France defended its Olympic gold medal in men’s volleyball on Saturday, and it was especially thrilling to do so at home with a lively, packed crowd cheering them on.
The South Paris Arena turned into a celebration spot as Poland, the defeated team, watched France celebrate their victory on the court.
The fans, waving the French flag, cheered loudly for every impressive rally, block, powerful spike, and service ace as France defeated the top-ranked Poland in straight sets.
The second-ranked French team won 25-19, 25-20, 25-23, securing their second consecutive gold medal.
Jean Patry led the team with 17 points, and their excellent serving game contributed to eight aces, including four in the second set, along with their relentless effort.
Earvin N’Gapeth made impressive saves to keep rallies going and even scored a point with a blind, over-the-head shot while facing away from the net.
Patry converted eight of his first nine attempts, and Barthélémy Chinenyeze started 6 for 6 in attacks, finishing with eight points along with N’Gapeth.
Poland reached the Olympic final for the first time in 48 years since winning gold at the 1976 Montreal Games.
France built a 16-11 lead in the first set with the crowd’s support and kept up the pressure.
Having learned from their previous matches, France avoided falling behind and made sure to stay ahead, remembering their comeback from a two-set deficit against Germany in the quarterfinals.
Poland’s coach, Nikola Grbić, wanted the gold badly for his experienced team, including 34-year-old Pawel Zatorski, 36-year-old Grzegorz Lomacz, and soon-to-be-36 Bartosz Kurek, who might be playing in their final Olympics.
