Both on the podium of the Grand-Bornand mass start on Sunday, Lou Jeanmonnot and Justine Braisaz-Bouchet had a great moment at home.
If the French women’s team was somewhat in doubt after the first two World Cup stages in Ostersund and Hochfilzen, the Grand-Bornand stage will have reassured its leaders. Until then unable to make even the slightest Top 5 at home, Lou Jeanmonnot notably delivered a small recital by finishing the three races on the podium.
After second place in the sprint to begin with, the Jurassian followed with a victory in the pursuit then another second place in the mass start. And while Julia Simon was seen to her advantage in the pursuit, finishing at the foot of the podium, Justine Braisaz-Bouchet, after two Top 10s in the sprint and the pursuit, won her first podium of the season in the mass start, beaten in the sprint by Maren Kirkeeide and Lou Jeanmonnot. A special moment for the Olympic champion.
“I thought a lot about this scenario. I dreamed of it, Justine Braisaz-Bouchet told L’Equipe. Lou, she’s really a friend. I would like us to have more opportunities to play shots in confrontation, neck and neck, also taking turns like we did on the race. I spent three-quarters of the race with her, it was good. When I arrived at the shooting range, I was calm, I felt good. I’m happy to share this with people I appreciate outside of the track. I couldn’t have asked for anything better when I woke up in the morning. »
A missed ball that costs a lot
And this feeling was shared by her teammate. “We skied together, it was so cool. I said to myself: we have to be like that in the last lap, facing each other for victory. That would have made me very happy. We had this opportunity to do it on the last shot and that’s what ultimately annoys us a little. And whatever the result, we both would have been happy. »
But a missed ball, the third, finally allowed Camille Bened to lead the shooting range and Maren Kirkeeide to stay in contact before dominating them in the sprint. “We miss the same ball. I hear it fail, it takes me out of my thing and behind me I start to tremble”said Lou Jeanmonnot.
