Justine Braisaz-Bouchet had the race of her life this Friday February 18 in the mass start event. She won the gold, offering another historic medal to France.
The least we can say is that the suspense was at its height during the final women’s biathlon event of the Beijing 2022 Olympic Games. Justine Braisaz-Bouchet, 25, grabbed the the mass start gold medal, to everyone’s surprise. Indeed, she was outstripped for a very long time by the favorites of the race, drowned in the peloton. Then, with the help of the wind, she took advantage of her opponents’ mistakes and penalties to catch up with them and get ahead of them. Finally, she won with an incredible lead of almost 50 seconds ahead of the two Norwegian legends Tiril Eckhoff and Marte Olsbu Roeiseland.
France proves once again that it completely has its place in the competition as far as biathlon is concerned. After the exploits in the past of Martin Fourcade, during these Olympic Games other figures have emerged. Their names will now be known, even to those who do not follow sports news and even less that of biathlon. The champion Quentin Fillon Maillet for example totals 5 medals, including two in gold.
Justine Braisaz-Bouchet, rising star of biarthlon
Justine Braisaz Bouchet is therefore the big surprise of the women’s biathlon of these Olympic Games. The young woman is 25 years old and on February 18 became the second French Olympic champion in biathlon in an individual race. She succeeds, sixteen years later, to Florence Baverel-Robert who won gold in the sprint at the Turin Olympics in 2006.
Born in Albertville and skier emeritus of the Les Saisies club, she has biathlon in her blood. And if this Olympic medal is the first, it is not the only victory of the biathlete. She holds three gold medals in individual events in the World Cup. With this victory, Justine Braisaz Bouchet brings the very first French women’s medal in Mass Start to the Olympic Games. It is also the third gold medal in biathlon for France, for a total of 7, a record.