Lisa Barbelin can end the 32-year wait for France

American author and cartoonist Scott Adams said that ‘the universe works in mysterious ways’, sometimes an outcome will manifest itself from something or someone’s ambitions combined with coincidental circumstances.

But could the French stars, hopes and dreams align for their home Olympic Games not just to get on the podium in Paris but to win the highly coveted gold medal?

Sébastien Flute last won one for France at Barcelona 1992 which ended up being his only Olympic medal and is now team director for his country.

His winning arrow in Spain proved to be a catapult for French archery.

There was a 7000 increase in members of the FFTA after Flute’s triumph from 36,700 to 43,700, with that number now standing at 75,438 after 2023, boosted undoubtedly by Jean-Charles Valladont‘s silver medal in Rio 2016.

The rise in archery since 1992 in France has been stark but an Olympic gold medal has failed to deliver for Les Bleus since. 

What better way to change that than doing so in front of a home crowd at Paris 2024. 

Lisa Barbelin could be the one to break the curse. The 24-year-old has given solid pointers since Tokyo 2020, where she got eliminated in the third round.

She is ready to shine individually at Les Invalides winning the 2022 Nimes Archery Tournament, 2022 European Indoor Championships, bronze in Essen 2024 and, most notably, winning the test event for Paris 2024 last year.

“We worked really hard these past two years and now the work is paying off,” said Barbelin after winning silver as part of the French recurve women’s team in Antalya last month. “I’m really happy about the French team. There’s been a lot of work for two years and a lot of confidence.”

Lisa is now also a leader, calling herself the “mama of the team” with Amélie Cordeau to be 18 and Caroline Lopez 20 in Paris. 

Added on the extra task of winning in front of a home crowd which has proven in recent Games to be a tough ask, Olympic success is easier said than done.

Japan could only win a couple of bronzes in Tokyo whereas Brazil in Rio 2016 and Great Britain in London 2012 didn’t even get on the podium.

The added pressure to perform at home in an Olympic Games may have hindered the previous host nations but Barbelin said in Les Invalides after last year’s World Cup stage there, none of those noises will get in her head.

“It’s more special to be here one year before the Olympics. But for me the only thing I have in my mind is that in one year, my family will be right there.”

“I’m more comfortable when they are there,” she added.

Unlike Barbelin, Flute won his first Olympics, but failed to repeat it further down his career. Mete Gazoz did the same for Türkiye in Tokyo and France could do it themselves in the form of Baptiste Addis. 

The 17-year-old phenomenon has surged into the France team the past six months, winning gold with Thomas Chirault and Valladont in the men’s team at Essen this year as well as setting a national record in Shanghai 2024.

Valladont, Barbelin, Addis and the rest of France have picked up an abundance of medals in the last Olympic cycle implying that this could be one of the finest French archery teams ever assembled. 

It combines the exciting youth of Addis, Lopez, Cordeau, the experience of Valladont and quality of Barbelin and Sud de France Champion Chirault. 

Archery can be the most unpredictable, cruel sport at times. Determining an Olympic Champion comes down to a roll of the dice, played on a board game of fortune, technique and form. 

Flute though will be hoping that the odds only play in France’s favour and bring back the Olympic triumph he did so long ago – the 32-year-old moment de boucle bouclée he and France have been waiting for.