Men's Volleyball Nations League (VNL) 2024: Olympic champions France beat Japan to regain title
France regained the FIVB Men's Volleyball Nations League (VNL) title on Sunday (June 30) thanks to a 3-1 win over Japan in the final in Łódź, Poland.
Having edged out Italy in the quarter-finals and reigning champions Poland in the semis, the French scored a third victory on consecutive evenings in preparation for the defence of their Olympic title next month at Paris 2024.
Opposite spiker Jean Patry was France's hero with 23 points including 19 in attack. He came to the fore in the fourth game with 10 points at an efficiency rate of 58.8 per cent, as the Europeans completed victory 25-23, 18-25, 25-23, 25-23.
Captain Ishikawa Yuki was Japan's top scorer with 17 points, all in attack.
This was France's second men's VNL title having been victorious in 2022, beating the United States 3-2 in Bologna, Italy.
Earlier, Poland gave the home crowd something to cheer as they took third place with a 3-0 (26-24, 25-16, 25-17) win over Slovenia.
Men's Volleyball Nations League 2024: Finals
Third place
Slovenia 0-3 Poland (24-26, 16-25, 17-25)
Final
Japan 1-3 France (23-25, 25-18, 23-25, 23-25)
Reigning Olympic Champions, France