France, ranked fourth in the world, defeated the team from the Russian Olympic Committee (ROC) to claim its first Olympic gold medal in men’s volleyball.
The French team burst out to win the first two sets 25-23, 25-17, before Russia stormed back to take the next two frames 25-21, 25-21.
France won the fifth-set tiebreaker 15-12 to claim the gold medal. The match took 2:15.
France's outside hitter Earvin Ngapeth led the way, scoring 26 points, while Jean Patry and Trevor Clevenot recorded 15 and 11 points respectively.
France defeated sixth-ranked Argentina in straight sets to make it to the final. The Russians, advanced to the final after a comeback victory over Brazil, the world's top ranked team.
The Russians won gold in London but finished fourth in Rio after losing to the United States in the bronze medal match.
