Biathlon: second place for Les Bleus in Östersund
On Saturday, in the dark of night inÖstersund (Sweden), the French men’s biathlon team kicked off its Olympic winter with a podium finish. Fabien Claude, Quentin Fillon-Maillet, Emilien Jacquelin and Eric Perrot may not have finished in first place, but they still finished second behind Norway.
It was all the result of a crazy scenario, as the race got off to a bad start with Fabien Claude taking two penalty laps.

“We made a few too many mistakes because the wind was a bit fickle and didn’t allow everyone to express themselves freely. Some were a little more successful and lucky than others at the start of the relay”, judged Simon Fourcade, the French coach, speaking to La Chaîne L’Equipe.
However, the French made up lost ground thanks to Quentin Fillon-Maillet, Emilien Jacquelin and Eric Perrot. “Despite everything, we stayed in the match throughout and challenged for first place with the last shot. It was a good relay in the right tempo and well executed, with some good things to remember for the rest of the race,” concluded the French team coach.
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- Östersund: France’s Fabien Claude, Quentin Fillon-Maillet, Emilien Jacquelin and Eric Perrot second in the relay won by Norway






































