The 2022 double Olympic champion Quentin Fillon Maillet is positive for Covid and forfeits for the end of the stage of Nove Mesto (Czech Republic) and that of Oestersund (Sweden) next weekend, counting for the Biathlon World Cup , he announced on Twitter.
“Caught up with COVID before the chase. Back home tomorrow hoping to come back for the Oslo finals”, mid-March, the Frenchman tweeted.
In addition to the pursuit of Nove Mesto scheduled for this Saturday (1:50 p.m.) and the mixed relay events on Sunday, the winner of the 2022 World Cup will miss the entire stage of Oestersund next weekend, before a possible return for the last see you in Oslo.
Earlier, the management of the France team had announced that the biathlete was ill and forfeited for the pursuit on Saturday, without giving further details.
In the middle of the week, the Norwegian Sturla Laegreid, Johannes Boe’s closest pursuer in the race for the big crystal globe, had to give up the Nove Mesto stage also due to the Covid.
Fillon Maillet, 5th in the general classification of the World Cup, had taken 14th place in the sprint on Thursday, which determines the starting order and the gaps in the pursuit.
The Nove Mesto stage ends on Sunday with mixed relays and will be followed on Thursday by the penultimate stage of the season in Oestersund.
The French team is already deprived until the end of the season of Émilien Jacquelin, who has decided to take a long break after the Worlds due to a “lack of physical and mental freshness”.
