After individual gold, Fillon Maillet brings France its seventh Olympic charm. He will line up in pursuit on Sunday, with a new medal goal.
At the Beijing Winter Games, the men’s biathlon is held almost entirely in two names. The first has the merit of conciseness. Boe, first name Johannes Thingnes. Twenty-six years old, a Norwegian with red hair, often nicknamed in the industry by his initials alone, JTB. The second is pronounced in two stages. Fillon Maillet, Quentin by his first name. The Frenchman has also earned a nickname, QFM, the origin of which deceives no one.
Since the start of Olympic competitions, the two men have crossed paths at the start, then battled it out on the track and the shooting range, before following each other towards the podium. Between them, they have six medals, including the three gold already awarded at the biathlon stadium. Johannes Boe won first, with the mixed relay, where Quentin Fillon Maillet inherited the silver medal. Then the Frenchman rose to his height, winning the victory in the individual event. The Norwegian followed at a short distance. He picked up the bronze.
The third round, this Saturday, took the same two names, at the risk of a certain monotony. On the bill, the sprint over 15 km. A double challenge race, the classification of which determines the starting order of the pursuit, to be contested on Sunday February 13 in Zhangjiakou. After 24 minutes of an effort without downtime, and two passages to the shooting range, the two men put their steps in the same footprints, on the tracks leading to the podium. Victory for JTB, silver for QFM.
See you on Sunday
After three events, the Norwegian risks excess baggage for the return flight: two gold medals, one bronze. The Frenchman looks like the most medalist of the delegation, with three charms in his pockets (one in gold, two in silver).
The two men will meet once more on Sunday for the chase. Johannes Boe will start first, Quentin Fillon Maillet will follow, with a handicap of 25.5 seconds. Except surprise, the scenario seems already written.
Teasingly, the two men have chosen two different scores for the piece of the day. Their own way of sprinkling the test with a pinch of fantasy. Johannes Boe had a clear shot on the first shot, in a prone position, before correcting the target on the second, standing. Quentin Fillon Maillot did the opposite: a fault lying down, then a perfect score standing up. The speed on the skis made the difference.
In this game, the Norwegian has dominated the competition since the start of the Beijing Games. He had shown it in the last course of the mixed relay, bringing his team back to the front of the race, before settling the matter in the final lap. Saturday, he drove the point home. On arrival, the two men share the same taste for restraint and conciseness. “I missed a target, but I’m happy to be on the podiumsays the Frenchman. Silver in the sprint following gold in individual is very good for me. But the track was slow because of the snowfall, you had to push hard all the time..
The Norwegian keeps his personal impressions to himself, but pours out a little more regarding his happiness to share the podium with his older brother, Tarjei, bronze medalist. “Doing one and three on an Olympic race is a huge pridehe says. It was our big dream for both of us.
Four days following his coronation in the individual, Quentin Fillon Maillet became Olympic vice-champion in the sprint (10 km) on Saturday, at the 2022 Olympic Games in Beijing, behind the Norwegian Johannes Boe, on the site of Zhangjiakou (China). Fillon Maillet, already in silver on the mixed relay a week ago, brings the seventh medal to the French delegation – one in gold and six in silver – while the Blues remained on two consecutive days without a medal.
