Back to the day’s events.
The biathlon was celebrated for its conclusion, Friday, February 18, with the last two events of the discipline in these Games: the mass start women and men. And if we waited (especially) for Quentin Fillon Maillet, it’s Justine Braisaz-Bouchet who was crowned Olympic champion, somewhat to everyone’s surprise. The Savoyard had however started badly, with three rounds of penalty on her two lying shots, before refueling on the first standing shot, between two gusts which had disturbed her competitors. “I was shocked crossing the finish line. I think that I absolutely did not realize being an Olympic champion ”, she said, her eyes shining. The first French medalist on the mass start – which made its appearance at the Olympic Games in 2006 –, she is well surrounded on the podium since the Norwegians Tiril Eckhoff, reigning World Cup winner and Marte Olsbu Roieselandfive-time medalist in Beijing, won silver and bronze.
??? ?? ???? ?? ?????? ????! Braisaz-Bouchet wins the gold medal on the mass-start, what a race… https://t.co/a7dsmLFfnp
Reverse destiny for Quentin Fillon Maillet, who was aiming for the unprecedented grand slam, namely winning six medals in six races, and who let the gold escape, and the podium… on the last shot standing. In the lead, the Norwegian Johannes Boe However, he left a door open by missing two targets, before the Frenchman, who came second on the firing line, missed… three, he usually imperial behind the rifle. “I got caught up in emotions. The victory stretched out my arms, so I’m obviously a little disappointed but it’s still a great Games”, he reacted to the microphone of Eurosport. The Jurassic had to settle for the chocolate medal while the Norwegian won his fourth title – which made him the most successful athlete in Beijing – and his fifth medal of these Olympics. The Swedish Martin Ponsiluoma and another Norwegian, Vetle Christiansen, complete the podium.
Big disappointment in ski cross for the French, a far cry from the 2014 hat-trick in Sochi. Jean-Frédéric Chapuis and Terence Tchiknavorian stopped in the eighths, while Bastien Midol is eliminated in the quarter-finals. Francois Place finished last in his semi-final, then in the small final. The Swiss achieve the double with the victory of Ryan Regez ahead of Alex Fiva and Russian Sergey Ridzik.
And three for Eileen Gu. After silver in slopestyle and gold in big air, the Chinese freestyle skier was crowned in the half pipe, from its second passage, to conclude “the two most beautiful weeks of [s]for life “. At 18, she became the first triple Olympic medalist in freestyle skiing.
Elieen Gu ?? in history!! ? The 18-year-old Chinese wins the halfpipe event and becomes the first athlete… https://t.co/2ou83ENFE1
In curling, the Canadians won the bronze medal by winning (8-5) against the Americans, Olympic champions in 2018.
In speed skatingDutch Thomas Kroll, in silver over 1,500m, took gold in 1000m and offers his country the fifth Olympic title in speed skating during these Olympics.
Discover tomorrow’s menu.
There will still be medal opportunities for France – one unit away from his record, 15 medals in Pyeongchang and Sochi – Saturday, penultimate day of the Olympics. From 2:30 a.m. (Paris time), Kevin Rolland will play in the final of half pipe.
From 3 a.m. Clara Direz, Mathieu Faivre, Thibaut Favrot, Coralie Frasse Sombet, Alexis Pinturault and Tessa Worley will represent France in alpine skiing during the parallel slalom by mixed teams.
In cross-country skiing, Adrien Backscheider, Jules Lapierre, Maurice Manificat and Clement Parisse will set off on the mass start free (50 km) at 7 a.m. (Paris time).
At last, Margot Boch and Carla Senechal will play the last two rounds of two-man bobsleigh (from 1 p.m.). Dorian Hauterville, Romain Heinrich, Jerome Laporal and Lionel Lefebvre will begin the four-man bobsleigh competition (from 2:30 a.m.) which will continue the next day.
The Games in a snapshot.
In figure skating, we find ourselves – gracefully – in the air, upside down, and sometimes… on the ground, like Kirsten Moore Towers and Michael Marinaro above. The Canadian duo still qualified for the pair free program after finishing thirteenth in the short program on Friday 18 February.
The Olympians on the microphone.
“ I didn’t have the weapons I needed today, that puts an end to the ordeal of these Games. I spent fifteen complicated days with a few rays of sunshine, these two relay medals. »
If the 2022 Olympics were successful for French biathletes, not all of them lived a dream fortnight. “With each race, my inner voice tells me to stop, to go in, to break”, confided the French biathlete Emilien Jacquelin, 22and from the mass start, Friday, February 18. Silver medalist in the mixed relay and men’s relay but only ninth at best in the individual events, the current world number two is even considering ending his season: “There’s a part of me that doesn’t want to be beaten down and that wants to run all this end of the season, but I don’t want it to be torture. »
7
This is the number of medals won by France in biathlon during these Olympic Games in Beijing, one more than in Vancouver in 2010. With three gold medals and four silver, French biathlon has achieved its best in China. harvest and has (almost) become the official supplier of medals to the tricolor delegation by winning half of the 14 gleaned in total by the France group.
Snapshot of our special envoys.
On Friday, Genting Snow Park at the Zhangjiakou competition venue was the place to be. The reason ? The announced coronation of freestyle skier Eileen Gu, the face of the Chinese team for these Games. In almost fifteen days of competition, we had never seen this: a horde of journalists, a record audience (composed of the guests, but especially of the “members” of the bubble, volunteers, employees, etc.) and many police officers too ! To access the press conference of the new queen of freestyle, authorization was required and the volunteers circulated in the room with signs inviting those present to silence…