Quentin Fillon Maillet wins his fifth medal in five races at the Beijing Olympics. A historical performance that it can still improve Friday at the Mass Start
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The decor, in the mountains of Zhangjiakou, 200 km northwest of Beijing, was known, the predictable cast. The scenario, on the other hand, was a little less, with a lot of twists and suspense. Tuesday, February 15, Norway’s male team was sacred Olympic champion at the end of a completely crazy 4 x 7.5 km biathlon relay, whose departure had been advanced two and a half hours because of the cold (he was doing -16 ° C, -24 ° C felt).
The Scandinavians are needed in front of France led by Quentin Fillon Maillet, who wins his fifth medal at the Beijing Games and goes back a little more in the history of French sport. Russia wins a bronze medal with a bitter taste.
Very clever who could predict the victory of the “Norge” when Johannes Boe, third relayer of the team, skewed on the track with 1 minute and 48 seconds behind Russia, at the top of the race. But the winner of the World Cup 2021 patiently reassembled his delay before transmitting the relay to Vetle Christiansen at the same time as the French and the Germans, about forty seconds of the Russians.
Nothing seemed to oppose the triumph of the Russian team, imperial to the shot until then (three balls of “pioche” in seven passages on the firing pitch). And then Eduard Latypov cracked, invaded by the pressure: 3 out of 8 on the last shot, and two towers on the penalty ring at the key.
Behind, France, Germany and Norway were going to fight for gold. Without fault for vetle christiansen, two mistakes for France, a penalty tour for Germany, who will see off his dreams of medal. The positions will no longer change
As often since the beginning of the season, the Norwegians – the winners of three of the four relays played during the World Cup – replayed their film, the more dramaturgy. The Boe brothers each won their fourth medals at these games. Three gold and one in bronze for Johannes; Two golden, a silver and a bronze for Elder Tarje.
Grace for Quentin Fillon Maillet
The French wanted, surfing the exceptional success of Quentin Fillon Maillet since the beginning of the Olympic fortnight – two gold medals (during the individual and prosecution) and two silver (mixed relay and sprint) before this relay – and counted on Fabien’s Fabien Claude’s return, Emilien Jacquelin and Simon Desthieux – respectively 16 e , 9 e and 7 e from the pursuit, Sunday.
The Blues especially wanted to forget that the men’s team of male has never been sacred Olympic relay champion unlike his female counterpart, titled in 1992 in Albertville. Still missed. But in Zhangjiakou, the Blues are mounted on the podium compared to their past performance (bronze medal in 1994, 2002 and 2006).
For “QFM”, the Chinese state of grace seems endless. Five medals in five races, the Jura, certainly one of the athletes of these games, is still in the running for a full historical carton. The “Morbaque” – his nickname among the Blues – is only the third French to win five medals on the same edition of the games. And again, you have to go back to more than a century, with the Archer Julien Bruil in Antwerp in 1920 and the Escrimer Roger Ducret in Paris in 1924. “He is on another planet,” said him Simon Desthieux, after the prosecution. “I’m saying after four out of four, now why not six out of six,” said the latter.
In the game that the France team and Norway engage, the Scandinavians lead more than ever the debates: 5 wins against 2 for the blues (10 medals vs. 6). Quentin Fillon Maillet now gives an appointment to the brothers Boe at the Mass Start, Friday, February 18th. A grouped start between the 30 best biathletes of the games. An exception cast. This time, QFM, which likes exercise, would like to write the final scenario ..