The French biathlon team continued its impressive early-season form with a gold medal in the mixed relay at the 2025-2026 biathlon World Cup in Östersund, Sweden, from November 29 to December 7. This victory marks the team’s second win of the weekend and further cements their status as a dominant force in the sport,having already secured four podium finishes in just four races this season. The team of Lou Jeanmonnot, Émilien Jacquelin, Éric Perrot, and Justine Braisaz-Bouchet demonstrated both strong shooting and skiing prowess to claim the top spot.
France’s biathlon team – comprised of Lou Jeanmonnot, Émilien Jacquelin, Éric Perrot, and Justine Braisaz-Bouchet – claimed victory in the mixed relay at the 2025-2026 Biathlon World Cup, held from November 29 to December 7, 2025.
The French squad is off to a blistering start to the season, achieving four podium finishes and two wins in just four races – a level of early-season success the team has never before experienced.
Émilien Jacquelin led off for France, immediately challenging Italy’s Tommaso Giacomel and posting a perfect 5/5 in the first prone shooting stage. He surged to the front of the leading pack before the second shooting, where he used all three of his spare rounds. He exited the range in eighth place, 21.7 seconds back, but quickly closed the gap with a strong push.
“We decided it was good to keep this card up our sleeve for the final lap, and it put the team in a good position despite the spares,” Jacquelin told L’Équipe after the race.
Éric Perrot took over in second position, just 0.1 seconds behind Italy’s Lukas Hofer. He navigated the prone stage cleanly, despite trailing by over five seconds. He and American Campbell Wright arrived at the standing shooting stage together, alongside Norway’s Johan-Olav Botn, and the trio battled for the lead on the final lap.
“It was fun, I really enjoyed it,” Perrot said afterward. “Campbell attacked while the pace was slow. I was a little short on power to counterattack, a bit frustrating, but it’s building.”
Justine Braisaz-Bouchet Delivers a Decisive Final Stage
Starting 6 seconds behind Norway and the United States, Justine Braisaz-Bouchet found herself in contention. She struggled in the prone stage, taking extra time and exiting in fourth place, over 30 seconds behind the fast-shooting Dorothea Wierer. Braisaz-Bouchet quickly began to make up ground on her skis before the standing stage, where she shot a flawless 5/5 to move into second place, just behind Karoline Knotten.
Despite the strong shooting, Braisaz-Bouchet expressed disappointment with her performance. “I think my prone shooting cost us dearly. It felt like I was using several spares. It wasn’t ideal for the time, and I wasn’t able to create the gap I wanted to give Lou,” she said.
Lou Jeanmonnot then took the anchor leg, immediately challenging Ingrid Tandrevold for the lead at the first intermediate time. Leveraging her impressive 94% prone shooting accuracy, Jeanmonnot shot 5/5 and capitalized on a miss from the Norwegian to take the lead with a 5.3-second advantage over Lisa Vittozzi, extending that lead at the next checkpoint. Dominating on the range again, Jeanmonnot shot another perfect 5/5 in the standing stage, building a lead of over 15 seconds on the Italian. She finished with a controlled performance, securing the second victory for the French team on the weekend. This win solidifies France’s position as a top contender in the biathlon circuit.
View the complete results of the mixed relay from the Biathlon World Cup in Östersund, including times.
