“I may have had a little hypo”: why Océane Michelon missed gold by a whisker during the 2026 Olympic biathlon sprint

Medalist for her first Olympic race, Océane Michelon only came within four seconds of a first coronation, during the sprint of the 2026 Olympics. But the native of Chambéry still savored this charm, acquired after ten days of stand-by, passed as a substitute.

“What an incredible day,” she reacted to France TV. I’ve been here for 10 days and I was starting to get impatient. I’m really happy with today’s race. I think I don’t realize it, I took a shock of emotions with my family but I don’t really realize it. »

The young biathlete (23 years old) however had a real sluggishness in the last kilometer, which she attributes to her difficulty eating this morning. “I didn’t eat enough at the start, I was very stressed this morning. Usually, I eat a dead donkey and nothing would pass. I may have had a little hypo but I pushed myself to the limit. »

Julia Simon: “As if I were sick”

Michelon finished just ahead of Lou Jeanmonnot, third about twenty seconds after a standing shooting error. “I didn’t believe that the podium would be accessible but I fought for tomorrow’s pursuit and it’s another podium. I console myself by telling myself that it’s a metal that I didn’t have but I remain a little disappointed. » The World Cup leader admitted to having broken down mentally over this mistake, on the fourth shot while standing.

“I attack with my thought protocol and I do it very well on the first three balls. But the little demon on my shoulder comes and I’m no longer in the present moment, I’m thinking about the result and I’m no longer in my shot. This is the basic error here and I’m very happy that I managed to fill it. »

Far behind, Julia Simon, crowned in the relay and the individual, finished more than 1′45, after a difficult race and two entry errors. “I missed it. I have two poles instead of legs, I couldn’t get any speed. I feel like I’m sick, I want to vomit, acid reflux and really hard legs. I fought but there was a lot of movement on the shot. I have a lot of frustration but it’s not the end of the world, there is a good recovery to be made tomorrow on the pursuit. » Race in which Justine Braisaz-Bouchet will not participate, who did not finish in the first 60 of the sprint.