The French biathletes won the silver medal in the men’s 4X 7.5 km relay on Tuesday in Zhangjiakou, the Nordic skiing site of the Beijing Olympics. Quentin Fillon-Maillet from the Jura and his teammates, Fabien Claude from the Vosges, Émilien Jacquelin from Isérois and Simon Desthieux from Lyon came in second, behind Norway.
Norway was the big favorite for this Olympic relay. The composition of the French relay was the same as during the World Cup in Östersund, Sweden, where the French had placed second, already behind Norway.
Fifth medal for Quentin Fillon-Maillet, 6th for French biathlon, 12th for France
This medal is the fifth for Quentin Fillon-Maillet at the Beijing Games, after gold in the individual and pursuit and silver in the mixed relay and sprint. This is the 6th medal for French biathlon and the 12th medal for France.
The title still escapes the Blues
Despite an impressive track record, French biathletes have therefore never been crowned Olympic relay champions. But they had never done better than third (in 1994, 2002 and 2006), while the women’s relay biathletes have amassed five medals in eight editions since women’s biathlon has been on the Olympic programme, including a title (1992) and a silver medal (2010).