Despite complicated conditions due to the wind, the French biathletes were crowned relay world champions in front of the big Norwegian favorites, depriving Johannes Boe of a sixth coronation during these Worlds, Saturday in Oberhof, Germany.
France, carried by Quentin Fillon Maillet in the last relay, won its third medal in these championships after the title of Julia Simon in pursuit and the bronze in the mixed relay in the opening. Sweden completes the podium in this race.
This is the first men's relay title for France since 2020, an event dominated by the Norwegians since the start of the season.
COCORICO! ���� Tremendous team effort from the @fedfranceski men to crown themselves World Champion in Oberhof! �� Watch all competitions live on https://t.co/bk5aBBsVZo and follow on the Official IBU App! pic.twitter.com/NA8dwhgQBx
In difficulty since the start of these championships, the French team was perfectly launched by Antonin Guigonnat, who passed the baton in the lead ahead of the Czech Republic and Switzerland.
Solid in shooting, Fabien Claude and Émilien Jacquelin allowed France to stay at the forefront, under threat all the same from the Norwegians, who returned to the top three after a bad start.
In the position of last runner, Quentin Fillon Maillet was the author of a sumptuous last shot which allowed him to cross the finish line with nearly 39 seconds ahead of Norway, despite the return of the inevitable Johannes Boe.
The five-time world champion was aiming for a sixth coronation at these 2023 Worlds, before a possible grand slam on Sunday during the mass start, which would have been unprecedented.
Later in the day, the French women's relay will be keen to imitate this feat before the mass starts which will close this fortnight on Sunday.
