Biathlon: gold for Elvira Oeberg in Lenzerheide, Océane Michelon takes silver
Since the beginning of January, Océane Michelon has been hovering around her first individual podium finish at the highest international level. Sixth in the sprint, then fourth in the pursuit inOberhof (Germany), fourth again in the individual race in Ruhpolding (Germany) and fifth in the pursuit inAntholz (Italy), the Savoyard always came within a whisker of greatness.
Over the last fortnight in Lenzerheide (Switzerland), the tide seems to have turned for the biathlete from Lescheraines (Savoie), a small village in the Bauges massif. Although she didn’t make the top 10 in the sprint, pursuit and individual, she did secure her place in the relay. Océane Michelon performed brilliantly at noon on Saturday to become world champion in her speciality.
So, on Sunday, she went into the mass start of the closing round free of pressure… but with the firm intention of showing that she was going to be a force to be reckoned with. The race, however, got off to a very poor start with a mistake on each of her first three shots. However, in this frenzied mass-start with its many twists and turns, this did not put the Baujue – who is very fast on skis – out of the medal match.
Fourteenth French solo world medallist
Océane Michelon was perfect in her final run on the mats and took full advantage of her opponents’ mistakes to finish in third place, just behind Maren Kirkeeide (17/20). Ahead of her, Sweden’s Elvira Oeberg (18/20) took off for the title, her first individual World Championship title.
Faster than her Norwegian rival, the Frenchwoman finally got the better of her in the final hectometres to snatch a sublime silver medal.
The fourteenth French woman to reach an individual world podium in the history of biathlon, Océane Michelon helped France to its thirteenth medal in Lenzerheide, equalling the Nove Mesto 2024 record.
Jeanne Richard at the foot of the podium, the other Blues disappointed
Jeanne Richard (17/20), after a tricky start to the World Championships, came fourth , while the surprising Milena Todorova (18/20) and Lou Jeanmonnot (16/20), in tears in the changing area, rounded off the top 6 at the flower ceremony.
In the lead before the last shot, Justine Braisaz-Bouchet (13/20), golden bib on her shoulders, made three mistakes and had to settle for tenth place. She too was marked by the scenario at the finish. Lastly, Julia Simon (14/20), who was soon out of the race, was twenty-second.
𝑽𝑰𝑪𝑬-𝑪𝑯𝑨𝑴𝑷𝑰𝑶𝑵𝑵𝑬 𝑫𝑼 𝑴𝑶𝑵𝑫𝑬 !!! 🤩🥈
This is completely crazy!!! Océane Michelon takes a magnificent silver medal in the mass start of the Lenzerheide world championships! 🇨🇭🔥
At the age of 22, the Frenchwoman has completed a race 𝗘𝗫𝗖𝗘𝗣𝗧𝗜𝗢𝗡𝗡𝗘𝗟𝗟𝗘… pic.twitter.com/z2OmDy7L1F– FFS – Fédération Française de Ski (@FedFranceSki) February 23, 2025
Full results
- The full programme for the World Championships in Lenzerheide, the highlight of the 2024/2025 season
- Léna Arnaud: my best memory of… Lenzerheide
- Swiss biathlete Arnaud Du Pasquier presents the Roland Arena, the Lenzerheide stadium used for the 2025 World Championships
- Delphyne Burlet on the challenges of the Lenzerheide world championships
- Lenzerheide: France, with Julia Simon, Lou Jeanmonnot, Eric Perrot and Emilien Jacquelin, retain their world mixed relay title
- “We couldn’t have got off to a better start than this”: the perfect start for the French team, which won gold in the mixed relay at the world championships in Lenzerheide.
- “It was fun”: during the mixed relay at the World Championships in Lenzerheide, Britain’s Shawna Pendry was surprised to ski with her idol Ingrid Landmark Tandrevold.
- Lenzerheide: Justine Braisaz-Bouchet’s day of glory, crowned world sprint champion ahead of Franziska Preuss and Suvi Minkkinen
- “The wheel turns”: how Justine Braisaz-Bouchet became world sprint champion in Lenzerheide after a difficult January
- “I’m very proud”: Maya Cloetens tells Nordic Magazine how she made Belgian biathlon history by finishing eighth in the sprint at the World Championships in Lenzerheide.
