It was time. Quentin Fillon Maillet obtained his second podium of the winter this Saturday by taking second place behind Johannes Boe at the end of the pursuit in Oslo on Saturday, the last stage of the Biathlon World Cup. QFM had already finished just behind the incredible Norwegian in early January in the pursuit of Pokljuka, Slovenia.
Starting in seventh position almost a minute behind Boe inherited from Thursday’s sprint, Fillon Maillet got back in place thanks to a 20 out of 20 shot. The best biathlete in the world, with a fault, nevertheless won with 54 seconds and 7 tenths ahead.
Johannes Boe greets the king before finishing the race
This chasm allowed him to take the time to interrupt his last shot before releasing his final ball, to share with the Norwegian public, then to greet the King of Norway Harald V, before crossing the finish line. His compatriot Sturla Laegreid completes the podium, 1 minute, 3 seconds and 4 tenths, after a missed target.
The day after the announcement of the departure of the two coaches of the Blues at the end of the season, Vincent Vittoz and Patrick Favre, “more in tune”, another Frenchman, Fabien Claude, invited himself to the top 5 with a 19 on 20 behind the rifle.
Very disappointing this winter, the Blues now total six individual podiums (three for Émilien Jacquelin, two for QFM, one for Eric Perrot), but still no victory on the eve of the last race of the season, a mass start on Sunday.