Emilien Jacquelin and Lou Jeanmonnot dominated the French Summer Championships in Arcon this past weekend, both taking a sprint/pursuit double. In Molde, Sturla Holm Laegreid won the Norwegian Championships Sprint with a single penalty but slipped to seventh with five penalties behind Johan-Olav Botn in Sunday’s mass start.

The Norwegians, like the French team just returned from extended altitude camps in Italy, so fatigue loomed over both teams. Some big names like Julia Simon, Justine-Braisaz-Bouchet, Quentin Fillon Maillet, Vetle Sjaastad Christiansen and Ingrid Landmark Tandrevold finished far from the podium.

Jacquelin, “It is pure joy”

Jacquelin opened with a sterling 26:15.9 sprint Gold medal and only two standing penalties on a very hot, windy day. He told Nordic Magazine, “The wind was up during my race. Prone went well, but standing was more complicated because I decided to push it.” Regarding the atmosphere, “Friends and some of my family are here, so it is pure joy. It’s to feel these emotions that I do biathlon.”

Theo Guiraud-Poillat, with three penalties won the Silver medal, 37.3 seconds back. Martin Botet, with two penalties won Bronze, 55.7 seconds back, one spot ahead of Eric Perrot, with two penalties, 1:01.7 back. Quentin Fillon Maillet struggling with the wind had eight penalties, in 9th.

Jeanmonnot, “I did not expect this”

Jeanmonnot, like Jacquelin easily won French Women’s Sprint Gold in 22:24.3, with a single prone penalty, 52.2 seconds ahead of Silver medalist Oceane Michelon, with three penalties. Jeanmonnot, surprised with the result told Nordic Magazine, “If someone told after the first loop, I would not have believed them. It was difficult to get into a rhythm. My legs felt heavy…The heat really handicapped us; I didn’t expect this result. I would iked to have shot more smoothly and did not feel that good in prone.” Celia Henaff, with two penalties won Bronze, 1:02.1 back.

Jacquelin and Jeanmonnot romped to wire-to-wire pursuit victories Sunday. Jacquelin, after two clean prone stages, shot very fast in standing missing one in each stage in his 33:58.2 triumph. Perrot, fourth in the sprint rebounded to second, despite four penalties, 44.8 seconds back. Guiraud-Poillat, with four penalties, finished third, 1:47.3 back.

Jeanmonnot cleaned three of her four stages, missing two second-prone shots in a runaway 29:47 win. Michelon and Henaff matched their sprint places in second and third, with one and two penalties, 1:06.1 and 2:14.8 back, respectively.

Laegreid, Dokken, Botn, de Besche win in Molde

Laegreid easily won the sprint in 25:34.1, 19 and 44.9 seconds ahead of Vebjoern Soerum and Sivert Guttorm Bakken with two penalties each. Vetle Sjaastad Christiansen finished fourth.

Frida Dokken took the women’s sprint win with one penalty in 21:27.9. Marthe Krakstad Johansen also with one penalty finished second, 11.9 seconds back with clean-shooting Anne de Besche, who recently became a Danish national third, 14.3 seconds back. Sunday’s mass start win went to Johan-Olav Botn, with four penalties, in 40:57.6. Sverre Dahlen Aspenes and Bakken with three penalties each finished second and third, 10.1 and 19.7 seconds back, with Christiansen again fourth.

de Besche, shooting clean for the second consecutive day, won the women’s mass start in 38:27.1. Johansen with one penalty finished 14.8 seconds back followed by Juni Arnekleiv with two penalties, 29.5 seconds back.

Photos: IBU/ Nordic Focus