ANTERSELVA, Italy (AP) — In an upset for the French men's biathlon team, Martin Ponsiluoma of Sweden dominated on the shooting range Sunday to take the gold medal in the 12.5-kilometer pursuit biathlon race at the Milan Cortina Winter Games, while Norwegian biathlete Sturla Holm Laegreid won silver — six days after making an unexpected personal confession during a post-race interview.
Emilien Jacquelin of France led the field coming into the last shooting stage, after cleaning his targets using his characteristic but risky rapid fire technique. But the speed got the best of him and he missed two, allowing Ponsiluoma, who hit all his targets, to exit the range first. Laegreid also cleared his targets and left the range in second place, leaving Jacquelin with bronze.
Click to Gallery
Emilien Jacquelin, of France, crosses the finish line for bronze during the men's 12.5-kilometer pursuit biathlon race at the 2026 Winter Olympics in Anterselva, Italy, Sunday, Feb. 15, 2026. (AP Photo/David J. Phillip)
Emilien Jacquelin, of France, crosses the finish line for bronze during the men's 12.5-kilometer pursuit biathlon race at the 2026 Winter Olympics in Anterselva, Italy, Sunday, Feb. 15, 2026. (AP Photo/David J. Phillip)
Sturla Holm Laegreid of Norway competes during the biathlon Men's 12.5km pursuit at the 2026 Winter Olympics, in Anterselva, Italy, Sunday, Feb. 15, 2026. (AP Photo/Christophe Ena)
Martin Ponsiluoma of Sweden competes during the biathlon Men's 12.5km pursuit at the 2026 Winter Olympics, in Anterselva, Italy, Sunday, Feb. 15, 2026. (AP Photo/Christophe Ena)
Martin Ponsiluoma, of Sweden, crosses the finish line for gold during the men's 12.5-kilometer pursuit biathlon race at the 2026 Winter Olympics in Anterselva, Italy, Sunday, Feb. 15, 2026. (AP Photo/David J. Phillip)
Martin Ponsiluoma, of Sweden, crosses the finish line for gold during the men's 12.5-kilometer pursuit biathlon race at the 2026 Winter Olympics in Anterselva, Italy, Sunday, Feb. 15, 2026. (AP Photo/David J. Phillip)
Ponsiluoma, winning the first medal in biathlon for Sweden in these Winter Games, crossed the finish line with a time of 31 minutes and 11.9 seconds. Laegreid was 20.6 seconds behind him while Jacquelin was 29.7 seconds back.
The Swede said he feared getting caught on the last lap.
“I was really afraid of the chasers," he said. “I was nervous, but I felt (safe) on the last part of the loop, so I just tried to enjoy it. Doing this at the Olympics is really big. I’m super proud of the race today. I did everything I wanted: I was skiing really fast, shooting fast, the focusing was amazing. So, it was my day today.“
Laegreid said he took the race one step at a time.
“Ski one meter at a time. Shoot one shot at a time. Do my best with what I can right now and, in the end, we can count the results," he said.
At the post-race press conference, Laegreid applauded Jacquelin's aggressive tactics and the two men addressed comments both have made in the media this week.
Laegreid drew national attention on Tuesday after the men’s individual race when during an tearful interview with Norwegian television, he revealed on camera that he had been unfaithful “to the love of my life” in an apparent attempt to win her back. He released a statement the following day, saying he regretted sharing his personal story, which detracted from teammate Johan-Olav Botn 's gold medal.
After Friday's sprint race when Laegreid finished third and Jacquelin fourth, the Frenchman joked to VG Sport that he “was beaten by an unfaithful guy,” and vowed to strike back during the pursuit race.
When asked about it on Sunday, Jacquelin said he says what he thinks, but that may not always be wise.
He said after he saw Laegreid's interview, he felt sad for him “because honesty sometimes is not the best thing in our society. Sometimes we should say nothing. In a way you can think what you want. Is it good or not. It’s on your mind what you think. But having honesty and say what you say, what I say after the sprint, it’s part of a duel."
He said they have since discussed it and “everything is fine.”
Laegreid said he took Jacquelin's comment “with a sense of humor.”
