They had been fighting for three days. With this fear in their stomach, unspeakable and shameful, of zero points at home. The medal had already slipped away for Brianna Vidé on Tuesday during the individual sabre event. This time, it did not escape the experienced foil fencers of the French wheelchair fencing team.
On Thursday, September 5, Maxime Valet, Ludovic Lemoine and Damien Tokatlian – with Yohan Peter as a substitute – snatched the bronze medal against Italy at the end of a match whose outcome was decided during the last relays (45-36). The crestfallen faces of the last few days could finally give way to radiant smiles.
“This medal is delicious”enjoyed shortly after the match Ludovic Lemoine and his teammates. For the three men, this bronze, “here at the Grand Palais, with this audience”had the value of gold. “Individually, we all had frustrations. The group was struggling a bit, we have to admit. So to finish like that, against Italy, at home… This medal is very, very nice.”agrees Maxime Valet who, like his two comrades in arms, will put away his sabre and foil after the Games.
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The victory even brought a few tears to the eyes of fencing master Jean-Loup Boulanger. “The Italians are stronger than us, we have never beaten them in three years of preparation. It shows that no mountain is insurmountable”supports the national coach.
“The taste of a shared trophy”
France’s wheelchair fencing has its new Everest here. Euphoric, Maxime Valet returned to the pivotal moment of the match, when it came to the final relays. France was then trailing 28 touches to 30. “We knew that the Italians, if we held them, at some point the public would make the difference.”
The prophecy came true. Doctor Valet – the Toulouse native is a sports doctor when he is not on the track – made short work of the young Michele Massa (7-2), and passed the baton with a three-touch lead (35-32) to Ludovic Lemoine. The latter, in difficulty all day, seemed to have finally found his fencing (40-35) against Matteo Betti.
The team’s finisher, Damien Tokatlian, didn’t tremble against Emmanuele Lambertini. Five touches to one, the matter was settled. “In the team event, the final relays are the deciding factor. The first six only serve to build the last three.”explains the team’s oldest member (54 years old), who always showed the way to his partners, even in the defeat, earlier in the day, against the British – ultimately Paralympic vice-champions against China.
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