carried by Justine Braisaz-Bouchet, the French mixed relay wins in Östersund

A successful first. The French team, made up of Quentin Fillon Maillet, Emilien Jacquelin, Justine Braisaz-Bouchet and Lou Jeanmonnot, won the mixed relay in Östersund (Sweden), venue of the first stage of the Biathlon World Cup, Saturday 25 november. The Blues were ahead of Norway and Italy during this second race of the day after the single mixed relay, during which the French (Julia Simon and Fabien Claude) finished in third place.

To win, France achieved the best time on skis, with 22 seconds ahead of Norway and 41 seconds ahead of Italy. Quentin Fillon Maillet got the Blues off to a good start before handing over to Emilien Jacquelin, who had to take a turn in the penalty ring. Only fifth, 54 seconds behind Norway at the halfway point, France was able to count on an excellent Justine Braisaz-Bouchet, perfect in shooting for her return to competition, to take back the lead. The young Lou Jeanmonnot then concluded the tricolor relay perfectly, to maintain an 8-second lead over Norway, who gave the Blues a hard time throughout the race. Next step for the French team, Sunday, with the women’s (11:20 a.m.) and men’s (2:30 p.m.) individual races.