“Of course we talked about it later when I met him at the hotel and there was no hard feelings but even though we had squared up I think he used it a bit for energy today,” Laegreid said. "For him to be in the mode he was today, if this was what he needed and then attacking like he doing it is for me really impressive.
"And I told him after the race, the way he attacked today, the way he was giving a show was really honorable to watch."
Olympic biathlon pursuit champion Quentin Fillon Maillet, having won the sprint race days before, started off 14 seconds ahead of the field, but missed three shots during his two prone shooting stages, dropping him down to eighth place. He finished seventh, 1:13.5 behind the Swede.
The pursuit biathlon start list is based on how the racers finished in the previous sprint race, with the sprint winner going off first, and all others starting in the seconds-back order based on their sprint finish. Biathletes must ski a 150-meter penalty lap for each missed target.
AP Winter Olympics: https://apnews.com/hub/milan-cortina-2026-winter-olympics
Emilien Jacquelin, of France, crosses the finish line for bronze during the men's 12.5-kilometer pursuit biathlon race at the 2026 Winter Olympics in Anterselva, Italy, Sunday, Feb. 15, 2026. (AP Photo/David J. Phillip)
Emilien Jacquelin, of France, crosses the finish line for bronze during the men's 12.5-kilometer pursuit biathlon race at the 2026 Winter Olympics in Anterselva, Italy, Sunday, Feb. 15, 2026. (AP Photo/David J. Phillip)
Sturla Holm Laegreid of Norway competes during the biathlon Men's 12.5km pursuit at the 2026 Winter Olympics, in Anterselva, Italy, Sunday, Feb. 15, 2026. (AP Photo/Christophe Ena)
Martin Ponsiluoma of Sweden competes during the biathlon Men's 12.5km pursuit at the 2026 Winter Olympics, in Anterselva, Italy, Sunday, Feb. 15, 2026. (AP Photo/Christophe Ena)
Martin Ponsiluoma, of Sweden, crosses the finish line for gold during the men's 12.5-kilometer pursuit biathlon race at the 2026 Winter Olympics in Anterselva, Italy, Sunday, Feb. 15, 2026. (AP Photo/David J. Phillip)
Martin Ponsiluoma, of Sweden, crosses the finish line for gold during the men's 12.5-kilometer pursuit biathlon race at the 2026 Winter Olympics in Anterselva, Italy, Sunday, Feb. 15, 2026. (AP Photo/David J. Phillip)
CAIRO (AP) — One of Gaza’s last functioning large hospitals condemned the move by an international organization to pull out of operations over concerns about armed men, claiming on Sunday that the hospital had installed civil police for security. The move comes as at least 10 Palestinians were killed in clashes with the Israeli military in Gaza.
Doctors Without Borders, also known by its acronym MSF, said in a statement Saturday that all its noncritical medical operations at Nasser Hospital were suspended due to security breaches that posed “serious” threats to its teams and patients. MSF said there had been an increase in patients and staff seeing armed men in parts of the compound since the U.S.-brokered October ceasefire was reached.
Nasser Hospital said Sunday that the increase in armed men was due to a civilian police presence aimed at protecting patients and staff and said MSF's “allegations are factually incorrect, irresponsible, and pose a serious risk to a protected civilian medical facility.”
Nasser Hospital in Khan Younis is one of the territory’s few functioning hospitals. Hundreds of patients and war-wounded have been treated there daily, and the facility was a hub for Palestinian prisoners released by Israel in exchange for Israeli hostages as part of the current ceasefire deal.
“MSF teams have reported a pattern of unacceptable acts including the presence of armed men, intimidation, arbitrary arrests of patients and a recent situation of suspicion of movement of weapons,” the organization said. The suspension occurred in January but was only recently announced.
Nasser Hospital staff say that in recent months it has been repeatedly attacked by masked, armed men and militias, which is why the presence of an armed civilian police force is crucial. Hamas remains the dominant force in areas not under Israeli control, including in the area where Nasser Hospital is located. But other armed groups have mushroomed across Gaza as a result of the war, including groups backed by Israel’s army in the Israeli-controlled part of the strip.
Throughout the war, which began with the Hamas-led attack on Israel on Oct. 7, 2023, Israel has repeatedly struck hospitals, including Nasser, accusing the militant group of operating in or around them. Hamas security men often have been seen inside hospitals, blocking access to some areas.
