The fantastic blue weekend at home continues in Le Grand-Bornand. After Anaïs Bescond’s second place in the sprint on Thursday, that of Julia Simon then the victory of Quentin Fillon Maillet in the pursuit on Saturday, it was again Julia Simon who stood out. The Habs finished second on the mass start on Sunday, December 19. She was beaten by the Swedish Elvira Oeberg, already victorious yesterday, while the Russian Kristina Reztsova completed the podium.
UNTOUCHABLE Elvira Oeberg
Julia Simon snatches second place
Kristina Reztsova takes a nice third place #teamBIATHLON pic.twitter.com/KrDVWo20Ue
– the L’Équipe channel (@lachainelequipe) December 19, 2021
Julia Simon loves this test of the mass start. La Savoyarde had won two events in this specialty last season (Oberhof and Antholz-Anterselva) and finished in second place in the discipline’s standings. So for the first mass start of the season, which is more in front of a crowd always so hot, the biathlete of the Saisies did not disappoint.
Yet struggling against the target at the start of the season, it was behind the rifle that Julia Simon built her race. She had never achieved a 19/20 in her career until yesterday. She repeated her performance today to capture a new podium, the second of her season and the eighth of her individual career.
She dropped her only bullet on the last standing shot as she contested for the win. Leaving the penalty ring at the same time as Elvira Oeberg, Julia Simon was unable to follow her on skis. The Swede, faster than the competition on the boards since the start of the season, then took off to clinch her second career victory after Saturday’s chase.
But Julia Simon was keen to support Elvira Oeberg again as close as possible to the podium. Anticipating the four-man sprint for the podium, she then took down Kristina Reztsova, Dorothea Wierer and Jessica Jislova on the last bump of the course to take second place.
For the other French, despite a perfect lying shot (10/10), Anaïs Chevalier-Bouchet missed the target three times on the standing. She finished 14th, just ahead of Justine Braisaz-Bouchet (15/20 shooting).
Thanks to Julia Simon, the French women’s team confirms its very good start to the season where it accumulates a victory in the relay and seven podiums in nine races. Bodes well for the rest of the season with the Olympic Games as the climax, as it displays several cartridges capable of aiming right.