Jeanmonnot Explains Her Dramatic Fall

Jeanmonnot Explains Her Dramatic Fall

Lou Jeanmonnot lost her duel with Franziska Preuß in a memorable finale in Oslo. The French biathlete spoke about her fall and became emotional.

0:43 | The unbelievable thriller around Preuß in video.

The dramatic finale of the biathlon overall World Cup in Oslo left Lou Jeanmonnot deeply saddened. The Frenchwoman missed triumph after falling just before the finish line in a neck-and-neck battle with Preuß, but she did not blame her German competitor.

"I thought I was leading at that moment and thought I had enough space on the inside. I wanted to take the turn tight, and in the end, my legs felt burned and I accidentally set the pole onto my ski," Jeanmonnot said to ARD.

Despite the fall, Jeanmonnot stated that Preuß was not responsible. "Of course, she closed the door a bit, but it was my fault and she had nothing wrong. It was a thrilling battle for the overall World Cup, and it was electrifying," Jeanmonnot explained.

Devastation for Jeanmonnot

Shortly before the finish, both rivals were fighting for the day’s win and, by extension, the overall win. Jeanmonnot intended to take a tight turn on the inner lane and fell without contact with Preuß, who ran directly next to her yet did not fall and crossed the finish for the win. Swedish Elvira Öberg also benefited and finished second.

Both competitors did not blame each other. Instead, Preuß comforted her disappointed rival, and they spent several minutes in the finish area together. Both cried after the race.

"I’m very disappointed about the way it happened in the last 500 meters with this fall. She would have loved it just as much as I would have if it had ended differently," Jeanmonnot stated while fighting back emotion in her interview with ARD.