Biathlon: Julia Simon made the difference with her last shot
On Sunday afternoon, in the sunshine of the Haut-Doubs region, the women’s pursuit at the French summer biathlon championships in Arçon (Doubs) promised to be a great spectacle. It had to be said that it pitted the athletes of the best team in the world against each other.
Chloé Chevalier and Lou Jeanmonnot took the lead at the start of the race after a well-executed sprint. After a first shot at 4/5, however, they saw Julia Simon come back, perfect in front of the targets after starting 30 seconds behind. So it was a group of three who tackled the last prone shot of the competition… where Chloé Chevalier, with three errors, jumped.
Despite a missed ball, Julia Simon and Lou Jeanmonnot emerged in the lead, but Jeanne Richard, with an impressive 10/10, was also in the fight at the halfway stage. It was this three-way battle that livened up the second half of the chase , with both teams standing up perfectly for the first time.
Julia Simon kept her cool
So, as is often the case in biathlon, it was the final pass over the mats that would determine the outcome of this French Championships pursuit. Julia Simon from Beaufort, who only missed the last ball, made all the difference as her two rivals dropped two shots.
Alone at the front in the final lap, Julia Simon could savour the moment and raise her arms at the finish line. With five weeks to go before the start of the World Cup, the Savoyard retains her title as French pursuit champion and shows the whole world that she is in good form. Lou Jeanmonnot (16/20) took silver ahead of Jeanne Richard (18/20).
Behind them, Justine Braisaz-Bouchet (18/20), fourth at the end of the pursuit, moved up seven places. Gilonne Guigonnat (18/20), Amandine Mengin (19/20), sixth, U22 winner and French summer biathlon champion in her category, Fany Bertrand (20/20), Chloé Chevalier (14/20), Camille Bened (18/20) and Paula Botet (18/20) all made the top 10.
Further back, we find Sophie Chauveau (14/20) twelfth, Voldiya Galmace-Paulin (16/20) fourteenth and second U22, Lisa Siberchicot (16/20) fifteenth, Célia Henaff (18/20) sixteenth and third U22, Caroline Colombo (16/20) nineteenth and Léonie Jeannier (14/20) twentieth.
Full results
- “It’s always important to put in a good performance in your head”: after winning in Arçon, Julia Simon is approaching the end of her preparations with confidence.
- Summer Tour d’Arçon pursuit: Quentin Fillon-Maillet, untouchable, wins another gold medal as French champion
- Arçon: Sébastien Mahon’s farewell photo album
- Arçon: Eric Perrot will not be starting the pursuit
- Arçon: alone in the world, Léo Carlier dominates the Summer Tour U19 pursuit and achieves the grand slam
- “Now we have to keep up the momentum”: Léo Carlier’s reaction after his 4/4 finish in the Summer Tour races
- Summer Tour d’Arçon: the U19 women’s pursuit for Louise Roguet, also crowned French summer champion
- Summer Tour d’Arçon: pushed to the limit, Augustin Remonnay wins the men’s U17 pursuit
- Arçon: Franc-Comtois Rose Marguet, in demonstration, wins the Summer Tour U17 women’s pursuit
- Arçon: Augustin Remonnay wins the U17 sprint on home soil after a thrilling finale
- Arçon: Adèle Ouvrier-Buffet, with 10/10, wins the U17 women’s sprint
- Summer Tour d’Arçon: Chloé Chevalier crowned French sprint champion 8 tenths ahead of Lou Jeanmonnot
- French sprint champion in Arçon, Chloé Chevalier has rediscovered her pleasure after her doubts: “I didn’t know if I was capable of competing with the girls”.
- Arçon: U19 women’s sprint for Dauphinoise Léna Moretti
- Summer Tour d’Arçon: impressive Quentin Fillon-Maillet becomes French sprint champion
- Quentin Fillon-Maillet after winning the gold medal in the Arçon sprint: “I’m satisfied because I’m back to good standards”.
- Summer Tour d’Arçon sprint: another victory for Léo Carlier from Doubien in the U19 category
- The full programme for the Summer Tour d’Arçon, support event for the French senior sprint and pursuit championships
- Roman Rees, Erika Jänkä, Florent Claude, Maxime Germain and Arnaud Du Pasquier: the full list of foreign athletes taking part in the Summer Tour d’Arçon.
- Why will Océane Michelon and Eric Perrot be wearing yellow bibs in the Summer Tour d’Arçon sprint?
- Overall rankings for the U17, U19 and U22 French summer championships ahead of the Summer Tour d’Arçon
- After three weeks at altitude between Italy and Prémanon, Eric Perrot is looking ahead to the Summer Tour d’Arçon: “It’s very specific training, which is important for me”.
- Summer Tour: who are the title holders and former winners of the Arçon sprint and pursuit?
- Anaëlle Bondoux withdraws from the Summer Tour d’Arçon after a fall on ski-wheels
- Summer Tour: Nordic Magazine stand in Arçon selling the new comic book and the new Biathlon Magazine
