Prolific day for the tricolor delegation! After the bronze obtained by Mathieu Faivre as a giant then by the torchbearers in cross-country skiing, the inevitable Quentin Fillon Maillet climbed to the top step of the podium at the end of the pursuit in biathlon. We summarize everything that happened this Sunday.
Quentin Fillon Maillet, a golden champion
It is not made of the same wood as the others. In the biathlon pursuit, Quentin Fillon Maillet won his second Olympic title in these Games, bringing his total to 4 charms since the start of the fortnight. A feat that makes him the first Frenchman in history to win so many medals during the same winter edition. Simply fabulous.
The Jura rider completely ignored the wind and the snowfall, making the conditions daunting. No one, not even Mother Nature, has succeeded in deflecting QFM from its golden objective. He finally won ahead of the Norwegian Targjei Boe and the Russian Eduard Latypov. “Four medals in four races is exceptional, well beyond my expectations (…) these are dream Games”, he savored at the microphone of France TV. Definitely the man of these Olympics.
Bronze in giant and cross-country skiing
The tricolor harvest had started a few hours earlier with the giant who saw Mathieu Faivre win his first Olympic medal. The Niçois, 3rd fastest following the first run, did not weaken in the second and finished 1.34 seconds behind the Swiss Marco Odermatt, Olympic champion. Hit in the right shoulder during the Alpine Combined, Alexis Pinturault nevertheless finished 5th tied with one of the surprises of this giant, the Frenchman Thibaut Favrot. The Strasbourgeois, only winner of a World Cup stage in 2018, certainly delivered the best race of his career. Insufficient, however.
The bronze was also threaded around the neck of the tricolor founders. 3rd in the relay, they benefited from an excellent performance from Hugo Lapalus who was able to put France back in the peloton for the podium following the more delicate relay from Richard Jouve. Clément Parisse then the veteran Maurice Manificat finished the job perfectly and allowed the Blues to win a 3rd consecutive bronze medal in this event at the Games.
Roieseland too strong for the Blues, fright for Tandrevold
Before Quentin Fillon Maillet made the powder talk, the duo Julia Simon / Anaïs Bescond was engaged in the women’s biathlon pursuit. The two tricolors might not cope with the Scandinavian domination symbolized by Marte Olsbu Roeiseland. The Norwegian has already compiled three Olympic titles in these Games and did not really leave any room for suspense this Sunday morning. She is ahead of Sweden’s Elvira Öberg and her compatriot Tiril Eckhoff (3rd). Julia Simon still finished in an honorable 8th place.
A pursuit marked by the total collapse of the Norwegian Ingrid Landmark Tandrevold, 3rd just 1km from the finish but victim of a discomfort in the finish. Totally exhausted, the Scandinavian had to be taken care of by the medical teams. The Norwegian camp then gave reassuring news from the biathlete who had already experienced this type of misadventure twice in the past.
Lepape eliminated in short-track, Ledeux is chomping at the bit
He was the last tricolor in the running in these 1/4 finals of the 500m short-track. Unfortunately, the Frenchman did not exist in his series which he finished dead last. Not very successful in these Games, the tricolor short-track left China empty-handed, unlike Tess Ledeux, already a silver medalist in the big air. The 20-year-old freestyle skier was scheduled to participate in the slopestyle qualifications, very early in the morning. The weather having decided to get involved, the organizers postponed the event to the following day. Still a few hours to wait for Tess Ledeux.
The great beginnings of women’s bobsleigh
There are only two of them in these Olympic Games and one of them, Margot Boch, was on the track this Sunday morning in a monobob. Far from being a favourite, the tricolor set the 4th fastest time in the second round. She takes the provisional 10th place in this final which must be completed overnight from Sunday to Monday. The bobsledder from La Plagne is however almost a second away from a podium, which is difficult to reach.
