Biathlon: Camille Bened’s individual Olympic performance as seen by those close to her
On Wednesday afternoon, those close to Camille Bened, sixth in the individual biathlon at the Milan/Cortina 2026 Olympic Games, followed their champion’s race with passion, stress and tension.
For the Chablais native, this race was quite simply the first of her Olympic career. The result was a 19/20 with a missed final ball that cost her the Olympic silver medal. Nordic Magazine asked her younger sister Chloé Bened, a former biathlete turned beautician, and her partner Hugo Pandolfo, a professional rugby player in the French National 2 team, to tell us what it was like for them.
Chloé Bened, her little sister at work during the race
“Ever since the mixed relay, where the French team won the gold medal, I’ve been really stressed about the idea of competing in the individual event. I thought it was going to be exceptional! I was counting down the days until the race and, on the day itself, I was counting the hours… It was such a long time until 2.38pm. During the race, I was at work and working! Between clients, when I came out of the booth, I tried to check how things were going on the computer where my colleague had put the live feed.
“As the race went on, I thought it was incredible, that she was ahead of Lou Jeanmonnot and Julia Simon! When her last shot came, first I saw Julia Simon do the 5/5, then it was her turn. She had to get the balls in the net! I was very stressed because, even if I know her shooting ability, bullets are very expensive on an individual. She recovered in the third, put in the fourth and, unfortunately, the fifth didn’t go in… From my point of view, I’m not disappointed at all, but rather proud to see my big sister at the Olympics.
“There were a lot of tears in my eyes during the race and a lot of stress! I was shaking like a leaf because I was so stressed for her. I lived the race with her. As I said to her in the message, through her I’m living the dream that I’ve always wanted to achieve but never managed to. Everything she feels, I feel.
“It brings tears to my eyes and a lump to my throat to talk about her”.Chloé Bened at Nordic Magazine
“I have tears in my eyes and a lump in my throat talking about her. I wasn’t able to go and see her at the Olympics, which is very sad and incomprehensible because it would have been incredible to be there. It’s complicated to be away from her because Camille was my idol for all the years I did biathlon. All the time, I wanted to do what Camille did, to get the same results. I completely missed out on my YOG in 2020 because I only had one objective: to bring home three medals like Camille did at her EYOWF. Apart from Camille, I haven’t had any great idols. My sister was my helping hand. It’s complicated for me not to be by her side! I only hope she succeeds and that she can tell us she’ll have a bib on her back next week.
“As everyone saw, she came second if she got 20/20, so it was a medal. For me, whether she brought home a medal or finished sixth, it was already exceptional! The most important thing was that she enjoyed her first Olympic experience. I’m not frustrated or disappointed for her. I’m proud to see my big sister at the Olympics and to see her perform so well. Now it’s no surprise at all! Camille is a fighter, she’s got the spirit and she’ll always give her all to be the best.
Hugo Pandolfo, her boyfriend, present in Antholz with Camille Bened’s parents
“As we were able to get places, I was on the side of the track with Fred and Valérie, his parents. I was under a lot of stress before the race and, in fact, it built up little by little from the moment I woke up until the start. At the same time, there was a lot of pride and desire to see her on that track.
“On the last shot, she came in at 15/15, so we were really excited! After all, we know that there are four shots in this race and that everything can be called into question right up to the end in biathlon. On the screens, we didn’t have a visual of her shot because Julia Simon and Franziska Preuss were there at the same time… We tried to follow on the data, but at one point it was gone. We saw that last ball that didn’t fit on the phone, with that big red screen appearing. We were disappointed for her, but very proud of the race she ran. She fought from start to finish. For a first Olympic race, it’s amazing what she managed to do.
“We tried to put things into context and show him the positive points, in particular by telling him that his race was enormous”.Hugo Pandolfo at Nordic Magazine
“There was some frustration after the race, but once again, it was mainly for her. We know how much work it takes to get there. You see it on a daily basis, she puts a lot of things in place to get there. What she does in her first World Cup year, and then in her first Olympic race, is just enormous. You have to be really well wired in the head and have it in your face (sic). She’s proved that she’s capable of being there, even at a major event like the Olympics. Now she’s learning at breakneck speed and she’ll remember this last ball. It’s a learning race, even if what she really wanted was a medal, especially as she’s got her finger on the pulse of it.
“After a long wait, because she had passed the anti-doping test, we were able to see her. It was important for her parents and for me to be able to talk to her. Given the scenario, she was very saddened and felt that she’d missed out on everything and that she’d disappointed the people watching her. Beyond that, we tried to put things into context and show her the positive points, in particular by telling her that her race was enormous. But on Wednesday evening, she couldn’t hear that, which is normal. It’s a sort of mini-mourning for an Olympic medal. You have to get through this stage of sadness and disappointment before you can get back to work.
- “A feast for the eyes: Camille Bened, Océane Michelon and Oscar Lombardot take to the catwalk in Cortina d’Ampezzo for the opening ceremony
- Camille Bened at the start of the individual race, Océane Michelon in the sprint
- “I don’t want to be in a different frame of mind”: how Camille Bened, lined up for the individual event, approaches her Olympic debut
- Julia Simon becomes Olympic individual champion, Lou Jeanmonnot silver, Camille Bened sixth
- “When I see she’s next to me, it’s a bit of a blow”: a last ball that hurts Camille Bened, sixth in the individual event
