At the start of the Biathlon World Cup in Kontiolahti, a little piece of history was written and an almost incredible series ended. The French women were responsible for a pitch-black individual race.
Hard to believe, but true: the French biathletes had no say in the fight for victory in the Kontiolahti individual event. In the end, the best of the team was Julia Simon, who finished in tenth place.
What makes this result so remarkable: It is the first time in a whopping 42 (!) races that no French woman finished in one of the top five places in a race. The last time this was the case was on December 7th, 2024. At that time the race was also held in Kontiolahti.
No less impressive: including the Olympics, Kontiolahti’s individual race was only the fourth race this season in which no French woman was on the podium. So far this has only happened in the persecutions of Oberhof, Hochfilzen and Östersund.
Jeanmonnot wins the biathlon thriller
Ultimately, as is often the case, they still had reason to celebrate in the French camp. For Lou Jeanmonnot, 35th place was enough to secure the individual ranking. With 136 points, she won the fight for the small crystal ball, just ahead of the Swede Anna Magnussen (134). Two other Swedes, Elvira (127) and Hanna Öberg (125), took third and fourth place.
Why things didn’t click for France’s stars on Thursday was partly due to the shooting range. Here they all stumbled several times.
“My first two mistakes weren’t that bad, but they created a vicious circle with negative thoughts that I couldn’t shake,” said Jeanmonnot on the “L’Équipe” microphone about her race, which ensured that she had to tremble for the crystal ball until the end. “I’m disappointed. My lead was big enough to have a stress-free race,” she added.
Julia Simon, on the other hand, said that the extremely successful Olympic Games may have caused a little headache in the team. “It’s the return after the Games, it’s not easy. We have to get going again,” analyzed the three-time Olympic champion.
