What a display from the world champion, at home, in front of the Parisian public, eleven months before the Olympic Games ... because we can't stop thinking about them. Having only entered the fray this afternoon, the draw had spared her nothing, and so it was China's Lei Xu, ranked 17th in the world, who was coming off three victories - in Rome, at the President Cup and at the Australian Open. Xu scored first, but it already seemed that this Althéa Laurin was having a great day. Without much in the way of solutions in this bout, she tried to win the distance battle and, if she gave up the first round, she set the pace in the next two, with a few discount kicks and fluid movements, showing herself to be solid in the final moments of the third round to make the difference. A convincing first bout, but she then had to fend off the great German Lorena Brandl, double world medalist. In her own hands, she scored from the outset before managing the end of the first round, taking care to keep the initiative. And this was a good idea, as the German raised the level of aggressiveness. Should we let the lightning pass? That might have been an option. But today, the Frenchwoman was constantly on the initiative, and the match spiraled out of control, ending on a breathless but well-controlled 12-11. The medal was assured, but Althéa Laurin had a clear idea of the coveted metal.

Her semi-final against the Turkish prodigy Sude Yaren Uzuncavdar, seventeen years old... but already fourth in the world, following her victory at the Final Grand Prix last year and gold at the European Games, quickly confirmed this. 3-0 after thirty seconds, a lot of pressing to force the Bosphorus fighter out of the combat area, and she won the first round before moving up a gear. 9-4 in the second and a place in the final won with great authority... For a rematch of the World Championship final. "One match, one match to go," said her coach Gülsah Alonso Tapia, middle finger in the air. The one for gold, the opportunity to "confirm" her victory over Great Britain's Rebecca McGowan, who defeated Marie-Paule Blé in the first round. The Scotswoman, coached by Frenchman Torann Maizeroi, who has been based in the UK for the past four years, was not to be outdone by the Frenchwoman's grit on Sunday. McGowan won a very dense first round 12-7, but it wasn't enough to instill doubt in Laurin's mind: a 3-0 slap at the start of the second round where she unleashed her great leg attacks, but also variations with her fists to win 14-10. A strong rhythm which clearly weighed on her opponent, who could only see the damage and suffer the impact in the final round: 12-0. A demonstration that merited a round of applause from the audience. Althéa Laurin's victory over three rivals who had recently dominated her on the circuit, before taming McGowan once again, was a further demonstration of her stature and a delight from start to finish.

... and Cheick Cissé like an albatross

What a fighter! Taekwondo at this level, and with this intensity, is undoubtedly the best showcase the discipline has to offer. After knocking out the experienced Cuban Rafale Alba, double world champion and Olympic medallist in Tokyo, Macedonian Olympic vice-champion Déjàn Georgievski, then Croatian 2023 world medallist Pasko Bozic in a game of massacre in the semi-finals with insane intensity, Cheick Sallah Cissé met up again with the twenty-year-old British Caden Cunningham, victorious at the European Games and winner of a semi-final at the opposite end of the spectrum in terms of spectacle against the Mexican cactus Carlos Sansores, second in the world. Less intense than the semi-final, this final would nonetheless reward the most formidable fighter of the day for his talent and total taekwondo. The first round was 1-1, the second 5-2. The Briton could look at the Rio Olympic champion and 2023 world champion with respect, while the audience gave him a standing ovation. Thank you Monsieur Cissé, that was magnificent!

LES PODIUMS

• +67 kg : 1. LAURIN Althéa (FRA) - 2. MCGOWAN Rebecca (GBR) - 3. UZUNCAVDAR Sude Yaren (TUR) - 3. LEE Dabin (KOR)
• +80 kg : 1st CISSE Cheikh Sallah (CIV) - 2nd CUNNINGHAM Caden (GBR) - 3rd BOZIC Pasko (CRO) - 3rd SANSORES Carlos (MEX)