A success full of promise! Less than two months before the Milan-Cortina Winter Olympics, which will be held from Friday February 6 to Sunday February 22, 2026 in Italy, Lou Jeanmonnot sent a message to all his opponents.
After lackluster performances during the individual events in Östersund in Sweden, at the opening of the biathlon season – but brilliant during the women’s and mixed relays after two victories -, Jeanmonnot adjusted the sights and won, this Friday, the sprint in Hochfilzen in the Austrian Tyrol.
At the end of the 7.5 kilometers of race and a flawless rifle performance, the 27-year-old biathlete, candidate for the big globe after failing to reach second place in the world last season, is ahead of the Norwegian Maren Kirkeeide by 15 seconds and the Swede Anna Magnusson by 16 seconds.
The other event of the day, on the French side, was the return to competition of Julia Simon. Suspended for six months, including one month closed by the disciplinary commission of the French Ski Federation (FFS) for theft and bank card fraud, the 29-year-old Savoyard completed her sprint in 19th place, more than a minute behind her compatriot.
Back after her one-month suspension, Julia Simon finishes 19th
Always comfortable shooting (9/10), the last Frenchwoman to have won the Biathlon World Cup (2023) lacked rhythm on the skis. “I have no doubt about her shooting, just how long she will take, how much running she will need to get into the rhythm,” Jean-Paul Giachino, Les Bleues shooting coach and close friend of the biathlete, explained to AFP on Thursday. He has the beginnings of an answer.
“It’s difficult to recover a train that is already moving, I really lack rhythm,” Julia Simon told La Chaîne L’Equipe with a smile. I took a lot on the first round. I had a hard time getting into it and finishing it too. But I’m really happy, I had a very good feeling behind the rifle, I managed to achieve what I wanted. I’m satisfied but I’m going to need races to get back into the rhythm. »
After this recovery, Julia Simon could also claim to be part of her first women’s relay scheduled for Saturday afternoon. The list of four biathletes will be known late Friday afternoon.
Among the men, Eric Perrot took a good 2nd place a little earlier in the day thanks to a 10/10 shooting and a good performance on the skis. The Habs were only beaten by the Italian Tommaso Giacomel by just 4 seconds.
