2026 Olympics: the end of the line for the French biathlon team, after eight medals in six races
Only two French women at the start of a race. Excluding the mixed relay, this is an anomaly, perhaps unheard of since the creation of the world circuit at the end of the 1980s. With Justine Braisaz-Bouchet ‘s 62nd place in the sprint, Julia Simon ‘s withdrawal due to fatigue and quotas limited to four athletes per nation at the Olympic Games, only Océane Michelon and Lou Jeanmonnot took the start of the pursuit on Sunday 15 January in Antholz (Italy).
With bibs 2 and 3, the French could legitimately look forward to another medal after winning silver and bronze in the sprint the day before. 4th fastest skier, Lou Jeanmonnot was in the top three positions throughout the race… until the last shot when one mistake too many saw her fall 15 seconds short of bronze (4th). In front of the targets, the Frenchwoman is still looking for perfection. She still hasn’t completed a full race, and she has been performing at 90% on the bench and 87% under the standing since her arrival in Antholz (95% and 87% in the World Cup this season).
Océane Michelon “uptight
Océane Michelon dropped off the podium on her first dismount, where she made two mistakes. That first dismount, when I tensed up, cost me dearly,” she toldEurosport. It was the big mistake of the day. I didn’t help myself by missing the first, and then I rushed. I was tense.
She then fluctuated between fourth and sixth place, committing another penalty lap in each of the standing shots. She crossed the line in fifth place, 23 seconds off the podium. In the end, though, he was able to take positives from his first Olympic week: “It’s a shame and frustrating, but I’m taking positives with me. Despite the mistakes, I’m happy with the way I stood up and the way I skied. […] I finished 5th in my first pursuit before the Games. I would have signed up before coming.
Above all, the women’s pursuit ended an impressive run. After eight podium finishes in six races, the French team had its first biathlon event of the 2026 Olympics without a podium. With four races (relay by gender and mass-start) still to be contested, Les Bleus have already broken their record for medals at an Olympic Games.
Three gold medals (mixed relay, Julia Simon in the individual, Quentin Fillon Maillet in the sprint), three silver medals(Éric Perrot and Lou Jeanmonnot in the individual, Océane Michelon in the sprint) and two bronze medals(Lou Jeanmonnot in the sprint, Emilien Jacquelin in the pursuit) have already been added to their list of achievements, while the French delegation has already equalled its total number of medals in a single edition of the Olympic Games… with a week to go.
