Europe 1 with AFP 7:35 p.m., January 22, 2023

Second victory of the season for the Blues, second place behind the untouchable Norway for the Blues: the French rectified the relay situation, Sunday in Antholz-Anterselva (Italy), for the last races before the Biathlon World Championships in february.

The Blues and the Blues clash in Antholz-Anterselva.

The French team won the women's relay this Sunday afternoon.

The men's relay placed second.

The day before, Julia Simon, leader of the general classification of the World Cup, had experienced a sudden failure in shooting and her worst result of the winter, 18th in pursuit with a poor 13/20 behind the rifle.

Then no French had made a place in the top 10 of the men's pursuit (Fillon Maillet 13th and Jacquelin 14th at best).

In the position of last torchbearer on Sunday, Simon ideally raised his head with the support of his teammates, in the order Lou Jeanmonnot and the Chevalier sisters, Anaïs and Chloé.

Almost perfect on the shooting range, the French only used two pickaxe balls in total and won well ahead of the Sweden of the Oeberg sisters, trailing by 45 seconds, and Germany, pushed back more than '1 min 15 sec (without Herrmann-Wick).

The Italy of Lisa Vittozzi and Dorothea Wierer finished at the foot of the podium.

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Simon "mentally exhausted"

"Bad performances happen, the most important thing is how we get up, says Simon at the microphone of the L'Equipe channel. Today (Sunday), I wanted to do much better than yesterday (Saturday). I really tried to put my last strength in the right place, at the right time. (...) It's great to start on a good note."

Asked about her disappointment experienced 24 hours earlier, "physically, it responds rather well, but I'm a little mentally exhausted, I find it difficult to maintain concentration, we know that we pay cash", replies the Savoyard from 26 years old, who discovers the status of a serious contender for the big crystal globe.

Simon and her teammates, already victorious in Hochfilzen (Austria) in December, will thus approach the Worlds in Oberhof, Germany (February 8-19), on the strength of two successes in four relays run this season.

"Obviously it gives great desires," smiles Chloé Chevalier, the third torchbearer of the day.

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The Blues are smiling again

On the men's side, the day after a sad Saturday behind the rifle, the Blues also found a smile by climbing to the second step of the podium in the Italian mountains.

Admittedly, Antonin Guigonnat, Fabien Claude, Emilien Jacquelin and Quentin Fillon Maillet could not compete with the irresistible Norwegians (Laegreid, Tarjei and Johannes Boe, Christiansen), victorious for the fourth time this winter in as many relays contested.

This time, 59 seconds ahead of the French quartet and more than two minutes over Germany.

But the blue relay obtained its best result of the season, after two third places (in Kontiolahti and Ruhpolding) and a fourth (in Hochfilzen).

Both Norwegians and French used six pickaxe balls.

"It shows the character of the team, the energy we can have. Lately, maybe we had fallen asleep, maybe we were thinking too much about the result rather than doing (the things ) above all, explains Jacquelin. Today, we all had great races, we showed character, that's how we're going to have good World Championships."