France became just the third nation to successfully defend a men's Olympic volleyball title, after defeating Poland in the Paris 2024 finals.
Back-to-back Olympic gold medals.
France continued its reign in Olympic men’s volleyball after closing out world no. 1 Poland in straight sets, 25-19, 25-20, 25-23, at the South Paris Arena 1 on Saturday, August 10 (Philippine time).
Les Bleus became the third nation to successfully defend a men's Olympic volleyball title and the first to do so in 36 years. The former USSR was the first to achieve this feat, winning in Tokyo 1964 and Mexico City 1968, followed by the United States in Los Angeles 1984 and Seoul 1988.
Now boasting two gold medals in Olympic history, France also became the third men’s national team to win Olympic Games volleyball on home soil, joining the former USSR (Moscow 1980), the United States (Los Angeles 1984), and Brazil (Rio 2016).
Down 18-16 in the third set, France went on to score seven straight points, which featured three service aces from middle blocker Quentin Jouffroy.
Trevor Clevenot brought the French to match point at 24-19. However, Polish spiker Wilfredo Leon nearly brought his squad to an extended set after two service aces in the run.
Needing just a point to tie the game at 24-all, Leon’s powerful serve went long as France celebrated another Olympic gold.
Poland’s silver medal finish in Paris 2024 marked its second podium finish in history, the other coming in Montreal 1976 when it won gold.
Their campaign in France marked their first appearance in the medal rounds since Moscow in 1980, ending a 44-year wait for a semifinal berth in the Games.
Opposite hitter Jean Patry led France's scoring in the gold medal match with 17 points on 14 attacks, two blocks, and one ace.
Outside hitters Trévor Clévenot and Earvin Ngapeth contributed 11 and eight points, respectively.
Poland's team captain Bartosz Kurek led the team in scoring with ten points, followed by Leon and middle blocker Jakub Kochanowski, each contributing nine points.