France topped the overall medal table at the Paks Junior European Cup 2024 with 6 gold, 1 silver and 5 bronze medals. Serbia (2-3-1) and Georgia (2-0-2) followed. French coach Olivier Melicine began his summary of the weekend by saying;
This is a really good tournament, we have been coming here for a number of years. We especially like the new building, it is a welcoming city. It is a really tough level of tournament, especially with the presence of the Brazilian team.
I was also very impressed with the Serbian team, they had a really good team. We also noticed a strong Austrian women’s team, especially on the first day. And of course, without sounding too ironic, the locals [ he laughs].
As far as our team is concerned, the aim when we came here was to reach the semi-finals and the final and we have more or less achieved that.
The final squad for the Junior European Championships has yet to be announced for Team France but this weekend gave the coaches and staff a rough idea;
Yes, there are people who have been nominated for the Junior Europeans based on their performances this weekend, but it has to be submitted to the committee for them to accept or make a decision.
The juniors have a few more European Cups to compete at before they begin their final preparations for the Junior European Championships 2024. The next chances and hurdles will be taken in Berlin at yet another very prestigious event.
Images: Molnar Gyula
Author: Szandra Szogedi