Some hostages released from Gaza have said they spent time during captivity in a hospital, including Nasser Hospital.
At least 10 Palestinians were killed Sunday by Israeli fire in the Gaza Strip, hospital authorities said.
The dead include five men, all in their 20s, who were killed in an Israeli strike in the eastern part of Khan Younis city, according to the Nasser Hospital, which received the bodies. The strike hit a group of people in an area close to the Yellow Line which separates Israeli-controlled areas from the rest of Gaza, it said.
The Israeli military did not comment on the strike but has said in the past it will attack militants if its troops are threatened, especially near the Yellow Line.
Rami Shaqra said his son, al-Baraa, was among the militants who were securing the area from potential attacks by the Israeli forces or Israeli-backed armed groups, when they were hit by the Israeli military. He said that they were killed by an airstrike.
Associated Press footage from the morgue showed at least two of the men had headbands denoting membership in the Qassam Brigades, the militant arm of Hamas. In northern Gaza, a drone strike hit a group of people in the Falluja area of Jabaliya refugee camp, killing five people, according to the Shifa Hospital.
The Israeli military said it was striking northern Gaza in response to several ceasefire violations near the Yellow Line, including militants attempting to hide in debris and others who attempted to cross the line while armed.
The Oct. 10 U.S.-brokered ceasefire deal attempted to halt a more than two-year war between Israel and Hamas. While the heaviest fighting has subsided, the ceasefire has seen almost daily Israeli fire.
Israeli forces have carried out repeated airstrikes and frequently fire on Palestinians near military-held zones, killing 601 Palestinians, according to Gaza health officials. The ministry, which is part of the Hamas-led government, maintains detailed casualty records that are seen as generally reliable by U.N. agencies and independent experts. But it does not give a breakdown of civilians and militants.
Militants have carried out shooting attacks on troops, and Israel says its strikes are in response to that and other violations. Four Israeli soldiers have been killed.
Meanwhile in Israel, two female Israeli soldiers were rescued from riots that broke out in the ultra-Orthodox city of Bnei Brak. Footage from the incident shows two young soldiers being hurried away by police from thousands of ultra-Orthodox men running after them and yelling. Many in Israel's ultra-Orthodox community are furious over laws that may force them to serve in the Israeli military, holding frequent protests.
Israeli police said the soldiers were performing a welfare visit as part of their service. At least 12 people were arrested as protesters set police motorcycles on fire, attacked officers, threw trash and overturned a police car, the police said.
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu strongly condemned the attack on the soldiers but blamed an “extremist minority” for the violence.
Roughly 1.3 million ultra-Orthodox Jews make up about 13% of Israel’s population and oppose enlistment because they believe studying full time in religious seminaries is their most important duty. The broad exemptions from mandatory military service have reopened a deep divide in the country and infuriated much of the general public, especially during the two-year war in Gaza.
Lidman reported from Tel Aviv, Israel.
Palestinians mourn over the body of Hamas militant Baraa Al-Shaqra, who was killed in an Israeli military strike, during his funeral at Nasser Hospital in Khan Younis, Gaza, Sunday, Feb. 15, 2026. (AP Photo/Abdel Kareem Hana)
Palestinians mourn over the body of Hamas militant Firas al-Najjar, who was killed in an Israeli military strike, during his funeral at Nasser Hospital in Khan Younis, Gaza Sunday, Feb. 15, 2026. (AP Photo/Abdel Kareem Hana)
Palestinians perform funeral prayers over the bodies of Hamas militants who were killed in an Israeli military strike, at Nasser Hospital in Khan Younis, Gaza, Sunday, Feb. 15, 2026. (AP Photo/Abdel Kareem Hana)
Palestinians mourn over the body of Hamas militant Ahmed Al-Bayouk, who was killed in an Israeli military strike, during his funeral at Nasser Hospital in Khan Younis, Gaza Sunday, Feb. 15, 2026. (AP Photo/Abdel Kareem Hana)
Palestinians mourn over the body of Hamas militant Firas al-Najjar, who was killed in an Israeli military strike, during his funeral at Nasser Hospital in Khan Younis, Gaza Sunday, Feb. 15, 2026. (AP Photo/Abdel Kareem Hana)
