Sport
The French mixed relay team won this Sunday in Nove Mesto in the Czech Republic, showing themselves to be intractable in shooting. This is the second victory of the Blues in this event this season, but with a different team.
Winner of the first mixed relay of the World Cup season in Pokljuka (with Simon, Chevalier-Bouchet, Claude and Fillon Maillet), France presented a revamped and rejuvenated team for the last mixed relay of the season, in Nove Mesto. And Lou Jeanmonnot (24), Caroline Colombo (26), Eric Perrot (21) and Fabien Claude (28) did just as well, taking victory after a thrilling raceahead of Sweden, favorite this Sunday, and Norway, which had rested the Boe brothers (covid-positive since Saturday but without symptoms, which allowed them to compete in the pursuit).
From the first stint, Lou Jeanmonnot had put France on the right track by signing a 10 out of 10 in shooting, which allowed him to pass the baton to Caroline Colombo in second position, just two and a half seconds from Italy. , who had been able to count on an impeccable Lisa Vittozzi in shooting. Caroline Colombo then took advantage of a little help from fate to take the lead in the race, as Samuela Comola suffered a fall! The Frenchwoman therefore arrived on the firing line with a thirteen-second lead over the Norwegian Ingrid Tandrevold. She started her shot badly by having to draw three times, while her rival made only one mistake, so that Colombo was only fourth after this shot n°3, fourteen seconds from Norway . But the fourth shot turned out to be the exact opposite, with one foul for the Frenchwoman and three for the Norwegian, and the two biathletes came out neck and neck.
Eric Perrot then took over, and despite his three faults on the first shot, he was in the lead at the exit of the shooting range with a six-second lead over the Swede Martin Ponsiluoma. A clear second shot allowed Perrot to hand over to Fabien Claude in first position, two seconds ahead of Sweden, while Johannes Dale’s Norway (6 faults) were only fifth . In great shape this week in Nove Mesto, the Vosgien signed a magnificent last stint, with a 10 out of 10 in shooting! Out of the seventh shot with 23 seconds on Sebastian Samuelsson, he still had a 25 lead after the last shot, and was able to savor the victory. Thanks to Endre Stroemsheim (3 faults), Norway snatched third place, benefiting in particular from the “crisp” of the Ukrainian Anton Dudchenko (1 penalty round + 3 picks). It is therefore a second victory for France in the mixed relay this season. While waiting for another success in the single mixed relay in the afternoon with Antonin Guigonnat and Anaïs Chevalier-Bouchet?
WORLD CUP / NOVE MESTO (CZECH REPUBLIC)
Classification of the mixed relay (4x6km) – Sunday March 5, 2023
1- France in 1h06’32″3 (0 penalty lap + 7 pickaxes)
2- Sweden at 33″6 (0+18)
3- Norway at 38″3 (0+16)
4- Germany at 1’07″7 (1+13)
5- Italy at 1’13″3 (0+6)
6- Ukraine at 1’35″5 (1+8)
7- Czech Republic at 2’05″4 (1+15)
8- Austria at 2’14″2 (1+7)
9- Switzerland at 3’03″4 (3+15)
10- Finland at 3’30″4 (1+10)
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