Anaïs Chevalier, Julia Simon, Émilien Jacquelin and Quentin Fillon Maillet will make up the French team which will compete, this Saturday, in the mixed relay of the Beijing Olympics, the first biathlon event of the fortnight.
The director of biathlon Stéphane Bouthiaux specified that if the choice of the men was essential in view of the results of the season, the appointment of Chevalier and Simon had been made in view of the shooting statistics of the athletes in the relays. He explained that, considering the difficult conditions linked to the wind, the serenity of the women in the relay had been taken into account.
Anaïs Bescond and Simon Desthieux will therefore not defend the title won four years ago with Marie Dorin and Martin Fourcade. Triple Olympic medalist in Pyeongchang, Bescond did not hide her disappointment. “It’s crazy, you can imagine the effect of the announcement on me, she says. Personally, that (choice criteria) did not convince me, especially when you know the shooting statistics (taking into account all races). It was not justified. Now, that I’m not part of it, that’s one thing. The important thing is that we go get a medal. »
Bouthiaux also specified that the athletes lined up for all the individual events would be the first four in the World Cup standings, in other words Quentin Fillon Maillet, Émilien Jacquelin, Simon Desthieux and Fabien Claude in the men’s category, as well as Justine Braisaz, Anaïs Chevalier, Anaïs Bescond and Julia Simon on the female side.