A tricolor fireworks display to finish. In front of a jubilant French public, Emilien Jacquelin won, this Sunday, the mass start of Grand-Bornand in front of his compatriot his compatriot Quentin Fillon-Maillet and seized the head of the standings of the Biathlon World Cup in the ‘after this 4th step.
The leader’s yellow bib will spend the end of the year in France. On the shoulders of Quentin Fillon-Maillet before this last race in Haute-Savoie, he passed on those of Emilien Jacquelin after his success full of authority.
The Frenchman had already missed an opportunity to seize the leader’s tunic with only a 9e place, the day before, on the pursuit won by Fillon-Maillet, who had taken the opportunity to take control of the general classification. It was therefore with a spirit of revenge that he presented himself at the start.
And he asserted his intentions from the first few meters. The two-time world champion in the pursuit took the lead and immediately widened the gap with the other participants. Often placed but never a winner since the start of the season, Jacquelin made the difference both on the ski and behind the rifle, despite a foul on his first standing shot (19/20), to land the 3e victory of his career in the World Cup in a very attacking style.
“I wanted to do a race in my own way, it was premeditated, he explained at the microphone of the channel L’Equipe. I had told the coaches and my colleagues that if I went out with the full tank, I was going to blast the race. ” And no one could resist. Not even Quentin Fillon-Maillet, even if he made a magnificent comeback.
Only 20th, after the second standing shot, 50 seconds behind the leader, the Franc-Comtois was the author of a remarkable second part of the race to finally climb on the 2e walk of the podium in front of the Norwegian Tarjei Boe. Insufficient, however, to keep the yellow bib which he therefore only kept for one day.
But Emilien Jacquelin and Quentin Fillon-Maillet are only separated by two small points at the top of the general. And the fight between the two friends will resume in early January in Oberhof (Germany).