Biathlon: Johan-Olav Botn takes Olympic gold in the individual event, Eric Perrot takes silver
Two days after the opening mixed relay of the biathlon events at the Milan/Cortina 2026 Olympic Games, theAnterselva Biathlon Arena in Antholz (Italy) was back in action early on Tuesday afternoon for the men’s individual event. In this speciality, where the reigning Olympic(Quentin Fillon-Maillet) and world(Eric Perrot) champions were French, the hopes of medals were very much alive in the French clan.
The four competitors lined up by Simon Fourcade and Jean-Pierre Amat could all reach the podium. To achieve this, however, the path – a narrow one – involved four passes over the immaculate (or almost immaculate) mats. It soon became clear that Fabien Claude (16/20), Quentin Fillon-Maillet (16/20) and Emilien Jacquelin (14/20) were out of the running.
Peiserot Eric Perrot, on the other hand, was impressive both behind his rifle and on the cross-country track. After a perfect 5/5 on his first dismount, he dropped a ball on his feet… before finishing his run like a bullet with a 10/10. With this 19/20, the Savoyard secured his first individual Olympic medal.
Johan-Olav Botn was the strongest
Starting 20 bibs back, Johan-Olav Botn posed a huge threat and it was as the Frenchman crossed the finish line that he scored 20/20 on his shooting. Leaving the stadium with an 11.7 second margin over Eric Perrot, he finished his run very, very, very strongly to take the Olympic title by 14.8 seconds. On the line, the Norwegian pointed his finger at the sky in tribute to his friend Sivert Guttorm Bakken, who died suddenly just a few days before Christmas.
Eric Perrot, for his part, took silver, while Sturla Holm Lægreid (19/20) was tanned at 48 sec 3. Having not yet reached the podium solo this winter, he did so for the first time at an Olympic event, like the immense champion that he is.
Finland’s Olli Hiidensalo (20/20) failed to finish on the podium, as he did last year at the world championships. Philipp Nawrath (19/20), Tommaso Giacomel (17/20) and Sebastian Samuelsson (18/20) follow in the rankings, while Quentin Fillon-Maillet (16/20) takes eighth place. Martin Ponsiluoma (17/20) and Johannes Dale-Skjevdal (16/20) complete the day’s top 10.
Bassurois Fabien Claude (16/20) was sixteenth, while Dauphinois Emilien Jacquelin (14/20) was fifty-fifth.
Video of the race
Full results
C73A_v1-18- Races, training sessions, shooting trials, ceremonies: the full programme for the Milan/Cortina 2026 Olympic Games
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- 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”.
- Coaches, physiotherapists, physical trainers, press officers, technicians: what kind of support will the French team have at the Milan/Cortina 2026 Olympic Games?
- With Eric Perrot, Quentin Fillon-Maillet, Lou Jeanmonnot and Julia Simon: France announces its mixed relay quartet
- “For my personal preparation, I thought it made more sense to do the third relay”: why Lou Jeanmonnot didn’t want to complete the Olympic mixed relay
- “It all seems quite logical”: Corinne Niogret, 1992 Olympic champion in the women’s relay, explains the composition of the French mixed relay.
- How Simon Fourcade and Cyril Burdet justify the order of the mixed relay and the selections of Quentin Fillon-Maillet and Julia Simon
- Camille Bened at the start of the individual race, Océane Michelon in the sprint
- “If the first race goes well, it’s easy to follow it up”: the mixed relay, a golden opportunity for France to kick off the Olympic fortnight with a bang
- “Everything I’ve seen, experienced and felt means I’m starting these Games a little less naked”: what Peiserot Eric Perrot takes away from his experience as a substitute at the 2022 Olympics.
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- Eric Perrot, Quentin Fillon-Maillet, Lou Jeanmonnot and Julia Simon crowned Olympic mixed relay champions in Antholz
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- Julia Simon, Lou Jeanmonnot and Eric Perrot join the closed circle of French Olympic champions
- Gold medallist for the third time at the Olympic Games, Quentin Fillon-Maillet becomes the equal of Jean-Claude Killy
- Yvon Mougel, world medallist in 1981 and three-time Olympian, talks about the mixed relay: “The French team played in a dream race”.
