Cross-country skiing: first Olympic Games for Léonie Perry and Julie Pierrel
Earlier this week, the CNOSF unveiled the first French cross-country skiing squad for the Milan/Cortina 2026 Olympic Games. Of the four Frenchwomen selected, two will be discovering the event for the first time: 21-year-old Léonie Perry from Bresse and 23-year-old Julie Pierrel from Bornand.
Starting this Friday at the World Cup in Goms (Switzerland), they both gave their reactions to Nordic Magazine.
Léonie Perry: “I’m so happy and proud to be doing this at this age”.
“It’s really something crazy! It’s one thing to think you might be going to the Olympics, but when it’s actually announced and you start having meetings to talk about it, that’s something else. I’m so happy and proud to be doing this at this age. Two years ago, I never thought I’d be able to do the Games in 2026!
“I’m also delighted to be sharing this experience with girls who are also going to be doing it for the first time, like Julie [Pierrel], but also with those who have already had the chance to do it, like Mélissa [Gal] and Delphine [Claudel]. They’ll be like our mentors! Above all, having a great women’s team is a great opportunity. I hope that it will give a good image of women’s cross-country skiing to the younger generation and that it will inspire them to take part in the Games later on.
“It also shows that you shouldn’t be afraid to have ambitions and to work hard, even as a second year senior. It’s not because there are big names next to you in a race that you should be afraid. You have to tell yourself that you can beat them, and that state of mind helped me win my selection.
Julie Pierrel: “I’m even prouder to have fought to the end”.
“When I was little, I used to dream a little when I saw the athletes from my resort, Le Grand-Bornand. The champions often came back at the end of the season and I could see them coming back from the Olympics. It made me dream, but it seemed so far away! Little by little, I continued to ski, which is my passion, and I worked my way up through the ranks: the French Cup, the FESA Cup and then the World Cup from last year.
“So I said to myself that I might be in the running for this Olympic selection! The start of the season was a bit up and down, with some very good races and others that weren’t so good. I’m now even prouder of myself for fighting right to the end and not giving up to get this selection. It’s really incredible.
The French cross-country skiing squad for the Milan/Cortina 2026 Olympics
Ladies
- Léonie Perry – La Bressaude (Massif des Vosges) 🇫🇷
- Delphine Claudel – ARMÉE DE CHAMPIONS / La Bressaude (Massif des Vosges) 🇫🇷
- Mélissa Gal – SCNP Rochois (Mont Blanc) 🇫🇷
- Julie Pierrel – Le Grand-Bornand (Mont Blanc) 🇫🇷
- + a name to be announced on 26 January
- + a name to be announced on 26 January
- + a name to be announced on 26 January
Men
- Lucas Chanavat – ARMÉE DE CHAMPIONS / Le Grand-Bornand (Mont Blanc) 🇫🇷
- Jules Chappaz – ARMY OF CHAMPIONS / Club des Sports La Clusaz (Mont Blanc) 🇫🇷
- Mathis Desloges – NATIONAL POLICE / Villard de Lans (Dauphiné) 🇫🇷
- Richard Jouve – ARMÉE DE CHAMPIONS / Club des Sports de Méribel (Savoie) 🇫🇷
- Hugo Lapalus – ARMÉE DE CHAMPIONS / Club des Sports La Clusaz (Mont Blanc) 🇫🇷
- Jules Lapierre – ARMY OF CHAMPIONS / Chartreuse Nordic Skiing (Dauphiné) 🇫🇷
- Théo Schely – POLICE NATIONALE / Club des Sports La Clusaz (Mont Blanc) 🇫🇷
- + a name to be announced on 26 January
The complete programme for cross-country skiing at the Milan/Cortina 2026 Olympic Games
Saturday 7 February
- 1.00 pm: women’s 10 km CT + 10 km FT skiathlon
Sunday 8 February
- 12.30pm: men’s 10 km CT + 10 km FT skiathlon
Tuesday 10 February
- 9.15am: Women’s CT sprint qualifiers
- 9.55am: CT men’s sprint qualifiers
- 11.45am: men’s and women’s CT sprint finals
Thursday 12 February
- 13:00: Women’s individual 10 km FT
Friday 13 February
- 12.00: Men’s individual 10 km FT
Saturday 14th February
- 12.00: Women’s 4×7.5 km CT/FT relay
Sunday 15 February
- 12.00: Men’s 4×7.5 km CT/FT relay
Wednesday 18 February
- 9.45am: FT women’s team sprint qualifiers
- 10.15am: FT men’s team sprint qualifiers
- 11.45am: Women’s FT team sprint final
- 12.15pm: FT men’s team sprint final
Saturday 21 February
- 11.00: 50 km mass-start CT men
Sunday 22 February
- 10.00: 50 km women’s CT mass-start
Read also
- The French team selection for the Milan/Cortina 2026 Olympic Games
- The CNOSF reveals the first list of Frenchmen selected for the 2026 Olympic Games in Milan/Cortina
- “We favour athletes who are capable of going out and winning medals”: Olivier Michaud looks back at France’s selection for the Milan/Cortina 2026 Olympic Games
- Milan/Cortina 2026 Olympics: two extra quotas for the French team
