There was no “100% Lebrun” final at the men’s table tennis tournament of the European Games in Krakow (Poland) on Tuesday 27 June. The fault of the Portuguese Marcos Freitas, who came to ruin the scenario dreamed of by the French delegation by eliminating in the semifinal (4-2) Alexis, 19, the eldest son of the tricolor table tennis prodigy brothers. But the Lebrun clan and its supporters still have reason to rejoice: Félix, 16, and his brother were both invited to the podium of the continental meeting.
Better still, the youngest climbs, for the first time in his young career, to the top step of an individual competition, after overcoming Marcos Freitas at the end of a suspenseful final where his third match point was the good one.( 4-3). Alexis, he, finished adorned with bronze without even having measured the Croatian Andrej Gacina, touched the adductors and package before the fight for the 3And place.
The Lebrun therefore conclude in the most beautiful way a competition, which will have seen the oldest, 18 years oldAnd world championship, overthrows the reigning European champion and great favorite – the German Qui Dang, in the quarterfinals (4-1) – and the youngest signs an impeccable course, he who however aims only at 32And world rank. A good omen almost a year after the Paris Olympics.
Above all, the French numbers 1 and 2 confirm their dazzling progress, in a sport where they have always been able to count on the support of their father Stéphane, a former player and now coach of Montpellier, but also of their uncle, Christophe Legoût, triple champion of France. , 5And at the Athens Games in 2000, and ex 14And global.
Already at the end of April Alexis, who only entered the Top 1,000 in January 2022, had created a surprise by beating world number one, Fan Zhendong, in front of his home crowd in Macao (China).
Collection of medals for the Azzurri
Their successes have also strengthened France’s medal collection, which it should reach on 6And ranking position of nations at the European Games with a total of 35 charms: seven gold, eleven in silver and seventeen in bronze.
The meeting serves as preparation for the next Olympic Games, where 19 of the 29 disciplines present will be scheduled. And it is also one of these, artistic swimming in an acrobatic team, which gave the French delegation its first gold medal: the Bleues won against Ukraine and Italy.
Also noteworthy is the fine performance of the French mountaineers, who won six medals in the various climbing competitions (four gold and two silver). In the climb to Paris 2024 there is also a certain Magda Wiet-Hénin (-67 kg): the world taekwondo champion won the bronze in Krakow. France has until July 2 to add more medals to its suitcase.
