The French duo took third place in the doubles tournament on Monday morning. Lucas Mazur will aim for gold in singles later in the day.
Bronze at the end of an eventful competition, full of ups and downs for the mixed doubles team of Lucas Mazur and Faustine Noël. Logically outclassed for their start by the world number 1 pair of Indonesians Hikmat Ramdani and Leani Ratri Oktila (11-21, 12-21), the French team had managed to remobilise to logically dominate the Indians Palak Kohli and Suhas Yathiraj (21-15, 21-9). But the hardest part was yet to come with a duel with drawn shuttlecocks against the other Indian pair of Kumar Nitesh and Thulasimathi Murugesan for a final group match that looked like a real quarter-final, since the loser would be taken out…
With great difficulty, trembling from start to finish, Lucas Mazur and Faustine Noël managed to win (24-22, 21-19) to invite themselves into the last four. A first objective fulfilled. All that remained was to go and get the medal. Bronze because in this category of mixed doubles, the Indonesian duos are on another planet. Unsurprisingly, the French pair therefore lost in the semi-finals against the world number 2, Fredy Setiawan and Khalimatus Sadiyah (15-21, 15-21). But against the Thais Siripong Teamarrom and Nipada Seansupa for the match for 3rd place, at home, pushed by a sparse but noisy and enthusiastic crowd, Lucas Mazur and Faustine Noël could not let the opportunity to secure a new Paralympic podium pass, three years after the silver in Tokyo…
Very solid in the first set, the Blues took an option after a quarter of an hour of play and a set in their pocket (21-14). They then had to manage the fatigue, in particular that of Lucas Mazur who had qualified the previous evening for the final of the singles tournament, which he will play in the evening at the Arena Porte de la Chapelle. But even a little in the red, the French double did not let up the pressure and they wrapped up the affair in two sets (21-16) to offer the French para-badminton a first medal at these Games. For a total that will be three given that Lucas Mazur as well as Charles Noakes are assured, with their respective finals, of getting on the podium. All that remains is to add a little gold to this nice record.
