Biathlon in Nove Mesto: frustrating third place for the Blues in the single mixed relay

There was room to do better. Two weeks before the start of the Milan-Cortina Olympic Games, the French duo Jeanne Richard and Emilien Claude finished on the last place on the podium during the single mixed relay in Nové Mesto (Czech Republic), a biathlon event which is not on the program for the Winter Olympics, this Saturday January 24.

Jeanne Richard, who at short notice replaced the ill Camille Bened, produced a magnificent shooting performance with a 20/20 on her two relays while she set off for the very first time in her career on a single mixed relay.

“Finally a 20/20, that feels good! I went to look for it and it’s ultimately a format that suits me,” rejoiced Jeanne Richard upon arriving at the microphone of L’Equipe.

Emilien Claude less successful in shooting

While he had scored 5/5 on his first shot – only France achieved a flawless shot after three visits to the shooting range – Emilien Claude had to use two pickaxe bullets on his second shot.

On Jeanne Richard’s last relay, the 26-year-old Frenchman continued the shooting errors with three picks in the prone shooting and a last one in the standing shooting and let the first two places slip away to Germany and Finland.

But he managed to make up the five seconds behind to catch up with the Norwegian Martin Nevland on skis before overtaking him in the last kilometer and grabbing third place in this race.

Later in the afternoon, Océane Michelon, Justine Braisaz-Bouchet, Oscar Lombardot and Quentin Fillon-Maillet will set off for the mixed relay, the last rehearsal before the Games.