With this pursuit title, that of the individual and his two silver medals in the sprint and in the mixed relay, Quentin Fillon Maillet enters the legend of French sport, becoming the first French sportsman to win four medals during same edition of the Winter Games.

“Double Olympic champion!”, he shouted as he crossed the finish line, before joining a small group of the French team to take the blue-white-red flag and celebrate this triumph won in conditions dantesque winds and snow falling more and more heavily on the track.

The joy of Frenchman Quentin Fillon-Maillet, Olympic pursuit champion at the Beijing Games, on February 13, 2022 at the Zhangjiakou National Biathlon Center Tobias SCHWARZ AFP

Starting second in the chase 26 seconds behind his great rival, the Norwegian Johannes Boe, the 29-year-old Frenchman was perfect on the shooting range, blanking his twenty targets, unlike Boe, who missed two targets on his second prone shot, three on the first standing shot and another two on the last shot.

Frenchman Quentin Fillon-Maillet on the shooting range, during the pursuit at the Beijing Games, on February 13, 2022 at the Zhangjiakou National Biathlon Center Tobias SCHWARZ AFP

Neck and neck with Russian Eduard Latypov, "QFM" put pressure on the last biathlete who could prevent him from winning his second gold medal in China.

Latypov's fault on the last shot sealed the fate of the race, for a final lap in the form of a triumphal march.

"Extraordinary Confidence"

So here he is with two gold medals and two silver, while the legend of French and planetary biathlon, Martin Fourcade, returned with three podiums from the Sochi Games in 2014 (twice gold in the individual and pursuit, and once silver in the mass start) and the Pyeongchang Games in 2018 (three times gold in the pursuit, mass start and mixed relay).

"From a factual point of view, he has progressed since last year, he has taken a step," said Martin Fourcade to AFP.

"He has a regularity. The difference in these Games is that he has a confidence in him which is extraordinary. Few athletes have that", appreciated the five-time Olympic champion, who sees the Jurassien getting closer to big not.

Frenchman Quentin Fillon-Maillet, Olympic pursuit champion at the Beijing Games, is congratulated by his runner-up, Norwegian Tarjei Boe, on February 13, 2022 at the Zhangjiakou National Biathlon Center Tobias SCHWARZ AFP

Because Fillon Maillet's exceptional harvest could continue in the coming days, since he still has the men's relay, the only race in which Fourcade has never won a podium at the Games in his career, Tuesday (5:00 p.m. local, 10:00 a.m. French ) and the mass start on Friday (5 p.m. local).

© 2022 AFP