Olympics-Biathlon-Jacquelin’s fire turns faltering French relay bid to gold

By Julien Pretot

ANTERSELVA, Italy, Feb 17 (Reuters) – After Eric Perrot set off on the final lap of France’s 4×7.5-km relay with only the narrowest of leads over Norway’s Vetle Staastad Kristiansen, Emilien Jacquelin lowered himself into the snow, back against a wall, his eyes fixed on the giant screen.

“He’s gonna do it,” he said.

And Perrot delivered, holding Kristiansen at bay to secure France’s first Olympic men’s relay title in biathlon, a triumph forged long before the anchor leg, with Jacquelin at the heart of the revival.

Starting second, he took over from Fabien Claude after a disastrous standing shoot had left France in 13th place and over 50 seconds off the pace.

Wearing an earring lent to him by the family of Italian cycling great Marco Pantani, Jacquelin cut the gap through fierce, flowing skiing and shooting that was blisteringly fast if not flawless, handing over to Quentin Fillon Maillet in the lead.

The 30-year-old, bronze medallist in the pursuit after missing the individual podium by two-tenths of a second in Milano-Cortina, stayed in the finish area, where he prowled like a caged lion as his teammates carried France towards the line.

“The Olympics are all about emotions, it’s not just about winning. I’ve had all the emotions here. You have stress, fear, but you have to go through these emotions,” Jacquelin said.

When Perrot emerged onto the final straight with daylight behind him, Jacquelin pointed skywards before sprinting forwards to meet his teammate, urging the crowd to roar.

“These are my third Olympic Games. I was 22 at my first one (in South Korea). I was in the relay with Martin Fourcade, I had a very good leg and we finished fifth. Four years ago we finished second — that had not happened since the Turin Games, and it was almost a feat,” Jacquelin said.

“But today it was win or hospital. We are a team. Penalty laps can happen; it doesn’t mean the race is over. I started with that idea in mind. I looked more at the gap: 50 seconds. There are relays where we finish second or third and we’re more than a minute behind. A medal was within reach. I thought less about winning.

“I told myself it would be complicated if the Norwegians controlled the race. I don’t feel like I took risks. I skied my race, I felt I managed my effort. The last lap was difficult, but they have a different vision of racing. I went for it with panache, with desire and with heart.”

(Reporting by Julien Pretot, editing by Ed Osmond)