2026 Olympics: France Wins Historic Biathlon Gold

Perrot pips Norway to gold

France edges Norway by 9.8 seconds to win men's biathlon relay gold at the Olympics. Eric Perrot's flawless shooting secures France's first Olympic gold in men's biathlon relay.

Fillon Maillet's chances of taking the lead were hurt by key misses on the standing shoot...

France has made history by winning their first Olympic gold in the men's biathlon 4x7.5km relay, with Eric Perrot leading the team to victory. Perrot crossed the finish line 9.8 seconds ahead of Norway's Vetle Sjaastad Christiansen, who took silver. Sweden secured bronze, nearly a minute behind the winners.

The French team's comeback was impressive, having started in 20th place due to a disastrous first leg by Fabien Claude. However, Emilien Jacquelin's strong performance pulled them back into contention, and Quentin Fillon Maillet's steady skiing handed Perrot a shot at victory. Perrot's clean shooting on the final leg sealed the win, marking France's 16th medal at the Winter Games.

The pack was tight until Germany's Justus Strelow nailed the first shoot, building a healthy lead. However, Norway's Martin Uldal seized the opportunity at the first standing shoot, taking the lead as Strelow dropped back.

Uldal handed over to individual champion Johan-Olov Botn at the first exchange, leaving him almost 15 seconds clear of Finland. A small group containing Germany, Switzerland, Sweden, and Ukraine trailed behind, led by Finland's Olli Hiidensalo. 

Emilian Jacquelin's incredible second leg propelled France from the back of the pack to the lead as the men's biathlon relay approached the halfway mark. He made only one miss, allowing him to stay ahead at the fourth shoot, with Sweden and Finland hot on his heels.

Jacquelin's remarkable performance took France from 20th place at the first handover to first place at halfway, but his team's lead was razor-thin, just half a second over Finland, as Nelin handed over to Ponsiluoma. 

A group of three skiers, consisting of Ponsiluoma, Quentin Fillon Maillet, and Jimi Klemettinen, had a 20-second lead over the others early in the third leg. However, this advantage disappeared at the first shoot, as Fillon Maillet managed to stay in contention, while Ponsiluoma and Klemettinen struggled with their shooting, allowing Norway to overtake them.

Fillon Maillet's chances of taking the lead were hurt by key misses on the standing shoot, while Ponsiluoma's flawless shooting gave him a narrow lead. At the final handover, France, Sweden, and Norway made their changes almost simultaneously, setting the stage for a thrilling finish.

Eric Perrot of France shot perfectly at the first shoot, taking the lead ahead of Norway's Vetle Sjaastad Christiansen, who missed once, and Sweden's Sebastian Samuelsson, who missed twice and lost time. This set the stage for a thrilling finish.

Eric Perrot 🥇
Quentin Fillon Maillet 🥇
Émilien Jacquelin 🥇
Fabien Claude 🥇

Merci messieurs 🇫🇷🤩 pic.twitter.com/xMmgQi6pnW

— FFS - Fédération Française de Ski (@FedFranceSki) February 17, 2026

At the final shoot, Perrot missed once, while Christiansen was flawless, closing the gap to just 8.5 seconds. The Norwegian was hot on Perrot's heels, making for a heart-stopping finale as they battled for gold.

Eric Perrot led France to a thrilling gold medal win in the men's biathlon relay at the Milan-Cortina 2026 Winter Olympics, crossing the finish line in 1:19:55.2. He edged out Norway's Vetle Sjaastad Christiansen by nearly 10 seconds, securing France's first Olympic gold in the event.

Perrot's remarkable performance capped an incredible comeback, as France had fallen to 20th place after the first leg. Emilien Jacquelin's strong second leg propelled them back into contention, and Quentin Fillon Maillet's steady skiing handed Perrot a shot at victory. Sweden took bronze, while Germany finished fourth, ahead of the USA, Czechia, and Finland.