- Lenzerheide: Johannes Thingnes Boe crushes the sprint to win a fourth world gold medal in the discipline, Quentin Fillon-Maillet gets a tan
- Lenzerheide: Johannes Thingnes Boe wins the sprint to become the most gold medal-winning biathlete in the history of the World Championships
- “Winning a first medal feels great”: bronze in the Lenzerheide sprint, Quentin Fillon-Maillet kicks off his World Championships in style
- 65th in the Lenzerheide sprint, Gaia Brunello achieved Brazil’s best result at the Worlds: “A dream come true”.
- Lenzerheide: untouchable at 20/20, Franziska Preuss takes the world pursuit title, Justine Braisaz-Bouchet in bronze
- “I was three metres too short”. Justine Braisaz-Bouchet was close to silver in the pursuit at the world championships in Lenzerheide.
- Lenzerheide: Johannes Thingnes Boe pursuit world champion ahead of the astonishing Campbell Wright, Eric Perrot in bronze
- The greatest of all time: gold in the pursuit at Lenzerheide, Johannes Thingnes Boe is the most successful individual biathlete in history
- Lenzerheide: Eric Perrot, the eleventh French medallist in an individual World Championship race
- “I had to fill it up and I filled it up”: how Eric Perrot climbed twelve places to win bronze in the pursuit at the World Championships in Lenzerheide
- Lenzerheide: what do they say about Campbell Wright’s exploits in New Zealand?
- “He had to change his shooting line because of a mistake by another biathlete”: why did the jury reclassify Jakov Fak in sixth place in the pursuit at the World Championships in Lenzerheide?
- Franco-British Chloé Dupont, currently competing in the world championships in Lenzerheide: “It’s very motivating”.
- Lenzerheide: Marie Dorin-Habert reviews the first week of the World Championships
- Five medals in five races, including two golds: Les Bleus get off to a flying start at the world championships in Lenzerheide
- Lenzerheide: Julia Simon crowned individual world champion, bronze for Lou Jeanmonnot
- Lenzerheide: Julia Simon, the fourth French individual world champion
- “Nothing could take me out of my race”: how Julia Simon became individual world champion for the first time in Lenzerheide
- “I didn’t take it well when I missed on the first shot”: after a difficult start to her individual competition in Lenzerheide, Lou Jeanmonnot bounced back to win bronze at the World Championships.
- “I’m speechless”: a fantastic second in the individual World Championships, Ella Halvarsson makes Sweden shine in Lenzerheide
- Seven medals, three of them gold: halfway through the World Championships in Lenzerheide, France is on course to beat the Nove Mesto 2024 record.
- Lenzerheide: Peiserot Eric Perrot becomes individual world champion, bronze for Quentin Fillon-Maillet
- Lenzerheide: Eric Perrot becomes the fifth French individual gold medallist at the World Championships
- “What an honour to be able to follow in the footsteps of great champions”: at 23, Eric Perrot is crowned individual world champion
- “He’s a great man, and he’ll continue to be”: Simon Fourcade’s joy after Eric Perrot won the world title in the individual event in Lenzerheide
- “Strong impression”, “What a race”, “Far superior performance”: Eric Perrot’s first world title as seen by the international press
- The pride of Cyril Cleyrat, Eric Perrot’s first coach at the Peisey-Vallandry club, after his protégé’s individual world title: “Tears came to my eyes”.
- “A model of control and management”: Yvon Mougel, France’s leading biathlon world medallist, pays tribute to the new individual world champion Eric Perrot
- “My body was physiologically two years late”: when Eric Perrot, freshly crowned individual world champion, was finishing last in the national races…
- Lenzerheide: new individual world champion, Eric Perrot has his hair shorn on the podium
- “It’s a wonderful feeling”: in Lenzerheide, Tommaso Giacomel won his first ever individual world medal
- “I would have signed up at the start of the Worlds for results like these”: even without a gold medal, Quentin Fillon-Maillet, twice tanned, is smiling again.
