Biathlon: double success for the French in the individual short race in Nove Mesto
Twenty-four hours after the magnificent double achieved by Eric Perrot and Emilien Jacquelin in the men’s individual short race at the Biathlon World Cup in Nove Mesto (Czech Republic), Justine Braisaz-Bouchet and Lou Jeanmonnot repeated their performance in the women’s race.
In a race run during the Czech night and in light rain that slowed the snow, you had to shoot (very) well to have any hope of a place at the top of the rankings. And that’s exactly what the two Frenchwomen did. Although they each missed a ball – the Franc-Comtoise on the last standing shot, the Beaufortaine on the second lying shot – they were very much in their element on their cross-country skis.
In the end, although they started a minute apart, the two Frenchwomen emerged from the final pass on the mats just 1 sec 1 apart, to the advantage of the wearer of the yellow bib. The final lap was electric, with Justine Braisaz-Bouchet taking the lead before the times of the protagonists were tied with less than a kilometre to go.
In the end, Justine Braisaz-Bouchet finished very strongly, crossing the line 1.4 seconds ahead of her team-mate, compatriot and friend. Winning for the first time since her world sprint title in February 2025, the Savoyard wins just two weeks before the opening of the Olympic Games in Milan/Cortina 2026.
Lou Jeanmonnot, in second place, has also done extremely well in the overall World Cup standings, taking a lead of no less than 192 points over Suvi Minkkinen (16/20), who finished in twenty-second place on the day. The yellow bib is now firmly on the shoulders of the Haut-Doubiste, who has already put one hand on the big crystal globe.
First podium of the winter for Franziska Preuss, Julia Simon in the top 10
Germany’s Franziska Preuss (18/20) rounded off the podium ahead of Sweden’s Anna Magnusson (18/20), Switzerland’s Lena Haecki-Gross (19/20) and Austria’s Tamara Steiner (20/20). Norway’s Siri Skar (19/20) is seventh, followed by Julia Simon (18/20) in eighth place and Lisa Vittozzi (17/20) in ninth.
Further back, Océane Michelon (16/20) was seventeenth, followed by Jeanne Richard (15/20) in thirty-eighth place. Finally, Camille Bened (15/20) suffered her first World Cup disappointment, coming in sixty-second.
Full results
C73A_v1-9-1- The full programme for the Nove Mesto World Cup, the sixth stage of the 2025/2026 season
- The girls go home for two days, the boys join the Czech Republic on Monday: two different strategies for the French team before Nove Mesto.
- No change for the last pre-Olympic World Cup: the French team’s selection for Nove Mesto has been announced
- Ingrid Landmark Tandrevold and Johan-Olav Botn present, firsts for Guro Ytterhus and Vetle Paulsen: Norway’s squad for the Nove Mesto World Cup unveiled
- Belgium with only Thierry Langer and César Beauvais at the Nove Mesto World Cup
- Suvi Minkkinen, runner-up to Lou Jeanmonnot, doesn’t shy away: Finland with its headliners in Nove Mesto
- Italy in Nove Mesto with Lisa Vittozzi, Dorothea Wierer and Tommaso Giacomel
- Leaders Magnus Oberhauser, Patrick Jakob and Tamara Steiner promoted: Austria’s selection for the Nove Mesto World Cup
- With Sebastian Samuelsson, Anna Magnusson and Martin Ponsiluoma, but without the Oeberg sisters: Sweden’s squad for the Nove Mesto World Cup
- Nove Mesto World Cup: a largely reorganised German team… but led by Franziska Preuss
- Nove Mesto: Marketa Davidova has to withdraw from the home round of the World Cup
- Coralie Langel stays on the circuit, Niklas Hartweg is rested: Switzerland’s selection for the World Cup in Nove Mesto
- Nove Mesto: Eric Perrot and Emilien Jacquelin do the double in the individual short, Oscar Lombardot and Emilien Claude in the flowers
- Nove Mesto: excellent overall result for Eric Perrot, who moves back to within 23 points of Tommaso Giacomel
- Eric Perrot smiles broadly after dominating the individual short in Nove Mesto: “It’s very satisfying to be back on the winning track”.
- “This performance comes at just the right time”: Emilien Jacquelin’s thoughts after finishing second in the individual short at the Nove Mesto World Cup
- Oscar Lombardot and Emilien Claude: “It’s a real pleasure” and “I hung in there”, a top 6 that comes just at the right time before the 2026 Olympic Games.
- “The worst race of my career”: Sebastian Samuelsson, a big miss and a bad deal in the individual race in Nove Mesto
- Almost four years later, Lukas Hofer is back on the World Cup podium in Nove Mesto: “I’m very happy to have persevered”.
- 0/5 on the last shot, Endre Stroemsheim’s terrible crack on the individual short in Nove Mesto
