He ultimately didn’t choose the same sport, but he remains a big fan. This Thursday, Émilien Jacquelin revealed the reason for the earring he is wearing for the 2026 Winter Olympics. It is in reality a tribute to the cyclist Marco Pantani, who died in 2004 of a cocaine overdose, of whom the biathlete is a huge supporter.
“I am a big fan of cycling and Marco Pantani and kindly, Pantani’s family allowed me to do something powerful: wear one of his earrings for the next two weeks,” he explained to RMC Sport. It’s something incredible that allows me to pay tribute to the one who made me want to do sports, cycling, skiing, and to run like a cyclist. »
“Pantani is still a legend”
Winner of the Tour de France and the Tour of Italy in 1998, the Italian especially marked Émilien Jacquelin with “his panache, his aura”. “It always pushed me to try to be like him when I was younger. It is a way of paying tribute, in Italy, at the Olympic Games, to the legend that Marco Pantani was and still is. »
The French biathlete now hopes that this accessory will bring him luck. Not aligned with the mixed relay, he will defend his chances during the four individual events and the men’s relay. Five chances to win medals, he who has already reached two 2nd places in 2022 during the mixed and men’s relays.
