Anterselva (Italy) (AFP) – French biathlete Quentin Fillon Maillet became Olympic champion in the sprint (10 km) on Friday at the Anterselva site, winning his fourth Olympic title at the age of 33, after the pursuit and the individual in 2022 and the mixed relay in 2026.

Published on: 02/13/2026 - 3:33 p.m.

Author of a 10/10 behind the rifle, Quentin Fillon Maillet beat the Norwegians Vetle Christiansen (+13 sec 7) and Sturla Laegreid (+15.9), his compatriot Émilien Jacquelin failing 2/10th of a second from the bronze medal (+16.1).

Eric Perrot, individual Olympic vice-champion and World Cup leader, ranked 9th, just over a minute behind Fillon Maillet (8 out of 10 shooting).

With the 7th podium of his career at the Games, “QFM” brings the 10th medal to the French delegation at the 2026 Olympic Games in Milan Cortina.

Quentin Fillon Maillet had been the man of the Beijing Olympic Games in 2022. At the high altitude site of Zhangjiakou (1,700 m), he had reached five of the six podiums at stake, with gold in the individual (20 km) and the pursuit (12.5 km), and silver in the mixed relay (4x6 km), the men's relay (4x7.5 km) and the sprint (10 km).

In three races contested in Anterselva, he has already won gold twice in the mixed relay (associated with Éric Perrot, Lou Jeanmonnot and Julia Simon) and had taken 8th place in the individual, penalized by his four shooting errors, with exceptional form on the skis.

Towards Fourcade's record

"It's huge. The emotions are different from a confrontational race, because when I cross the line, I'm not yet sure of anything and it's coming to fruition little by little. I dedicate this result to my partner because we're both expecting a child. She supported me throughout this period," explained Fillon Maillet on France Télévisions.

“It’s crazy, second title for these Olympics, it’s extraordinary. I knew exactly what to do today. I had calm, serenity, I enjoyed running,” he added.

Between Beijing and Milan Cortina, he had a complicated Olympiad, with only two World Cup victories, but remembered the good memories of his rivals this season, by winning the pursuit in Ostersund (Sweden) at the start of the season. He gradually resolved his problem with the prone shot, finding solutions with the shooting coach, Jean-Pierre Amat.

Sunday (11:15 a.m.) in Anterselva, "QFM" will start at the head of the pursuit, a format which retains the gaps and the sprint ranking, in search of a fifth Olympic title, to get within one unit of Martin Fourcade, the most successful Frenchman in the Winter Olympics, who will collect his sixth gold medal at the start of the afternoon at the site in northern Italy.

© 2026 AFP

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