Obviously, there is a bit of frustration after the semi-final loss to the Ukrainians (0-2). “A little disappointed at the time, but getting a bronze medal is really a great feeling, we weren’t necessarily going for that.”, declares Clément Berthier who, along with Thomas Bouvais, got rid of the Swedes, vice Paralympic champions in Rio, to take the podium in class 8.

“We have two very different characters. Yin and yang, hot and cold decipher precisely Thomas Bouvais. Clement, who is a little calmer, maybe a little bloodier. We complement each other quite well, even in our games. However, we are a young team, this is the first real tournament that we do together. It is quite promising for the future, I hope we can do even better in the years to come. “

In his wake, two other French teams certainly failed in the semi-finals, but won bronze medals: Anne Barnéoud and Thu Kamkasomphou, who faced China (0-2, class 7-8), Florian Merrien and Nicolas Savant-Aira, they opposed Korea (0-2, class 4-5).

With this new donation, the French team’s jackpot for the Tokyo Paralympic Games reached 38 medals (7 gold, 10 silver, 21 bronze), more than the total set at 35 before it opened. And the harvest is not over, as in table tennis, the title holder Fabien Lamirault – Stéphane Molliens will play their team’s semi-final against Slovakia at 10:30 am in France.