Biathlon: Eric Perrot gave his all to give France Olympic gold in the men’s relay
When Eric Perrot took the lead in the eighth and final shot of the men’s biathlon relay at the Milan/Cortina 2026 Olympic Games, he had a margin of 8.5 seconds over Norway’s Vetle Sjaastad Christiansen. The latter, usually a great finisher, posed a major threat to the French team with 2.5km to go.
But the Peiserot gave as good as he got and managed to maintain his lead right up to the finish. By the time he rounded the shooting range at theAnterselva Biathlon Arena in Antholz (Italy), the relay had been won and Eric Perrot was able to celebrate victory in the final straight… before collapsing on the snow after the finish.
Although he was able to get up to take photos with his team-mates, the Olympic relay champions, his state of health delayed the medal ceremony.
“He was lying in the air at the finish. They took his blood pressure. He was dead ,” explained Quentin Fillon-Maillet to his family in an exchange captured by the international production team. “He gave us a blackout by digging deep inside himself. He was never in that state,” Emilien Claude confirmed to Nordic Magazine.
“I’ve already seen guys get into trouble, but this time he set the bar very high”, continued the Jurassien at theEurosport microphone, while the Peiserot, full of humour, pointed out that “you could say win or go to hospital, but I got both”.
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- Caroline Colombo: my best memory of… Antholz-Anterselva
- Pierre Mignerey, FFS National Technical Director, outlines the French team’s ambitions for the 2026 Olympics: “It’s clear that we expect the biathletes to be on the podium”.
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- Eric Perrot, Quentin Fillon-Maillet, Lou Jeanmonnot and Julia Simon crowned Olympic mixed relay champions in Antholz
- “Crazy”, “Magical”, “Incredibly beautiful”: the emotion and joy of Eric Perrot, Quentin Fillon-Maillet, Lou Jeanmonnot and Julia Simon, Olympic champions in the mixed relay
- Julia Simon, Lou Jeanmonnot and Eric Perrot join the closed circle of French Olympic champions
- Yvon Mougel, world medallist in 1981 and three-time Olympian, talks about the mixed relay: “The French team played in a dream race”.
- Olympic individual silver for Eric Perrot, Norway’s Johan-Olav Botn wins at 20/20
- Eric Perrot, third Frenchman on the podium in an individual event at the Olympic Games
- First reaction from Eric Perrot, silver medallist in the individual event: “Huge satisfaction to be an individual Olympic medallist”.
- “Sivert, we did it”: an emotional gold medal for Johan-Olav Botn in the individual event
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- Yvon Mougel, world medallist in 1981 and three-time Olympian, recalls the men’s individual: “We’ll remember the embrace between Johan-Olav Botn and Eric Perrot”.
- Julia Simon becomes Olympic individual champion, Lou Jeanmonnot silver, Camille Bened sixth
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- Julia Simon after becoming Olympic individual champion: “One of the best sporting days of my life”.
- Olympic runner-up in the individual event, Lou Jeanmonnot wants to “make the most of it”: “It’s a dream to have a silver medal around my neck”.
- “When I see that she’s next to me, it’s a bit of a blow”: a last ball that hurts Camille Bened, sixth in the individual event
- Margaux Achard’s tribute to her friend and former committee team-mate Julia Simon, Olympic individual champion: “She’d wanted to tick that box for a long time”.
- “I was shaking like a leaf”, “It’s amazing what she’s managed to do”: how Chloé Bened, her sister, and Hugo Pandolfo, her partner, experienced Camille Bened’s individual performance
- Yvon Mougel, world medallist in 1981 and three-time Olympian, talks about the women’s individual: “The moisture covered my eyes”.
- Yvon Mougel, world medallist in 1981, wrote a moving eulogy of his friend the rifle: “Like an extension of myself”.
- Quentin Fillon-Maillet crowned Olympic sprint champion with a perfect race, Emilien Jacquelin fourth
- Quentin Fillon-Maillet announces his impending fatherhood after winning gold in the sprint
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- Yvon Mougel, world medallist in 1981 and three-time Olympian, recounts the men’s sprint: “Emilien Jacquelin took our breath away with his frantic pace”.
- Norway’s Maren Kirkeeide Olympic sprint champion ahead of Océane Michelon and Lou Jeanmonnot
- Océane Michelon, France’s tenth-ever individual Olympic medallist
- “I don’t think I’ve realised yet”: in her first race at the Olympic Games, Océane Michelon wins silver in the sprint.
- “A good way for a couple to celebrate 14 February”: how Guillaume Desmus, his partner sitting in the stands, experienced Océane Michelon’s silver sprint
- “She proves that you can shine at the highest level from a small club”: Bauges Ski Nordique celebrates after Océane Michelon wins Olympic silver
- “I was still missing the colour of a medal”: Lou Jeanmonnot in bronze in the sprint, one shot away from gold
- Sixty-second in the sprint, Justine Braisaz-Bouchet will not be taking part in the pursuit
- France (already) equals its record number of medals won at a single Olympic Games
- Yvon Mougel, world medallist in 1981 and three-time Olympian, talks about women’s sprinting: “Thank you to the girls for these wonderful moments”.
- Martin Ponsiluoma Olympic pursuit champion ahead of Sturla Holm Lægreid, bronze for Emilien Jacquelin
- “I had tears in my eyes”: the emotion of Martin Ponsiluoma, in gold in the pursuit
- “I saw myself finishing fourth again,” admits Emilien Jacquelin after his Olympic bronze medal in the pursuit.
- He is now officially a six-time Olympic champion: in Antholz, Martin Fourcade received his gold medal in the mass start of the 2010 Olympic Games.
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- “It’s an extraordinary event”: third in the pursuit, Suvi Minkkinen becomes the first Finnish biathlete to win a medal at the Games
- Yvon Mougel, world medallist in 1981 and three-time Olympian, recounts the women’s pursuit: “Shivers and tears for champion Lisa Vittozzi”.
- Yvon Mougel, world medallist in 1981 and three-time Olympian, talks about the men’s pursuit: “Putting on a show doesn’t always work…”.
- Camille Bened starts as a thrower, Justine Braisaz-Bouchet on the sidelines: the make-up of the French women’s relay team
- “It’s an anomaly that needs to be fixed”: for the French men’s team, it’s time to shatter the glass ceiling by winning Olympic gold in the relay.
- When Les Bleus beat Norway at FIFA on the eve of the Olympic relay…
