January 7, 2024 by Adel Saoud
The Vosges Fabien Claude had nevertheless started the race well
© French biathlon team/ Nordic Focus
Starting as the first runner, Fabien Claude had an excellent start to the race with a faultless shot, putting him in the lead. At this stage, the Vosges rider was ahead of his brother Florent, who races for Belgium, with a lead of 12 seconds. Showing great speed on skis, the Frenchman began his second shooting session still in the lead, ahead of his older brother, but made a mistake on the last shot. However, he recovers from his pick ball. When handing over to his teammate Éric Perrot, the Bassurois remained in the lead, but a spectacular comeback from the Norwegian Stroemshein brought him to just 4 seconds behind Fabien Claude. Florent Claude and Belgium complete the podium with a delay of 21 seconds on the lead.
The second French runner, Éric Perrot, lost contact with Norway and is 42 seconds behind Tarjei Boe, while maintaining a lead of 4 seconds over Germany, which occupies third position. Émilien Jacquelin, third runner of the French quartet, started his race well, but encountered difficulties on two shots, forcing him to complete two penalty laps. In fifth place, the Frenchman repeated his mistakes in his second shooting session, again suffering two rounds of penalties. The race then turns into a nightmare for the Blues, relegating them to 8th position.
The team’s last torchbearer, Quentin Fillon Maillet, set off 1’17 behind on the podium. Despite everything, he finished his race with a flawless shot, allowing the Blues to finish in 7th place, 3’58 behind the untouchable Norwegians who took first position, followed by Germany and Italy . It’s a disappointment for the Blues, who had twice won second place during the first two stints of the season.
2024-01-07 18:44:14
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