ANTERSELVA, Italy – France’s women’s biathlon relay squad captured Olympic gold Wednesday after a remarkable comeback performance led by rising star Oceane Michelon during the crucial third segment of the race.
The French team faced early difficulties when Camille Bened struggled through an opening leg that saw several top contenders fall behind. However, the squad demonstrated remarkable resilience, staging a methodical recovery that culminated in victory.
Michelon, just 23 years old, received the baton from Lou Jeanmonnot while sitting in third place. Drawing from her experience as part of France’s world championship relay team from the previous year, she quickly seized control and established a lead that would prove insurmountable.
“I had my first experience of a big event last year at the World Championships, and today I was really happy to be able to be part of this relay, so I took all my chances and I just focused only on me,” Michelon explained to reporters while French supporters braved the cold weather, chanting her name.
“In my head I was alone, I just focused on only me. I was alone and I said to myself, don’t think, only do what you are able to do and what you have to do, and we will see in the end what happens,” she added.
Michelon’s dominant performance created such a substantial advantage that when Julia Simon took over for the anchor leg, neither Sweden nor Norway mounted serious challenges for first place. Instead, those nations focused their efforts on competing for the silver and bronze medals, which they ultimately claimed respectively.
Back in the athletes’ area, Bened felt a wave of relief after worrying that her opening performance had created too much pressure for her teammates. The victory marked France’s second relay gold medal in as many days at the Winter Olympics.
“It’s really insane, a gold medal in the Olympics, it’s a childhood dream. And now it’s here and I can’t understand it,” Bened shared with Reuters. “I need to touch the medal to understand that it’s really here, and I need to keep touching it to make sure it’s still here.”
