Thanks to the mixed relay on Saturday, Anaïs Chevalier-Bouchet on Monday and Quentin Fillon Maillet on Tuesday, the tricolor biathlon has already brought three medals, one in gold and two in silver, to the French delegation in Beijing out of a total of six.
Anaïs Chevalier-Bouchet, Justine Braisaz-Bouchet, Julia Simon and Anaïs Bescond all have the potential to continue this momentum, as they have shown this winter, since they totaled eleven World Cup podiums in individual races.
The prize goes to Julia Simon, who has been on the second step of the podium on the world circuit four times.
After her silver medal in the mixed relay, the 25-year-old Savoyard finished in 21st place in the individual, a result that somewhat frustrated her.
With her two silver medals, Anaïs Chevalier-Bouchet has the feeling of having "already succeeded (her) Games": "The rest is a bonus now, but I don't want to m 'stop there,' she warned.
The shortest distance in biathlon, the sprint can pay off big, or on the contrary, be very expensive: not only does each shooting error (10 targets) mean 150m more on a penalty ring, but the sprint also determines the deviations and the starting order of the pursuit, scheduled for Saturday.
White at the foot of the podium
So you have to ski fast and aim just to win one or even two medals, and in this little game, the Norwegian Marte Olsbu Roeiseland, leader of the World Cup, is formidable.
Her six victories of the winter, she won them in pursuit or in sprint.
Other declared rivals for the Blues, the Swedish sisters Elvira and Hanna Oeberg.
For the French cross-country skiing team, after the disappointment of the sprint with the semi-final eliminations of Richard Jouve and Lucas Chanavat, the 15 km classic (3:00 p.m. local, 8:00 a.m. French) should not allow Maurice Manificat to threaten the Norwegian and Russian leaders, such as Johannes Klaebo and Alexander Bolshunov.
But it will perhaps allow him, after a winter complicated by injuries, to reassure himself in view of the 4x10 km relay on Sunday where the Blues have become accustomed to shining (3rd in 2014 and 2018).
In Zhangjiakou, a page in the history of snowboarding was turned with Shaun White's last appearance at the Olympics and in competition.
The 35-year-old American snow legend failed to add a medal to his golden treble (2006, 2010, 2018) and finished fourth, as in 2014, his worst result at the Olympics.
American Shaun White after the last run of his career on February 11, 2022 at the Beijing Olympics Ben STANSALL AFP
White has managed despite everything quite a feat: instilling a little emotion, with his tears and the unanimous tribute of his opponents and spectators, at the Games which have sorely lacked it so far.
CAS decision before Tuesday
In super-G, the title went to the Swiss Lara Gut-Behrami who won Olympic gold for the first time, her second medal in Yanqing after the bronze of the giant.
Her event is not scheduled until Tuesday, but Kamila Valieva, a big favorite for gold, is generating a lot of interest and speculation.
The one that allowed Russia to win the team event trained normally on Friday morning, albeit briefly.
Shortly after this training, a thunderclap: the ITA, the body in charge of doping controls during the Olympic Games, announced that the 15-year-old prodigy had tested positive for trimetazidine during a test carried out on December 25 during Russian Championships.
Russian Kamila Valieva training at the Beijing Olympics, February 11, 2022 Anne-Christine POUJOULAT AFP
Notified of the positive test on Tuesday - the day after the victory of the Russian team under neutral flag in the team competition in Beijing in which it participated - the Russian anti-doping agency then suspended Valieva "provisionally with immediate effect" , before this suspension was lifted.
Her participation following the Beijing Games is now subject to a decision by the Sports Court (CAS), seized by the IOC and the International Skating Federation (ISU), expected before the start of the women's individual competition on Tuesday.
© 2022 AFP