Europe 1 with AFP 8:15 p.m., February 26, 2023

Four days after Jules Chappaz, the French cross-country ski team again won a bronze medal at the 2023 World Championships thanks to its sprinters, Renaud Jay and Richard Jouve, third in the team event on Sunday in Planica (Slovenia).

Renaud Jay and Richard Jouve won the Team Sprint bronze medal this Sunday at the world championships in Planica (Slovenia).

Jay and Jouve were only beaten by the great Norwegian favorites Paal Golberg and Johannes Klaebo, crowned world champions, and the Italians Francesco de Fabiani and Federico Pellegrino.

They offered France its second Worlds-2023 medal after Jules Chappaz's 3rd place on Thursday and his eighth podium in world championships.

Sixth in qualifying in the morning, Jay and Jouve always played the leading roles in the Final behind Golberg and Klaebo.

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"Hard Race"

By setting off on his last stint, Jouve was already assured of winning a medal, since the Norwegians, Italians and French had left behind their rivals, in particular the Swedish, in very bad shape on the heavy snow of Planica.

But the leader of the France team and winner of the 2021-22 sprint World Cup, missed out on his individual event (elimination in the quarter-finals), did not manage to worry Klaebo, before giving in to in Pellegrino.

Jouve, 28, now has two Olympic medals to his name (3rd in the team sprint at the 2018 Olympics and 3rd in the 4x10 km relay at the 2022 Olympics) and two World Championship medals (3rd in the 4x10 km relay at the 2019 Worlds and 3rd on Sunday ).

"It was a difficult race, but I'm happy with the day for the whole team," said Jouve.

"I never thought I would have a world medal one day. As they trusted me to race, the objective was the medal, I'm really happy to have managed to put Richard in the best mood" , welcomed Jay who, at the age of 31, offered his first podium at this level.

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Other medals?

French cross-country skiing may not have finished its harvest of medals in Planica, with Tuesday the 10 km free where Delphine Claudel can aim for the podium and Friday the 4x10 km relay, an event where the Blues shine with three bronze medals at the three previous Worlds.

Norway won the first three men's events of these Worlds, the individual sprint (Klaebo) and the team sprint, as well as the skiathlon (15 km classic + 15 km free) thanks to Simen Krüger, ahead of Klaebo.

Considered one of the best cross-country skiers in history, Klaebo, 28, has already won three medals at the Planica Worlds.

He now has eight world titles and his record also includes five Olympic titles and three world number 1 globes.

If Norway dominates the men's events, Sweden is unrivaled in the women's events with three titles in as many events.

The team sprint was won on Sunday by Emma Ribom and Jonna Sundling, ahead of the Norwegians Anne Kalva/Tiril Weng and the Americans Jessie Diggins/Julia Kern.

The Swedes monopolized the individual sprint podium with gold for Sundling, silver for Ribom and bronze for Maja Dahlqvist.

The skiathlon (10 km classic + 10 km free) was won by Ebba Andersson, ahead of another Swede Frida Karlsson.