This is the eighth podium in world championships for France. Three days after Jules Chappaz, the French cross-country ski team again won a bronze medal at the 2023 World Championships thanks to its sprinters, Renaud Jay and Richard Jouve, third in the team event on Sunday in Planica (Slovenia).
Jay and Jouve were only beaten by the great Norwegian favorites Paal Golberg and Johannes Klaebo, crowned world champions, and the Italians Francesco de Fabiani and Federico Pellegrino. They offered France its second Worlds-2023 medal after Jules Chappaz’s 3rd place on Thursday.
Sixth in qualifying in the morning, Jay and Jouve always played the leading roles in the Final behind Golberg and Klaebo.
Third place
By setting off on his last stint, Jouve was already assured of winning a medal, since the Norwegians, Italians and French had left behind their rivals, in particular the Swedes, who were in bad shape on the heavy snow of Planica. But the leader of the France team and winner of the 2021-22 sprint World Cup, missed out on his individual event (elimination in the quarter-finals), did not manage to worry Klaebo, before giving in to in Pellegrino.
Jouve, 28, now has two Olympic medals to his name (3rd in the team sprint at the 2018 Olympics and 3rd in the 4×10 km relay at the 2022 Olympics) and two World Championship medals (3rd in the 4×10 km relay at the 2019 Worlds). and 3rd Sunday). Jay offered himself his first podium at this level at the age of 31.
Considered one of the best cross-country skiers in history, Klaebo, 28, now has eight world titles and had already won the individual sprint on Thursday. His record also includes five Olympic titles and three world No.1 globes.