Sophie Chauveau Returns to Biathlon World Cup
Aurélie Sacchelli, Media365, published on Monday, February 23, 2026 at 10:00 pm
Absent since the beginning of the World Cup season, Sophie Chauveau will leave the Biathlon D2 to return to the elite at the Kontiolahti stage next week. She has been preferred to Jeanne Richard. Olympic medalists will also be present in Finland.
Last season, she finished second in the Hochfilzen sprint and twice second with the French women’s relay in Kontiolahti and Hochfilzen. But this season, Sophie Chauveau has not appeared in the World Cup with the French team, let alone at the Milan-Cortina Olympics. However, it must be said that the French reservoir is such that the 26-year-old biathlete did not manage to secure her spot for the World Cup. She spent the whole season in the IBU Cup, the Biathlon D2, but will be rewarded for her efforts by competing in the Kontiolahti World Cup stage next week.
Chauveau Well Surrounded
With the Olympic Games just finished, the French Federation has unveiled its selection for the penultimate stage of the World Cup season and Grand-Bornand skier Sophie Chauveau is on the list. Sophie Chauveau has stood on nine podiums in the IBU Cup (including relays) since the beginning of the season, and the Federation is giving her a chance to shine in Finland, where an individual, a mass-start, and a relay are on the program. She was preferred to Jeanne Richard, who was the second replacement at the Olympics. Also in Kontiolahti, we will find the queens of Milan-Cortina, Camille Bened, Julia Simon, Lou Jeanmonnot, and Ocèane Michelon, as well as Justine Braisaz-Bouchet. Jeanmonnot, who did not manage to win a gold medal in an individual race at the Olympics, is now fully focused on the big crystal globe, with 202 points ahead of Suvi Minkkinen.
Big Crystal Globe Objective for Perrot
For the men, there are no surprises in the selection. Eric Perrot, Quentin Fillon Maillet, Emilien Jacquelin, Fabien and Emilien Claude, and Oscar Lombardot will represent France in Kontiolahti. Eric Perrot is in the same situation as Lou Jeanmonnot. He did not win gold individually but now dreams of the crystal globe, with his 37-point lead over Tommaso Giacomel.
