It may be what the French needed, after months of misery: change discipline, even if just for one or two lower-stakes races.
But when will these biathletes stop? Apparently, after the Customs tournament this week in Switzerland (in Andermatt), which pitted France against the host country as well as Italy, Germany, and Austria, it will indeed be vacation time. What perhaps was not suspected is that this would allow Justine Braisaz-Bouchet to bounce back just in time. Totally excluded from the festivities at the Milan-Cortina Games, as her performances have been catastrophic compared to Julia Simon, Lou Jeanmonnot, and Océane Michelon, here is the 2022 Olympic mass start champion who wins the 5 km… in cross-country skiing.
Pagnier: “She did a good job”
It was on Tuesday, and then Wednesday for the final day on the program, she finished this time with a silver in the women’s patrol relay, along with Cloé Pagnier. “She did a good job when I took over after my first lap, then we changed roles on the last two laps,” summarizes the latter for Nordic Magazine. This time, there was indeed a mix between pure cross-country skiers and biathletes. “It was a suspenseful race. We came out quite far behind after the prone shooting, but the standing shooting allowed us to get back into the game! Coming out of the shooting range, we were fourth and we were able to make a big last lap to secure second place. It was a great moment of sharing and team cohesion, values that customs conveys. I really enjoyed it in this great atmosphere!”
For the boys, Quentin Fillon Maillet prevailed with Victor Lovera and Clement Parisse, still in this relaxed atmosphere. In alpine skiing, the day after the giant slalom was cancelled due to poor conditions, the slalom saw Victor Muffat Jeandet finish second ahead of Clément Noël, with the victory going to the German Nicko Palamaras. For the ladies, Marion Chevrier finished third (victory for the Italian Emilia Mondinelli).
