The 2026 Winter Olympics in Milan-Cortina and Antholz-Anterselva have delivered more than just dazzling athletic feats—they’ve become a stage for redemption, controversy, and raw human emotion. Nowhere is this more evident than in the women’s biathlon, where French star Julia Simon’s remarkable medal haul is as much a story of sporting excellence as it is of personal scandal and public scrutiny.
On February 21, 2026, the biathlon world watched as the women’s 12.5km mass start unfolded under heavy snowfall in Antholz-Anterselva, Italy. Shooting conditions were treacherous, but the French team shone bright. Oceane Michelon, just 23 years old and already the reigning under-23 World Cup champion, stormed to gold in a dramatic finish, crossing the line 6.6 seconds ahead of her more experienced teammate, Julia Simon. Czechia’s Tereza Vobornikova, who had never before medaled at a major championship, claimed a surprise bronze, just 7.4 seconds adrift of Michelon after two missed shots and two penalty loops.
But it was Simon’s silver—her fourth medal of these Games—that kept the spotlight firmly on her. Earlier in the Olympics, she had captured gold in the women’s 15km individual and both the mixed and women’s relay events, cementing her position as one of the top female biathletes in Europe. Yet, for all her athletic brilliance, Simon’s name has been inextricably linked to a scandal that has dogged her and the French biathlon team for years.
Between 2021 and 2022, Simon stole credit cards from a team physiotherapist and her own teammate, Justine Braisaz-Bouchet. The story broke in 2023 when Braisaz-Bouchet discovered over $2,000 in unauthorized online purchases during a summer biathlon festival in Norway. After initially denying the accusations and suggesting her identity had been stolen, Simon was found guilty of credit card fraud in a French court in October 2025. She received a three-month suspended prison sentence, a five-figure fine, and a six-month suspension from the French Ski Federation (FFS)—though five months of that ban were suspended, conveniently allowing her to compete at these Olympics.
Simon’s reaction to the fallout has been as polarizing as the scandal itself. During the Games, she has shown little public remorse. After winning the women’s 15km individual event, she made a ‘shushing’ gesture as she crossed the finish line, later explaining in a press conference, “That gesture was for one person, he knows it. We had a talk, so I won’t [say] anything more about it. Yeah, it’s over now.” According to Eurosport, Simon has since said, “The page has been turned within the team—we have spoken about it.” Still, her actions have prompted sharp criticism from fans and pundits alike, many of whom question whether her punishment was sufficient and whether she should have been allowed to compete at all.
Meanwhile, the fallout has rippled through the biathlon community. Justine Braisaz-Bouchet, the defending Olympic champion from Beijing 2022 and Simon’s former friend and victim, struggled in the mass start, missing six targets and finishing a distant 27th. She left these Games empty-handed, a stark contrast to her previous triumphs. As she told the press, “For many people I was the troublemaker,” a sentiment that highlights the complicated dynamics within the French squad.
The mass start also marked the end of an era for two of the sport’s most respected veterans. Germany’s Franziska Preuss, the overall World Cup winner last year, and Italy’s Dorothea Wierer, a four-time Olympic medallist and four-time world champion, both skied their final Olympic race. Wierer finished a respectable fifth, her family showering her with flowers at the finish, while Preuss, plagued by seven missed shots, ended up 28th out of 30 starters. The pair took a lap of honour as fans waved signs reading “Danke, grazie, thank you,” a fitting tribute to their storied careers.
Simon’s case stands out not just for its legal and ethical dimensions but also for the way it has permeated Olympic culture and discourse. Slate’s Olympics Jerk Watch, a tongue-in-cheek feature that rates the Games’ most controversial figures, awarded Simon 7.5 out of 10 points for her “style, technical merit, and execution” in the scandal. The article wryly noted, “It would have been slightly jerkier for her to make a ‘swiping a credit card’ gesture upon victoriously crossing the finish line.” The piece also compared Simon’s situation to that of other athletes embroiled in controversy, such as Norwegian biathlete Sturla Holm Lægreid, who publicly confessed to infidelity after winning five medals at these Games.
Simon, for her part, has acknowledged working with a therapist to understand her actions, suggesting the possibility of psychological factors at play. “I can’t explain it. I don’t remember doing it. I can’t make sense of it,” she told the French court. While some commentators have expressed a measure of sympathy, others, like Belgian Olympian Tineke den Dulk, have used the episode as a springboard for their own public statements on integrity. After winning bronze in the mixed relay short-track event, den Dulk posted on Instagram, “By the way, I have never cheated anyone. I have never stolen a credit card either,” a not-so-subtle jab at Simon and others caught up in Olympic scandals.
Den Dulk’s remarks also referenced Lægreid’s confession and drew inspiration from athletes known for their quirks and honesty, such as British cyclist Archie Atkinson and Norwegian swimmer Henrik Christiansen, the self-styled “Muffin Man” of the Paris 2024 Olympics. In a world where the pressure to win can sometimes lead to questionable decisions, den Dulk’s message struck a chord with fans who value sportsmanship as much as athletic achievement.
For the French biathlon team, the 2026 Winter Olympics will be remembered as a time of both triumph and turbulence. Michelon’s emotional gold and Simon’s four-medal haul have kept France at the forefront of the sport, but the shadow of scandal lingers. The FFS’s decision to suspend, yet ultimately allow, Simon to compete remains a point of contention, raising questions about accountability and the true cost of victory.
As the snow settles in Antholz-Anterselva and the Olympic flame dims, the biathlon world finds itself at a crossroads. For some, the Games have been a celebration of resilience and redemption. For others, they serve as a reminder that even in the pursuit of gold, integrity matters. The story of Julia Simon and the 2026 French biathlon team will echo long after the medals have been awarded, challenging athletes, officials, and fans to reflect on what it means to win—both on and off the course.