For history, the first Olympic title of these 24th Olympic Winter Games will be awarded in cross-country skiing in the women's skiathlon event, where the competitors alternate 7.5 km in classic skiing then the same distance in skateboarding with a pit stop to change skis.

If the French chances are slim on the bottom side, the first medal is hoped for not far from there on the same mountain of Zhangjiakou, 180 km northwest of Beijing.

This ambition, from 5:00 p.m. local (10:00 a.m. French) will therefore rest on the shoulders of Anaïs Chevalier-Bouchet, Julia Simon, Emilien Jacquelin and Quentin Fillon Maillet.

This quartet, none of which is part of the title relay in 2018, will have a hard time facing Norway which will field an impressive team with Marte Roeiseland, leader of the World Cup, Tiril Eckhoff then the brothers Tarjei and Johannes Boe.

Norway won the three world titles between the 2018 Olympics in Pyeongchang and the meeting in Beijing, with the same composition in 2020 in Antholz / Anterselva.

However, a threat hangs over the Norwegians since Johannes Boe became a contact case on his flight to Beijing.

Since Thursday, he has been in solitary confinement and only comes out of his room to train.

The wind could also be an important, even decisive, factor on the exposed Zhangjiakou launch pad at the foot of the grandiose ski jumping site.

medal goal

Like biathletes, Cavet is ambitious, despite a lackluster season so far, for his third Olympics (8th in 2014 and 25th in 2018).

"The objective remains the medal," said the 28-year-old skier on his arrival in China.

Bothered by heel pain, the 2017 and 2021 vice-world champion in mogul skiing has only one podium this season in the World Cup (3rd in Idre Fjäll, Sweden, in December).

And his qualifying arguably strengthened his beliefs as the native of Kent, UK, took third place in qualifying on Thursday night.

"Just before qualifying, I really did crazy training. So I arrived full of confidence. But this run (qualifying) does not yet deserve the medal", he commented after his passage.

The French delegation at the opening ceremony of the Olympic Games in Beijing on February 4, 2022 Manan VATSYAYANA AFP

Without being perfect therefore, he finished more than two and a half points behind the great favorite for Olympic gold and defending champion, the Canadian Mikaël Kingsbury (81.15 pts).

The statistics of the 29-year-old Quebecer are dizzying: Olympic champion in 2018 and silver medalist in 2014, nine consecutive world No.1 crystal globes, six world championship titles and 69 World Cup victories.

A total of six medals will reward this "first" day of competition, with, in addition to biathlon, moguls and skiathlon, ski jumping (women's springboard), short-track (mixed team relay) and skating speed (3000 m women).

© 2022 AFP