France’s men’s foil team, comprising Enzo Lefort, Erwann Le Pechoux, Julien Mertine, and Maxime Pauty, clinched gold on July 31, 2021, defeating the Russian Olympic Committee 45-28 at the Tokyo 2020 Games.
This victory, France’s fifth fencing medal in Tokyo, marked their first men’s foil team title since the 2000 Sydney Olympics, boosting France’s total medal tally to 21.
The team, finalists in Rio 2016 against Russia, showcased their dominance in a sport where France has historically excelled, winning 123 Olympic fencing medals by 2021.
Manaudou’s Swimming Silver
Florent Manaudou secured a silver medal in the men’s 50m freestyle, clocking 21.55 seconds, finishing behind USA’s Caeleb Dressel, who set an Olympic record of 21.07.
Brazil’s Bruno Fratus took bronze. “I’m proud of myself and not only for this medal,” Manaudou told journalists, reflecting on a challenging year marked by inconsistent timings.
Dressel added another gold in the men’s 4x100m medley relay, breaking the world record, while Australia’s Emma McKeon won her fifth gold and 11th Olympic medal in the women’s 4x100m medley relay, setting a new Olympic record with teammates Kaylee McKeown, Chelsea Hodges, and Cate Campbell.
Track and Field Highlights
Jamaica’s Elaine Thompson-Herah made history in the women’s 100m, defending her title with an Olympic-record 10.61 seconds, the second-fastest time ever, leading a Jamaican sweep with Shelly-Ann Fraser-Pryce (silver) and Shericka Jackson (bronze).
Italy’s Lamont Marcell Jacobs won the men’s 100m in a European record of 9.80 seconds, ending Usain Bolt’s 13-year reign, with Fred Kerley (USA) and Andre de Grasse (Canada) taking silver and bronze.
Poland claimed the inaugural mixed 4x400m relay gold, and Sweden’s Daniel Ståhl won the men’s discus. Qatar’s Fares El-Bakh became the nation’s first Olympic champion in the men’s 96kg weightlifting, setting a Games record.
Tennis Golds for Germany and Czech Republic
Germany’s Alexander Zverev won the men’s singles tennis gold, defeating Karen Khachanov 6-3, 6-1 in 79 minutes, becoming the second German singles champion after Steffi Graf in 1988. Czech duo Barbora Krejčíková and Kateřina Siniaková secured the women’s doubles title, beating Switzerland’s Belinda Bencic and Viktorija Golubic 7-5, 6-1, adding to their French Open crown.
The victories highlighted a strong European presence in tennis amid the Tokyo Games’ spectator-less environment, impacted by Covid-19’s global toll of over 198 million cases.
Boxing Controversy
France faced disappointment in boxing when super-heavyweight Mourad Aliev was disqualified for headbutting in his quarter-final against Britain’s Frazer Clarke on August 1. Aliev, 26, protested by sitting on the ring’s edge, calling the decision an “injustice.” He claimed officials admitted a mistake but said the disqualification was final, stating, “I prepared for these Games for four years… I really wanted to fight against the injustice.”
The incident, the first major boxing controversy in Tokyo, sparked debate, with posts on X reflecting frustration over inconsistent officiating.
African Performances
Ghana’s Samuel Takyi guaranteed at least a bronze in men’s featherweight boxing, the nation’s first Olympic medal since 1992, while Nigeria’s Tobi Amusan reached the women’s 100m hurdles final.
South Africa’s Akani Simbine finished fourth in the men’s 100m, and Kenya’s Ferguson Rotich and Emmanuel Korir qualified for the men’s 800m final.
Egypt’s men’s handball team advanced to the quarter-finals, and Nigeria’s Ese Brume reached the women’s long jump final, showcasing Africa’s resilience in a pandemic-disrupted Games.
