France beat the world number one ranked side Poland 3-0 to win the Olympic men’s volleyball gold on Saturday, defending its title from the Tokyo Games but this time on home soil inside a rocking South Paris Arena 1, Reuters reported.
France is only the third country to win back-to-back golds in men’s volleyball after the former Soviet Union and the United States.
The US had beaten world champion Italy in straight sets on Friday to take the bronze medal.
Jean Patry led the way for the hosts with 17 points and Trevor Clevenot had 11 while Antoine Brizard chipped in with crucial blocks at the net as France claimed a 15th gold medal at its home Games with a 25-19, 25-20, 25-23 victory.
Poland, who was back in the final after 48 years, was left to rue a missed opportunity to claim its second gold after winning the title at the 1976 Montreal Games.
Bartosz Kurek was Poland’s top scorer with 10 points while its biggest star Wilfredo Leon had a quiet game by his standards with just nine points.
MNA