Fencing: Manon Apithy-Brunet and Sara Balzer, a final in red, white and blue!

Manon Apithy-Brunet and Sara Balzer faced off in the final of the sabre fencing event: a Franco-French matchup that has already gone down in the annals of French sport for the image it projected.

What a symbol!

These Games are providing us with a wealth of images and emotions that sweep us off our feet and transport us away from everyday reality. The women’s sabre final will remain one of those outstanding moments in Paris 2024, a defining moment of what sport is supposed to be, a moment expressing the true values of sporting endeavor and its ultimate meaning: weighing oneself up against the competition, showing respect and a sense of sharing. Manon Apithy-Brunet, supported by CASDEN Banque Populaire, won Olympic gold while Sara Balzer, supported by Caisse d’Epargne Grand Est Europe, claimed the silver medal. They will forever be remembered for that moment that thrilled and united so many French people until the two contestants embraced each other after the struggle. At the end of the match, when both young fencers were tossed into the air as fencing tradition dictates, united as they flew into the air together under the towering heights of the Grand Palais glass roof.

This image speaks volumes about the essence of sport in general, fencing and the Olympic Games in particular. And it was much more than a final to decide which contestant would win the title. It’s true that Sara Balzer and Manon Apithy-Brunet will share a page in the annals of French sporting history. This encounter was only the 5^th French double in the Summer Olympics since the end of the 2^nd World War. It rapidly became clear that Sara Balzer’s disappointment in being defeated was swept away by the elation of winning a fantastic silver medal… and to do so in Paris, in front of all her family and friends. So many other fencers that day would be going home empty-handed, the vast majority of all those who had risen at dawn to compete in this Olympic women’s sabre tournament. Manon Apithy-Brunet found herself at the very top of this brutal pyramid. Manon, just like Sara, put up a great performance on the big day, a rendezvous they had each made with themselves and their destiny. And that’s all the difficulty of the Olympic Games, and even more so in Paris; it’s the rendezvous of a lifetime, and they both turned up to attend it!

A final in red, white and blue

Sara Balzer faced a difficult path through the tournament but she emerged successfully thanks to the power of her concentration, overcoming the obstacles one by one all the way to the final. And Manon Apithy-Brunet followed a similar path. We remember that disappointment in Rio when a disputed touch in the semi-finals took her out of the competition, and the bronze medal she won in Tokyo. In the end, they both cleared the penultimate hurdle before the final. In fencing, tradition dictates that when two athletes from the same country come up against each other, their coaches do not come to assist their athletes. So the two fencers stood there alone, face to face, as they have hundreds of times before throughout their careers, despite the fact that they train in two different locations; Manon Apithy-Brunet has chosen to train in Orléans with Master Bauer, the illustrious coach in the world of French sabre fencing and one of the most successful French coaches, all disciplines taken together.

It was a hard-fought final, with a little more risk-taking on one side ultimately paying off. But that’s all it came down to… not very much. Gold for the extra-sensitive Manon Apithy-Brunet, who adds her name to the pantheon of French fencing. And silver for Sara Balzer. A final for the history books colored red, white and blue, with the extraordinary descent of the Grand Palais staircase as an additional bonus. Did they get their steps right? They did so magnificently… and for eternity!

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