He is the new boss of biathlon. Already at the head of the World Cup, Quentin Fillon Maillet offered France its first gold medal at the 2022 Olympic Games in Beijing on Tuesday by winning the Individual men’s race with brilliance (15 km). He beat Belarusian Anton Smolski and Norwegian Johannes Boe.
In Pyeongchang, he completely missed out on his Games, finishing very far in each of the races. Four years later, Quentin Fillon Maillet is present at the meeting. Landed in China with the costume of favorite, he assumes this status perfectly.
If he had been frustrated by Norway and Johannes Boe, Saturday, on the mixed relay, having to settle for the money, the Jura took a resounding revenge against the defending champion. And yet, he was very scared. After a perfect first pass in front of the targets, he made a first fault, synonymous with a one-minute penalty, then a second on his third pass on the shooting range. These two errors seemed crippling to get on the podium and even more so on the first step.
But Quentin Fillon Maillet, who made 5/5 on his last shot, was imperial on skis to win the first Olympic gold medal of his career. He was so fast that he relegated Anton Smolski, yet the author of a clear round, to 15 seconds, and Johannes Boe, who also committed two faults, to more than thirty seconds. Proof that he was indeed the strongest in a format which is far from being his specialty (no podium at the Worlds, no victory in the World Cup).
And his performance was well worth the congratulations of Martin Fourcade, present at the finish. “I wanted to take my revenge after the 2and place on the mixed relay. With two faults, I did not imagine winning. It’s just amazing. It’s a lot of hardships, a lot of work. It’s a dream come true. It’s a strong moment, ”he said with sobs in his voice and tears in his eyes.
And this may still be just the start for the Frenchman with four more events on the program. The next one is scheduled for Saturday, with the sprint. Quentin Fillon Maillet will obviously be among the favorites after this gold medal but also after winning the last of the World Cup in mid-January in Ruhpolding (Germany).