Biathlon Worlds: Justine Braisaz-Bouchet world champion in mass start

Frenchwoman Justine Braisaz-Bouchet won the mass start of the Nove Mesto Biathlon Worlds on Sunday after a race controlled from start to finish in which Lou Jeanmonnot took third place. “JBB” shot flawlessly to win ahead of Italian Lisa Vittozzi. Thanks to Braisaz-Bouchet’s gold and Jeanmonnot’s bronze, France raised its total to 12 medals and broke its record at the World Championships.

Thanks to her 20/20, the biathlete from Les Saisies confirms her domination in a discipline for which she had obtained the Olympic title in 2022 in Beijing. Stronger on skis throughout these Czech Worlds, Braisaz-Bouchet had let slip first place during the sprint (second), the pursuit (third) and the individual (7th) because of a shot sometimes failing.

France at the top of the medal rankings

This time, she shone with rifle in hand and quickly isolated herself in the lead, while the sprint and pursuit world champion Julia Simon showed less vigor than at the start of these Worlds with three errors . At 27, Braisaz-Bouchet adds a third global title to her list of achievements, the first as an individual, after the women’s relay, won the day before by Les Bleues, and the mixed relay in Nove Mesto.

The Italian Lisa Vittozzi, also author of a 20/20, the only one to have succeeded in depriving the French of gold during these Worlds (on the individual), took silver, her 11th world medal . Jeanmonnot confirms her excellent form three days after winning the title in the single mixed relay with Quentin Fillon Maillet, by climbing onto the third step of the podium, as in the sprint.

France is more than ever at the top of the medal rankings (12, including six gold), before the last event, the men’s mass start. The French delegation thus exceeds the 11 medals brought back from Oslo in 2016.