Day 10 : Black Monday for France

By Matthieu Boisseau
07/08/2012

Day 10 : Black Monday for France

Bad day for France as gold-seeker Baugé walks away with a disappointing silver medal whilst the French women's football team is eliminated in the semi-final.

Top of the day : Grégory Baugé

French track cycling great Gregory Bauge had been preparing for gold for the past four years, but he had to content himself with a silver medal, as British star Jason Kenny easily outpaced the French three-time world champion in two legs in the individual sprint event. It is another frustrating silver medal for Baugé, who finished second in the team sprint event with fellows Sireau and D’Almeida, but his fighting spirit and tremendous career have inspired many.

Flop of the day :  French women's football team

It is brutal stop in the French football team’s remarkable campaign. The Japanese team, world champions. held off France in the semi-final. Yuki Ogimi and Mizuho Sakaguchi gave Japan a comfortable lead but France’s Eugenie Le Sommer restored suspense when she scored in the 75th minute, and won the penalty a minute later. But Elise Bussaglia missed hers, and France will try to win more than ‘chocolate medals’, as they did in last year’s World Cup.

Number of the day : 2.

Two Frenchmen came close to a medal but finally missed the bronze. French wrestler Mélonin Noumonvi lost the last and crucial fight, while Cyril Graff finished fourth in the men's 50m rifle event, just 0.3 point behind USA’s Matthew Emmons. In these times of gold medals shortage, a pinch of extra-luck would have been more than welcome.

Tuesday 7th highlights :

Sailing. Julien Bontemps. RS : X. Weymouth and Portland. Wrestling. Steeve Guénot. ExCel, London.