Winning IBF World Cup gold apparently wasn't enough excitement for France. After beating Australia in the men's team final, the celebrations took them indoor skydiving.
For Grégory Rius, there were two medals to celebrate. He had already won singles silver before helping France beat Australia 3–2 for the team title. Speaking to BowlingLife afterwards, he was still trying to take it all in.
“This moment is incredible, I can’t realise it to make second in individual and win as a team because for me it was not possible. But labour pays off.”
Australia made France work for the gold. With the French leading 2–1, Australia won the fourth game 225–172 to send the final into a decider. France answered with a 204–163 win to secure the title.
Asked what made the difference, Rius pointed back to the semifinals. France had changed its equipment approach, moving away from urethane and bringing out reactive balls.
“The key moment of the final was a strategic choice established during the semi-finals, we stop playing with the urethanes to get out of the reactive balls which was much more interesting on the track.”
That decision came during a knockout run in which France beat Germany, Saudi Arabia and the United States before facing Australia. It followed a fourth-place finish in Group A, where France took the last available qualifying spot.
The victory added World Cup gold to France's men's team title at the 2025 IBF World Championships in Hong Kong. Rius was part of that winning squad too.
Two major team titles in successive years prompted another question: what makes this group so difficult to beat?
For Rius, the answer went beyond choosing the right ball. He credited the friendships within the team and the strength they gave the players when competing together.
“Our team is so strong in friendship and sports that it has allowed us to be strong in the head.”
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