Quentin Fillon Maillet Promoted to Officer of Legion of Honour After Historic Winter Olympics
French biathlete Quentin Fillon Maillet has been promoted to the rank of Officer in the Legion of Honour following his triple gold medal performance at the Milan-Cortina 2026 Winter Olympics, according to a decree published in the Journal officiel on Thursday.
The promotion comes as part of a special recognition programme for French athletes who competed at the 2026 Winter Games, with Fillon Maillet joining several other biathletes and winter sports athletes in receiving honours for their performances in Italy.
Fillon Maillet, who was previously made a Chevalier of the Legion of Honour after his two gold medals at Beijing 2022, now advances to the Officer rank following his victories in the sprint, mixed relay and men’s relay events at Milan-Cortina.
The French biathlon team as a whole received recognition, with teammates Camille Bened, Fabien Claude, Emilien Jacquelin, Lou Jeanmonnot, Océane Michelon, Éric Perrot and Julia Simon all named as Chevaliers of the Legion of Honour in the same promotion.
In ski-alpinisme, which made its Olympic debut at Milan-Cortina 2026, champions Thibault Anselmet and Emily Harrop entered the Legion of Honour at the Chevalier level, along with cross-country skier Karl Tabouret.
Paralympic snowboard cross champion Cécile Hernandez received a separate honour, being promoted to Commandeur in the National Order of Merit after defending her Paralympic title.
In ice dance, Laurence Fournier Beaudry’s Olympic title was recognised, even as her partner Guillaume Cizeron – who had been made a Chevalier of the Legion of Honour in 2022 – was promoted to Officer in the National Order of Merit, though he was not included in this particular Legion of Honour promotion.
The Legion of Honour, established in 1802 by Napoleon Bonaparte, remains France’s highest civilian and military decoration, awarded for eminent services to the nation with irreproachable conduct.
According to official records, as of July 2010 the order counted 74,834 Chevaliers, 17,032 Officiers, 3,009 Commandeurs, 314 Grands officiers and 67 Grands-croix among its living members.
The motto of the Legion of Honour is “Honneur et patrie” (Honour and Fatherland), with the President of France serving as Grand Master and François Lecointre as Grand Chancellor.
This special promotion highlights France’s continued tradition of honouring Olympic and Paralympic success through its national orders system, following similar recognitions after previous Games.
For continued coverage of Olympic honours and recognitions, readers can follow official announcements through the French government’s Journal officiel and the Grande Chancellerie de la Légion d’honneur.
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