Winter Olympics: Quentin Fillon Maillet welcomed as a hero on his return to the Jura

Jean-Luc Boujon (on site), edited by Gauthier Delomez 1:10 p.m., February 22, 2022

The welcome is worthy of a rock star, a hero.

Quentin Fillon Maillet, perched on a truck, parades through the streets of his small village of Saint-Laurent-de-Grandvaux in the Jura, acclaimed by hundreds of fans.

"Thank you Quentin for all the emotions you made us experience for ten days. You turned our lives upside down. We thank you for all that," says one of them.

The French biathlete brings home, in his town of 1,800 inhabitants at 900 meters above sea level, his five medals gleaned at the Beijing Olympics, two in gold and three in silver.

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"Bringing together all the Jura residents is just incredible"

Around the neck, these medals weigh heavily.

"2.750 kg exactly, so yes, they are heavy on the scale", recognizes Quentin Fillon Maillet at the microphone of Europe 1, "but I will wear them without problem and with pride. Bringing together the whole city of Saint-Laurent, the Jurassians, It's just amazing. Everyone told me it was going to change my life, but I realize it a little more today", continues "QFM".

Dozens of people cheered the biathlete on his return to the Jura.

A just reward for an athlete who embodies the Jura values, believes Nelly, one of the many won over fans: "He is a child of the country. He represents us, he represents the homeland of Grandvaux. They are robust men, We're from the mountains, it's a harsh climate, it's a climate where you have to be strong, and he didn't give up!"

A return to competition next week

And faithful to this image, Quentin Fillon Maillet did not last forever at the party.

Thursday, he will resume training, then in a week, the competition where after the Olympic gold, he will aim for the big crystal globe rewarding the winner of the biathlon world cup.

Another great program for the new legend of French biathlon.