The full card of the Biathlon Blues will not take place. None of the four French women lined up in the women’s sprint was able to play for the medal, weighed down by their clumsiness in shooting. Only Anaïs Bescond (9th, a fault) was able to grab the top 10. The gold medal went to the big favorite, Marte Olsbu Roeiseland, who impressed. The Norwegian is ahead of the Swede Elvira Oeberg and the Italian Dorothea Wierer.
No prosecution for Chevalier-Bouchet
You had to be perfect in shooting to compete for a medal in the sprint this Friday in Beijing, and none of the French women was up to the task. For Anaïs Chevalier-Bouchet (four faults, 68th), Justine Braisaz-Bouchet (three faults, 48th) and Julia Simon (three faults, 29th), the challenge was quickly to limit the damage in view of Sunday’s pursuit. With limited success: ranked above 60th place, Chevalier-Bouchet did not even qualify for the race. For Bescond, the hopes of medals will however be allowed.
“I couldn’t get into my race, from my first meters, it was sluggish, confided Chevalier-Bouchet at the finish. It was three days that were a bit complicated to manage. Still, it’s good energy, but maybe I have a little too much and I had to burn some rehashing it all. On skis, I couldn’t fight, on shooting either. It’s annoying because it’s a sprint, it conditions a lot of things. »
The demonstration of Roiseland
As expected, Marte Olsbu Roiseland delivered a real demonstration, with a 10/10 in shooting and a supersonic ski time. Leaving at full speed, when she had one of the first bibs, the World Cup leader kept the best time until the end. This is his first solo title at the Olympic Games, but already his third medal at these Games, after the bronze in the individual and the gold in the mixed relay with Norway.
It’s the end of the series for France, which had already won three medals in as many races since the start of the Beijing Games. The Blues will have a chance to resume their harvest during the men’s sprint on Saturday (from 10 a.m.).