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Par Guillaume Kagni | Journaliste sportif
Last summer, Shai Gilgeous-Alexander arrived in France with the firm intention of winning a medal at the Paris Games. Unfortunately for him, he came up against the French in the quarter-finals. He spoke openly about the experience.
Almost a year on, what remains of the Paris Olympic Games for Team France is a formidable silver medal and the memory of a hard-fought final against Team USA. Had it not been for Stephen Curry’s already legendary explosion, Les Bleus might even have sprung a surprise by claiming a historic first-place finish in the most prestigious of tournaments.
In fact, it’s easy to forget that Vincent Collet’s men have had a bumpy ride, despite having a squad built to play in the leading roles. With the Victor Wembanyama/Rudy Gobert partnership struggling to get going, instability at the back and Evan Fournier lacking in rhythm, the Tricolores came very close to being knocked out in the group phase, and they can thank Matthew Strazel for his tremendous shot against Japan.
Shai Gilgeous-Alexander talks about the Olympic Games
In short, one of the highlights of this Olympic campaign was the quarter-final against Canada, an ambitious nation and medallists at the last World Cup. But as strong as he was, Shai Gilgeous-Alexander could do nothing against Les Bleus and had to kiss his dream of a medal goodbye. Teasingly, Rémi Reverchon discussed the subject with the MVP on the sidelines of the Finals.
I’m totally over the defeat by the French team. No, seriously, the defeat hurt, but it was a fun experience. The environment was cool. We spent some time in Paris, but France as a whole is a beautiful country. It was great to be able to experience this alongside guys I’ve been playing with since childhood. I hope we get our revenge in 2028.
Thanks to convincing victories over Greece, Spain and Australia, Canada emerged from the group phase as a strong favorite for the podium. In contrast, the French team was full of doubts. This is undoubtedly what makes the defeat so bitter for Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, who will be keen to get his revenge in 2028. And by then, he may well have entered the legend of the sport, like Evan Fournier’s shot to eliminate him.
Esse pombo sem asa incrível do Evan Fournier acabou com as esperanças do Canadá. Fournier fez duras críticas ao técnico da França, que então mudou o quinteto inicial e o esquema de jogo do time pra hoje. O resultado veio. Yabusele, Cordinier e Lessort, que eram reservas, voaram! pic.twitter.com/oy8ppHOLeQ
— Rogério Tomaz Jr. (@rogeriotomazjr) August 6, 2024
