docteur Alban.