Since Sunday, August 4th, France has made history by surpassing its all-time Olympic medal record across all sports. With 43 medals, including seven golds, won at the Beijing Games, the French delegation had already reached impressive heights. However, by the morning of Thursday, August 8th, French athletes raised the bar even higher, reaching a total of 51 medals, including 13 golds, 17 silvers, and 21 bronzes.
Despite this success, France has yet to match its record of 15 gold medals set at the 1996 Atlanta Games. However, with three new medals added this Sunday, Team France continues to shine. Among the medalists are young table tennis player Félix Lebrun, the foil fencers, and the 4x100 meter relay team, led by swimmer Léon Marchand, who claimed his fifth medal of the Games. This achievement is particularly remarkable, as it hasn't been accomplished by a French athlete in a century.
David Lappartient, president of the French Olympic Committee, spoke about this exceptional momentum on Europe 1: "This record is already exceptional. We have a French team that started winning from the beginning, and it is crucial in the Olympic Games to create a winning dynamic from the start."
However, this remarkable performance is not entirely surprising. Host countries often have the advantage, winning a higher number of medals when they host the Games. China notably won 100 medals in Beijing in 2008, Australia claimed 58 in Sydney in 2000, and Japan also secured 58 medals at Tokyo 2020. As the host nation of the 2024 Olympics, France can legitimately aim for a top 5 finish in the nations' ranking, a goal set by President Emmanuel Macron before the Games began.
However, the challenge for France now is to maintain this position as some of the sports where French athletes excel have concluded. Judo brought in ten medals, while swimming and fencing each contributed seven medals to France’s tally.
As the competition continues, all eyes are on the French athletes to see if they can rise to the challenge and make France shine on the Olympic stage.