Biathlon: a failed relay for the French women’s team
There are days like this when nothing goes right. This Saturday, the French women’s biathlon team had an off day at the World Cup relay in Hochfilzen (Austria). A brand new quartet comprising Camille Bened, Jeanne Richard, Justine Braisaz-Bouchet and Lou Jeanmonnot was lined up, but it failed to live up to its billing.
From the outset, the Chablais native, in her very first stint on the world circuit, made a mistake, dropping two places. “I’m a bit disappointed because I was really struggling. It pisses me off (sic) that it was on the relay. There are days without and this was one of them. Maybe I got caught up in what was at stake in that first relay and put myself under a lot of pressure,” she said afterwards in the mixed zone on La Chaîne L’Equipe.
However, she handed over to Jeanne Richard with 21 seconds to go. Nothing was lost… except that the Montblanc native was going to turn once on the penalty ring when she stood up. “ My legs were shaking”, she said after getting dressed. Halfway through the race, France was 1 min 20 behind first place.
Justine Braisaz-Bouchet and Lou Jeanmonnot were never able to buck the trend. As a result, Les Bleues finished sixth – the group’s worst result since March 2024 – with one round and ten picks.
Sweden on show
Up front, the Swedes – Ella Halvarsson, Anna Magnusson, Elvira Oeberg and Hanna Oeberg – were on the attack from the first stint and put in a real demonstration.
They crossed the finish line 40 sec 3 ahead of Norway(Marthe Kraakstad Johansen, Ingrid Landmark Tandrevold, Karoline Knotten, Maren Kirkeeide) and 51 sec 3 ahead of Germany(Anna Weidel, Julia Tannheimer, Janina Hettich-Walz, Vanessa Voigt).
At the foot of the podium are Finland and Slovakia , while behind France, the Czech Republic is seventh,Austria eighth, Switzerland ninth,Ukraine tenth andItaly eleventh.
Full results
C73C_v1-4- The full programme for the Hochfilzen World Cup, the second stage of the 2025/2026 season
- Caroline Colombo: my best memory of… Hochfilzen
- Julia Simon makes her comeback, Oscar Lombardot replaces Antonin Guigonnat: the French team selection for the Hochfilzen World Cup revealed
- Corinne Niogret, 1992 Olympic relay champion, on the return of Julia Simon after her suspension: “She was punished, she’s back and I wish her a good season”.
- “She had a strong desire to return to competition as soon as possible”: Stéphane Bouthiaux on Julia Simon’s return to the French team for Hochfilzen
- Hochfilzen: Eric Perrot second in the sprint dominated by Italy’s Tommaso Giacomel
- Hochfilzen: after the sprint, Johan-Olav Botn keeps his yellow bib as overall leader
- “I had no fear”: Tommaso Giacomel’s risky but successful gamble on the standing sprint shot in Hochfilzen
- “I’m happy to already be in the match”: after the “rage” of Östersund, how Eric Perrot picked up the gauntlet to take second place in the Hochfilzen sprint.
- The joy of Philipp Horn, who scored his first World Cup podium in Hochfilzen: “I’ve finally managed to have a perfect race”.
- Hochfilzen: Lou Jeanmonnot triumphs in the sprint, Camille Bened takes flowers, Julia Simon returns with a top 20 finish
- Hochfilzen: Sweden’s Anna Magnusson snatches the overall leader’s yellow number from Suvi Minkkinen, with Lou Jeanmonnot in second place
- “I wanted to focus on the manner”: a change of mindset synonymous with victory in the Hochfilzen sprint for Lou Jeanmonnot
- Julia Simon, 19th in the Hochfilzen sprint on her comeback: “It’s difficult to get back on a train that’s already moving”.
- Julia Simon rested, Camille Bened starts: the French women’s relay team in Hochfilzen
- Hochfilzen: Eric Perrot, the boss with 20/20, triumphs in the pursuit
- Hochfilzen: Johan-Olav Botn will wear yellow in Le Grand-Bornand, Eric Perrot new third overall and red bib in the pursuit
- “For me, that’s happiness”: winner of the Hochfilzen pursuit with the perfect shot, Eric Perrot treated himself to a shot of “pleasure”.
