Team France sewed up the gold medal after a stellar performance in the third leg of the women’s 4x6km biathlon relay on Wednesday at Milan Cortina 2026.
Julia Simon of France skied across the finish line with the French flag at a time of 1 hour, 10 minutes after inheriting a substantial lead from teammate Oceane Michelon. Team Sweden won the silver medal at 51.3 seconds behind, and Team Norway skied to bronze at 1 minute 7 seconds behind.
In the women's 4x6km event, each member of a four-person team skies three laps and shoot twice, once prone and once standing. There was an extra round available for three misses before a team gained a penalty loop. It was perfect conditions for shooting with little wind.
Camille Bened of France started the race before passing off to Lou Jeanmonnot. France, Norway, Sweden, and Germany used their extra rounds in the first two legs of the race, which cause the lead to switch.
Once France moved into the second half of the relay, the team skied faster than the rest of the field. Michelon, the youngest member of Team France, moved to the front position and created a 47 second lead after shooting in standing. With her speed proven from her silver win in the 7.5km sprint, she successfully expanded the team's position.
Once Simon tapped into the race, she had a drama free run around the course. She had rapid-fire shooting in the final five shots and turned the final portion of the race into a victory lap.
The Swedish sisters Elvira Oeberg and anchor Hanna Oeberg battled it out with Team Norway for silver and bronze. In the end, Hanna Oeberg held her pace against Maren Kirkeeide of Norway for the silver medal.
“When I went out on the last leg, I felt that France was a bit ahead, so my main thing to do was to beat Norway," Hanna Oeberg said. "I felt pretty confident coming into the last standing shooting, and I'm just happy I managed to do it. It was a big bonus that it was Norway that we pushed into bronze.”
With the win, France becomes the first country to sweep all three biathlon relays — men's, women's and mixed. Simon earned her third gold medal and Jeanmonnot earned her fourth medal at these Winter Games.
France, Norway, and Sweden have each won women’s relay races this season. Sweden won gold in this event at Beijing 2022 with three of the same athletes.
Team USA finished 18th with Deedra Irwin, Margie Freed, Lucinda Anderson, and Joanne Reid. The U.S. finished 11th in this event in Beijing 2022.
Reuters contributed to this report.