The spectacular show of Felix Lebrun is shaking Paris
France grabs the next bronze medal in table tennis. This time, the team led by Felix Lebrun, who had already won a medal in the individual event, made it exciting in two singles matches in a spectacular duel against Japan.
Massive party in Arena Sud 4: France's table tennis players celebrate their second bronze medal at the Olympic Games at home. After Felix Lebrun, the young prodigy, took third place in the individual event, the team also secured the bronze medal. The team match was back and forth until Lebrun won the decisive match against Hiroto Shinozuka 3-1, although it wasn't an easy victory. However, there were no doubts about this win, as the 17-year-old, who is currently ranked fifth in the world, has been playing exceptionally well for months, especially at these Olympics.
This bitter realization may have also dawned on the Japanese team when they knew who their opponent would be for the fifth game in this battle for three wins. And when Felix Lebrun converted his fourth match point, there was no holding back in this temple that had been igniting the power of a football stadium for days. He first jumped into the arms of his brother Alexis, then went to Simon Gauzy. The two had laid the foundation for success with an outstanding performance in the doubles against top players Tomokazu Harimoto and the surprisingly nominated left-hander Shinozuka.
Gauzy went wild
Still fresh in memory from the Euro soccer championship, the DJ played "Freed from desire", the fans screamed their ecstasy, and the players celebrated. Gauzy went wild, running around the table like a dervish and roaring his joy. What a moment. The players danced together and enjoyed these great moments of happiness. Quite surreal. At 17, Felix Lebrun has now experienced a career highlight that is emotionally hard to top. Twice bronze, twice a hall that was as loud as a Formula 1 race, and that too at home, in front of big stars like Zinedine Zidane.
But the road to the second medal was more exciting than expected. Felix Lebrun won the first two sets. However, he became more erratic in the third set, and the Japanese player became stronger, especially in the long rallies. Did the intense weeks in Paris finally take their toll on the young Frenchman? Shinozuka even saved a set point, and in the final phases of the third set, he had incredible net and edge luck. Several times, the balls bounced off in such a way that Lebrun was beaten. He also didn't get off to a good start in the fourth set. Shinozuka was there, building up small leads. But the Frenchman fought back, just like he did against the German Dimitri Ovtcharov in the individual event. He has no nerves, or very few.
Lebrun makes it exciting
He managed to compose himself, find his focus, and earn match points again. He needed two more chances against the fearless Japanese player. The fans were trembling, as was the French corner. They were ready to celebrate but had to wait again and again. Only the fourth opportunity was successful. A powerful forehand was too much for Shinozuka to handle. Finally, the party. Who will celebrate gold will be decided at 3 pm. Then, the reigning Olympic champions China and Sweden will duel for gold. The German team was eliminated in the quarterfinals by the Swedes with a 0-3 loss.
Lebrun had shown his nerves of steel earlier in the day. In the top duel against former Japanese prodigy Harimoto, he faced three match points in the fifth set. With aggressive and fearless play, he countered all attacks in this thrilling high-speed duel that had barely any long rallies. Both players went all out on offense. Suddenly, it was 10-10. Lebrun earned his first match point. With a merciless forehand against the Japanese's serve, he sent both himself and the stadium into ecstasy. Lebrun leaped for joy, knowing how crucial this victory was. France now led 2-0 in this team event.
The next two duels went to Japan. Alexis Lebrun fought hard against defeat but was clearly outmatched against Tomagi. Though both are close in the world rankings - the Frenchman at 18, the Japanese at 16 - the power dynamics on the table were clear. The Asians shortened the game and had the upper hand in the next duel. This was no surprise, as Harimoto is clearly the better player than Gauzy, who put up a good fight but would have needed the best day of his life to win. But then came Felix Lebrun, the prodigy. He held up under pressure, winning bronze and sending the stadium into ecstasy.
The celebrations in Arena Sud 4 reached new heights as France claimed their second bronze medal at the Olympic Games, this time in the team event. This triumph followed Felix Lebrun's individual bronze medal win earlier.
With Felix Lebrun's victory against Hiroto Shinozuka, France secured their place in the history books of The Olympic Games. Lebrun's outstanding performance at these Games has been a highlight of his career so far.
