“It’s very hard at the moment”
Affected biathlete speaks about fraud affair
Updated 12/19/2025 – 5:01 p.mReading time: 2 minutes
She was the victim of an unprecedented fraud: the Frenchwoman Justine Braisaz-Bouchet. Now she has told how she is feeling.
Biathlete Julia Simon from France, who was convicted of fraud, was “totally happy” after her return to the World Cup. After serving her suspension, the ten-time world champion returned last week with 19th place in the Hochfilzen sprint. “I’m happy with my performance. I feel like a train that’s starting now. But I’m still a little behind and trying to catch this train,” said Simon on ARD.
The 29-year-old was sentenced to a three-month suspended prison sentence and a fine of 15,000 euros in a credit card affair on October 24th. The French Ski Association had banned her from competing and training for six months – although five months of that were on probation. So she just missed the start in Östersund.
Simon had confessed to ordering goods worth around 2,500 euros online using stolen credit card details from her teammate Justine Braisaz-Bouchet and a team physiotherapist. Their situation is now correspondingly difficult, explained Simon.
In an interview with ZDF, the affected Justine Braisaz-Bouchet explained her view of the situation: “It’s very hard at the moment. I have deleted all of my social media accounts. Above all, we have to protect ourselves. I myself and of course my relatives too.” Many fans probably saw Braisaz-Bouchet as the troublemaker.
Because of her self-imposed ban on social media, she wanted to concentrate on her sport again and “take with her the positive things that she can influence,” said Braisaz-Bouchet, who, when asked what the mood was like in the French team, replied: “I’m trying to keep it okay for myself.”