- “I’m terribly disappointed by my last shot”: Michal Krcmar, close to a medal in the individual event at the Lenzerheide World Championships.
- Lenzerheide: Quentin Fillon-Maillet and Julia Simon world champions in the mixed singles relay
- Lenzerheide: Julia Simon, with nine gold medals, becomes the fourth most successful biathlete in the history of the World Championships
- Lenzerheide: with 19 world medals, Quentin Fillon-Maillet overtakes Raphaël Poirée and is now second only to Martin Fourcade
- “Crazy World Championships for the French team”: Julia Simon and Quentin Fillon-Maillet, winners of the mixed singles relay, continue Les Bleus’ crazy fortnight in Lenzerheide
- “It’s incomprehensible that she can shoot so fast”: Julia Simon impressed in the mixed singles relay at the World Championships in Lenzerheide
- Lenzerheide: despite picking up 15 pins, Ragnhild Femsteinevik and Johannes Thingnes Boe pulled off a fantastic comeback in the mixed singles relay at the World Championships
- Franziska Preuss and Justus Strelow had to settle for bronze in the mixed relay at the Worlds after being beaten to the line by Norway.
- A fall in the finish area, fans from far and wide, and the goal validated: Sondre and Ukaleq Slettemark tell Nordic Magazine about Greenland’s first-ever mixed singles relay at the World Championships.
- Ten medals, including five golds with four races to go: the records the French team is aiming for over the final weekend of the World Championships in Lenzerheide.
- Emilien Claude in place of Emilien Jacquelin: the tricolour line-up for the men’s relay at the World Championships in Lenzerheide
- “We’re also sending out the message that nothing can be taken for granted”: why the French staff decided to leave Emilien Jacquelin out of the relay at the world championships in Lenzerheide
- Océane Michelon in fourth relay, three defending champions selected: the French line-up for the women’s relay at the World Championships in Lenzerheide
- “It’s the magic potion of the Gauls! Here’s why the French team, favourites this Saturday at the World Championships in Lenzerheide, have been flying high in the men’s relays since the start of the winter.
- Lenzerheide : Lou Jeanmonnot, Océane Michelon, Justine Braisaz-Bouchet and Julia Simon crowned world relay champions
- “Four races at their level”: how Lou Jeanmonnot, Océane Michelon, Justine Braisaz-Bouchet and Julia Simon crushed the relay at the World Championships in Lenzerheide
- Océane Michelon 15th French world champion, 10th world title, including four this year, for Julia Simon: the crazy figures from France’s relay victory at the World Championships in Lenzerheide
- Lenzerheide : Lou Jeanmonnot, Océane Michelon, Justine Braisaz-Bouchet and Julia Simon take gold in the World Championships relay by a margin not seen since 2009
- The overwhelming victory of Lou Jeanmonnot, Océane Michelon, Justine Braisaz-Bouchet and Julia Simon stunned the international press
- Lenzerheide: despite Ingrid Landmark Tandrevold’s penalty lap, the Norwegians manage to claim silver in the World Championship relay
- As boss of the women’s relay at the World Championships, Hanna Oeberg couldn’t hold back her tears after Sweden’s bronze medal in Lenzerheide.
- Lenzerheide: and suddenly the crowd is in awe of Julia Simon
- Lenzerheide: the Boe brothers’ Norway become world relay champions again, Emilien Claude, Fabien Claude, Eric Perrot and Quentin Fillon-Maillet win silver medals
- 23rd crown for Johannes Thingnes Boe, 7th relay title for Tarjei Boe, 20th medal for Quentin Fillon-Maillet, first for Emilien Claude: a historic men’s relay at the Lenzerheide World Championships.
- Lenzerheide: Norway wins the men’s World Championship relay for the first time since 2021
- Lenzerheide: a historic “check” between Quentin Fillon-Maillet and Johannes Thingnes Boe
- “The family medal: a first joint world podium for Fabien and Emilien Claude, who won silver in the Lenzerheide relay
