Biathlon: Yvon Mougel talks about the women’s individual at the 2026 Olympic Games
Julia, Lou, what a joy to see you so high up! They both believed in it right to the end. After a full effort, they crossed the finish line exhausted. That’s the price you pay for success. Franziska Preuss was the last to leave the leading group and kept us on our toes. Leading without penalty until the third shot, she then collapsed when aiming for the last targets with a two-minute penalty.
I knew he was a sure bet to win. Right from the start of the race, the tension got to me. I saw the names of the favourites get lost in the penalties as they tried to do too well: the Oeberg sisters, Hanna and Elvira, Lisa Vittozzi, Suvi Minkkinen, Justine Braisaz-Bouchet. At that moment, I thought to myself that, in the individual race, shooting is a special skill.
Like Vanessa Voigt, who shot diligently, even slowly, but finished with a score of twenty out of twenty and fourth place. Lisa Theresa Hauser, like Franziska Preuss, left a medal in her sights on the last firing point. I followed Dorothea Wierer in some committed shooting, and she knows what she’s doing. Her values on the ski loops weren’t enough to give her any hope of reaching the podium.
“I screamed when Camille Bened left the twentieth target, she deserves to be proud of her first Games”.Yvon Mougel at Nordic Magazine
Halfway through the race, the fate of the standings became clear. I know I have to hold on here in Anterselva. I had a bit of a wait when Camille Bened and Julia Simon set off again on the loop, close to each other, not knowing if the pace was going to be too high before the last shot. This was not the case, as Julia Simon did wonders, safe, fast and precise. I screamed when Camille Bened left the twentieth target, she deserves to be proud of her first Games.
In the last loop, I jump from my phone app to the television screen. I watch, the seconds ticking away, Julia Simon pushing as hard as she can, the lead is substantial. It will be for the gold. The wait for Lou Jeanmonnot to pass is long, she’s still a few seconds behind the surprising Bulgarian Lora Hristova and her perfect shot. It’s a battle for silver and a possible historic French double. I counted the seconds, and at the end of a vain effort around the stadium, Lou Jeanmonnot crossed the finish line, exhausted but 11 seconds ahead. The silver medal is there.
“When I won France’s first medal at the world championships in 1981, I was also wearing the number 48”.Yvon Mougel at Nordic Magazine
Seeing these two champions crushed by the effort, on the threshold of their glory, made my eyes water, even if the statute of limitations has expired. When I won France’s first medal at the world championships in 1981, I was also wearing the number 48, and I also felt a sense of ‘revenge’ when I came fourth at the Sarajevo Olympics, even if generations can’t be compared.
The work was well done, the training was good, everything was perfectly decided, managed and carried out by the technicians and the entire staff. There’s no reason why what follows shouldn’t be of the same calibre.
- Yvon Mougel, world medallist in 1981 and three-time Olympian, talks about the mixed relay: “The French team played in a dream race”.
- Yvon Mougel, world medallist in 1981 and three-time Olympian, recalls the men’s individual: “We’ll remember the embrace between Johan-Olav Botn and Eric Perrot”.
- Julia Simon becomes Olympic individual champion, Lou Jeanmonnot silver, Camille Bened sixth
- She follows in the footsteps of Florence Baverel and Justine Braisaz-Bouchet: Julia Simon, the third French Olympic solo champion in history
- The crazy figures for the Julia Simon/Lou Jeanmonnot double in the individual event at the Milan/Cortina 2026 Olympic Games
- Julia Simon after becoming Olympic individual champion: “One of the best sporting days of my life”.
- Olympic runner-up in the individual event, Lou Jeanmonnot wants to “make the most of it”: “It’s a dream to have a silver medal around my neck”.
- For Julia Simon, a first individual Olympic title after an eventful season
- “When I see she’s next to me, it’s a bit of a blow”: a last ball that hurts Camille Bened, sixth in the individual event
- The photo album of Julia Simon and Lou Jeanmonnot’s incredible Olympic individual double
