A French politician is on the backfoot, apologizing after his odd and unnecessarily insulting reponse to French rider’s incredible sweep of the elite men’s downhill podium at 2022 UCI mountain bike world champions.
David Drouillet, the former Minister of Sport in France made the controversial comments on a French podcast, Grandes Gueules du Sport on Sunday, Aug. 28, the day after Loic Bruni, Amaury Pierron and Loris Vergier finished first, second and third at world championships in Les Gets.
While the thousands of French fans in Les Gets were thrilled with the hometown sweep, Drouillet was less impressed.
“If there would have been a Frenchman, I wouldn’t have asked myself the question, but three?” Droullet said when questioning the historic performance, reports Paris Match. “What makes me weird is three French people on the podium and there I say to myself, we are in Les Gets, in France and there I say to myself, OK, what is competition? Is the course not very well known by our friends? Isn’t that what tipped in the balance or not? So I don’t take back all the glory and the efforts and everything that has been done, but when I see three French people in a French downhill, in Les Gets on the podium of the world championships, I say to myself, maybe they had be a small advantage over others.”
Going out of the way to insult your own country’s athletes’ success seems like an odd move. Like if Gary Lunn had insulted John Montogmery or Sidney Crosby for winning in 2012 becuse the Olympics were held in Vancouver. Unsurprisingly, Drouillet’s comments didn’t sit well with some.
A quick response
Loic Bruni, who earned his fifth elite world championship title on Saturday in Les Gets, was less than impressed.
“Mr. Douillet, when you know nothing about a sport or any subject, you refrain from judging,” Bruni responded on Instagram. “I am a yellow belt in judo but I don’t think Teddy Riner has been lucky all these years. With your career and experience, it saddens me to hear you disrespect our performance. Please stay away from our sport. The world downhill has been dominated by France for four years. You surely have the Olympic Games in your sights. But other sports are also exceptional and do not need your gratitude, fortunately.”
Amaury Pierron, who currently leads the World Cup standings ahead of Canadian Finn Iles, also responded online.
“We did almost…
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