France will play in front of their home fans at the Paris 2024 Games in a few weeks as not only the defending Olympic champions, but also the reigning Volleyball Nations League gold medalists after they triumphed in the sixth edition of the tournament, which came to an end on Sunday, in Łódź.
VNL 2024
France regain VNL title ahead of the Paris Olympics
Second-placed Japan and third-placed Poland completed the podium in Łódź
Published 08:29, 30 Jun 2024
French players and coaching staff members celebrate their second VNL victory in three years
- Watch Volleyball Nations League 2024 on demand on VBTV
The French completed their VNL 2024 campaign in a strong way, taking down the second-best team in the FIVB World Rankings, Japan, 3-1 (25-23, 18-25, 25-23, 25-23) in a packed Atlas Arena. Hosts Poland finished third and completed the podium.
With the victory, the Europeans returned to the top of the podium in the VNL after first winning gold in 2022 – they also claimed silver in 2018 and bronze in 2021. The gold medal match triumph also moved France up to fourth place in the World Rankings, with 344.00 points.
France had ups and downs during the Preliminary Phase, advancing to the VNL Finals in sixth place with eight wins and four losses, but found their rhythm in Łódź, beating the top three teams in the World Ranking to earn the right to lift the trophy.
Despite the setback in the final match of the tournament, Japan also have reason to celebrate as, besides improving from their historic bronze-medal-winning campaign from 2023, the Asians also returned to the gold medal match of a major international tournament for the first time since they took silver at the 1977 FIVB World Cup. After the conclusion of the VNL, Japan appear in second place in the World Rankings with 361.02 points.
FRANCE 🇫🇷 ARE THE VNL CHAMPIONS! 🏆
— Volleyball World (@volleyballworld) June 30, 2024
The Olympic champs beat Japan 🇯🇵 in the gold medal match by 3-1 and got the crown for the second time 🔥
📺 Watch the replay on VBTV.
🏐 #volleyball #VNLLodz #VNLFinals #VNL2024 #VNL pic.twitter.com/RZKHsg2d1Q
Opposite Jean Patry was a difference-maker for France in the gold medal match, leading all scorers with 24 points (20 kills, three blocks, one ace). Kevin Tillie played a big role off the bench, tallying 13 points, while fellow outside hitter Yacine Louati added another 11.
“Japan are always tough opponents,” Patry celebrated. “They are very skilled, extremely patient and they dig everything. We try to be patient when we play them, but it’s always a challenge to remain focused the entire time. Winning the VNL is excellent in our preparation for the Paris Games, which is our main goal for the season. Our goal was to make it to the semifinals, so there’s nothing better than winning gold. We have a lot of guys who can come in and help the team and that’s one of our main strengths.”
On the Japanese side, captain Yuki Ishikawa had another excellent performance, leading the team with 17 points (all in kills), followed by opposite Yuji Nishida, who registered 11. Fellow opposite Kento Miyaura also got to double digits, coming off the bench to score ten points.
“We’re very happy that we made it to the final, but today it was a tough match,” Ishikawa reflected. “Congrats to France for winning the title. Playing in the final was a great experience for us and it will help as we prepare for the Olympics.”
Poland secure fifth-straight medal
A few hours before the final, Poland gifted the over 10,000 fans that packed the Atlas Arena with another VNL medal, their fifth in as many years, by topping Slovenia, the best team in the Preliminary Phase, 3-0 (26-24, 25-16, 25-17) in the bronze medal match.
The Polish, who took gold in 2023, silver in 2021 and bronze in 2019 and 2022, also retained the top spot in the World Rankings ahead of the start of the Paris Olympics, adding 6.26 points to their new total of 422.61. Slovenia, who had moved all the way up to third place, are now fifth, with 340.39.
Star outside hitter Wilfredo Leon, who matched his best performance in the VNL 2024 with 18 points (13 kills, three blocks, two aces), played a major role in the Polish victory in Łódź. Fellow outside hitter Tomasz Fornal (11) and opposite Bartosz Kurek (ten) also got to double digits in scoring.
“We’re happy that we managed to play better than in the semifinals,” Leon remarked. “I wasn’t at my best yesterday, but today we were able to win a bronze medal in front of our fans and that means a lot for us and for them. The VNL was great to show where we are ahead of the Paris Olympics and that’s very important. I think the key for us over the next few weeks will be keeping our focus and being ready to face teams that rely on being smart to beat us.”
BRONZE FOR POLAND 🇵🇱!
— Volleyball World (@volleyballworld) June 30, 2024
The home team pleased the crowd at Atlas Arena in Łódź with a straight-set win over Slovenia 🇸🇮 to secure a medal at the #VNL for the fifth edition in a row.
📺 Watch the replay on https://t.co/ZfA7bfOsjq.
🏐 #Volleyball #VNLLodz #VNLFinals #VNL2024 pic.twitter.com/GpU8YT1SyL
Slovenia, who made their first Final Four appearance in the VNL this season and continue to chase their first medal, got 14 points from outside hitter Klemen Čebulj and 11 from opposite Tonček Štern.
Paris Olympics up next
With the end of the VNL 2024, the four semifinalists and the other eight men's national teams qualified will now have just under four weeks to finalize their preparations for the Paris Olympics, which will have its first matches held at the South Paris Arena on July 27.
Next year’s edition of the VNL will have a new format, expanding from 16 to 18 teams per gender – the winners of the 2024 Volleyball Challenger Cup and the highest-placed teams in the FIVB Men’s and Women’s Volleyball World Ranking not yet qualified will join the VNL 2025. Next year’s VNL will go from June 4 to July 27 for the women and from June 11 to August 3 for the men.
