For the French biathletes, the Grand-Bornand stage felt like a rock star tour date. They stayed at a hotel reserved exclusively for the team, moved about to the sound of cheering from fans of all ages and delivered a daily show in front of a stadium that welcomed more than 67,000 ecstatic spectators over four days โ a record for the event.
At the small Aravis resort, where nearly 1,000 volunteers in orange hats bustled about, the French biathletes achieved their sporting goals this week. With one victory and six additional podium finishes, they satisfied both their fans and their coaches. On Sunday, December 21, Lou Jeanmonnot, Justine Braisaz-Bouchet and Camille Bened finished second, third and fourth, respectively, in the mass start, which was won by the young Norwegian Maren Kirkeeide. In the men’s event, under the same mass start format, Eric Perrot finished second behind the Italian Tommaso Giacomel.
While this competition marked the end of the first block of three World Cup stages โ after Ostersund (Sweden) and Hochfilzen (Austria) โ it was above all a mental test: a trial run to gauge the ability to handle public and media pressure, offering a taste of what awaits at the Olympics on the Antholz (Italy) course. The Olympic Games are the main goal of a season in which the French, both women and men, are among the favorites at the start of every race.
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