Biathlon: “It was stratospheric biathlon”, says Quentin Fillon-Maillet of the Preuss/Jeanmonnot duel
On Sunday evening, Jura biathlete Quentin Fillon-Maillet was a guest on France 3’s Stade 2 programme. Between the broadcast of several reports on current sporting events, the five-time Olympic medallist answered a few questions from the journalists around the table to look back on his winter and look ahead to what lies ahead.
One of them did not concern him directly, as he was asked to reflect on the intense battle between Lou Jeanmonnot and Franziska Preuss for the crystal globe. The closing mass-start, with the fall of the Doubiste rider in the final, is still fresh in everyone’s memory.
The stakes were phenomenal,” began Quentin Fillon-Maillet. Before this last race, Franziska [Preuss] and Lou [Jeanmonnot] had already fought a very high level battle, it was stratospheric biathlon. This last race was also stratospheric biathlon. And that last lap was so gripping… Lou [Jeanmonnot] was more than capable of being in front, so it’s cruel, but that’s sport.
Before concluding: “For me, it remains a historic race for our sport that we’ll be talking about all the time. Even if Lou [Jeanmonnot] doesn’t win the globe, congratulations to her because it was incredible.
- Oslo-Holmenkollen: Franziska Preuss wins the mass-start and the crystal globe, Lou Jeanmonnot third after a fall in the finale
- “It’s hard to get more exciting than this”: Franziska Preuss opens up after winning her first crystal globe after a crazy race
- “She closes the door on me in a very conventional way”: Lou Jeanmonnot looks back on the fall that may have cost him the big globe at the Oslo-Holmenkollen mass start
- Oslo-Holmenkollen: Lou Jeanmonnot’s fall in pictures
- Oslo-Holmenkollen: Franziska Preuss’s photo album with the big crystal globe
- Franziska Preuss joins these legends by winning the crystal globe as World Cup winner.
