Biathlon: Lou Jeanmonnot impresses (again)
Since the start of the 2024/2025 Women’s Biathlon World Cup, Doubs-based Lou Jeanmonnot has been (by far) the most successful athlete. Before the start of this stage in Antholz (Italy), the last to be held before the World Championships in Lenzerheide (Switzerland), she had already raised her arms four times: twice in an individual race and twice more in a pursuit.
Never, however, had Lou Jeanmonnot managed to dominate the sprint exercise. Seventeenth in Kontiolahti (Finland), fourth in Hochfilzen (Austria), thirty-fifth in Le Grand-Bornand (Haute-Savoie) and seventh in Oberhof (Germany), she had a great race on Thursday afternoon at the Südtirol Arena in Italy. “I’m very happy,” she told La Chaîne L’Equipe afterwards in the mixed zone.
Selina Grotian is runner-up, two other French women win flowers
With a 10/10 and the best ski time (just 1 tenth behind rocket Anamarija Lampic), the Franc-Comtoise from Olympic Mont d’Or struck a blow. “She’s a metronome. She doesn’t necessarily try to shoot fast, but to shoot well. She shoots in the right time,” analysed Yvon Mougel, France’s first ever world biathlon medallist, in our columns at the start of the week.
In this transalpine sprint, she showed that once again. With her fifth victory of the winter, she also took back points from Franziska Preuss (10/10), third on the day, in the overall classification.
In second place was another German, Selina Grotian. Impressive at 10/10, the winner of the Grand-Bornand mass-start was just 7 sec 2 behind the Frenchwoman and earned herself another podium finish in the big wide world. Italy’s Dorothea Wierer (9/10) finished fourth at home, while France’s Julia Simon (9/10) and Jeanne Richard (10/10) rounded off the flower ceremony.
Finally, Océane Michelon (9/10), seventh, also had another solid race. Justine Braisaz-Bouchet (8/10) was sixteenth and Paula Botet (7/10) twenty-seventh.
The smile of a BIG winner! 👑
5th victory of the winter for Lou Jeanmonnot who wins the Antholz-Anterselva biathlon sprint.
📷 Nordic Focus pic.twitter.com/sNFSqQzjOV– FFS – Fédération Française de Ski (@FedFranceSki) January 23, 2025
Live data from the women’s sprint
Full results
- The full programme for the Antholz-Anterselva World Cup, the sixth stage of the 2024/2025 season
- Corinne Niogret: my best memory of… Antholz-Anterselva
- An Oslo-Holmenkollen finish: images of the new configuration of the Südtirol Arena in Antholz-Anterselva
- “I was lucky at the start of my career to race against a legend”: Eric Perrot pays tribute to Johannes Thingnes Boe a few days after announcing his retirement.
- Antholz: Elvira Oeberg (very) doubtful for the sprint
- Elvira Oeberg to skip all Antholz competitions
- This week, Dorothea Wierer will experience her last races at the Antholz World Cup.
