France’s Julia Simon received the ladies’s 15-kilometre particular person biathlon race on the Winter Games on Wednesday, making up for a single miss on the capturing vary with a strong snowboarding efficiency on the observe so as to add particular person gold to a combined relay victory. Simon’s compatriot Lou Jeanmonnot took silver, 53.1 seconds behind, with Lora Hristova securing a shock bronze for Bulgaria. Nonetheless, it was Simon’s composure that stood out.
After a season that began slowly, the 29-year-old peaked for the Milan Cortina Olympics, displaying nerves of metal to anchor the France staff to victory in the mixed relay on Sunday.
Simon was imperious on Wednesday within the particular person race, dismissing the only miss and snowboarding with energy and goal.
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With the top-ranked racers bunched in the midst of the pack and the sector beginning at 30-second intervals, opponents skied 5 three-kilometre laps, stopping 4 occasions on the vary and alternating between capturing from susceptible and standing positions.
The winner is determined by the bottom general time, however every miss on the vary provides a hefty one-minute penalty, making precision a precedence.
Jeanmonnot did her finest to problem in powerful snowboarding circumstances however her second miss proved to be the distinction and he or she couldn’t shut the hole on the final lap.
There was large pleasure for Bulgaria as outsider Hristova shot flawlessly to say their first biathlon medal since Irina Nikulchina’s bronze within the 10 kilometre pursuit at Salt Lake Metropolis 2002.
(FRANCE 24 with Reuters)
