Julia Simon of France swept to victory in the women's 15km individual biathlon race at the Milan Cortina Games on Wednesday, making up for a single miss on the shooting range with a powerful skiing performance on the track.
Simon's compatriot Lou Jeanmonnot came in second to take the silver, 53.1 seconds behind the winner, with Lora Hristova securing a surprise bronze for Bulgaria. However, it was Simon's composure that stood out.
After a season that started slowly, the 29-year-old peaked for the Milan Cortina Olympics, displaying nerves of steel to anchor the France team to victory in the mixed relay on Sunday. Simon was imperious on Wednesday in the individual race, brushing off the single miss and skiing with power and purpose.
"It's a lot of feelings when you are standing on the podium, you think about your doubts, your good moments, your bad moments, the people who helped you. I'm really proud of myself today," Simon said.
With the top-ranked racers bunched in the middle of the pack and the field starting at 30-second intervals, competitors skied five three-km laps, stopping four times at the range and alternating between shooting from prone and standing positions. The winner is decided by the lowest overall time, but each miss on the range adds a hefty one-minute penalty, making precision a priority.
Jeanmonnot did her best to challenge in tough skiing conditions, but her second miss proved to be the difference, and she could not close the gap on the last lap. This was her first ever individual Olympic medal.
"I knew I had good skis, and maybe this is why I made mistakes in the middle of the race. But I also think that, because of my mistakes, I was able to get a clean shot at the end," Jeanmonnot said.
There was huge joy for Bulgaria as outsider Hristova shot flawlessly to claim their first biathlon medal since Irina Nikulchina's bronze in the 10km pursuit at Salt Lake City 2002. She finished at a time of 42 minutes 20 seconds.
“I'm very hyped about that. I tried not to think about the result. I tried to focus on my shooting, on my skiing, on my technique. I think that I managed to make the best I can do," Hristova said.
Deedra Irwin finished seventh in this event at the 2022 Beijing Games, and at Milan Cortina it was Margie Freed who finished highest for Team USA in 21st place. The other Americans in the field were Lucinda Anderson and Joanne Reid.
"Well dangggg @margiefreed 🔥🔥 a personal best 21st AND best-ever 4-stage shooting performance all in her first individual Olympic race 😮💨," U.S. Biathlon wrote on social media.
Allison Hageman contributed to this report.