Julia Simon leads French women to Olympic gold in biathlon relay

ANTERSELVA, Italy (AP) — Julia Simon didn't need to shoot fast when she entered the range on the last leg of the women's 4x6-kilometer biathlon relay race at the Milan Cortina Olympics on Wednesday.

But she knocked down all five targets in rapid succession, took a bow and skied the French team to a gold medal — its first in the event in 34 years. Carrying a massive French flag and smiling wide, Simon crossed the line in combined time of 1 hour, 10 minutes, 22 seconds for her third gold medal of the Milan Cortina Games.

Defending Olympic relay champion Sweden overcame some shooting setbacks to take silver, 51.3 seconds behind France. Norway lost ground at the end but held on for bronze, 1:07 back.

Camille Bened led off for France, but one penalty loop during her standing shoot set the team back to 16th place. Lou Jeanmonnot took over and moved the French up to third at the third exchange. Oceane Michelon passed the leaders on the course and used only one spare shot on the range, ensuring France had a solid lead. It stayed that way until the end.

Simon and Jeanmonnot also won gold in the mixed relay with Eric Perrot and Quentin Fillon Maillet, and took gold and silver, respectively, in the 15-kilometer individual race. Jeanmonnot won bronze in the 7.5-kilometer sprint.

After also winning gold in the relay at the world championships two years ago, Simon said it was important to repeat that success at the Olympics.

“In my leg, the most difficult part was staying focused,” Simon said. "When you take the relay in the lead, it's easier to think that it's a win, but not. So I really want to stay real focused. The last lap was very nice, a lot of pleasure, a lot of fun.

“Once they gave me that flag, I felt like we did it. It was something really special.”

The last time the French women won this event was on home snow at the 1992 Albertville Olympics, when it had three competitors skiing 7.5-kilometer legs.

Hanna Oeberg of Sweden and Maren Kirkeeide of Norway entered the range together for the last shooting in Wednesday's race. Oeberg only needed one spare to knock down her targets, while Kirkeeide needed two, which set her back about 20 seconds — a deficit she was unable to make up on the trails.

“When I went out on the last leg, I felt that France was a bit ahead, so my main thing to do was to beat Norway," Oeberg said. "I felt pretty confident coming into the last standing shooting, and I’m just happy I managed to do it. It was a big bonus that it was Norway that we pushed into bronze.”

Kirkeeide said she was happy to win another medal, “and also that we get to experience this together and get this medal. It’s really important for our team."

“I was just hoping that I would do good races and see what that could lead to,” said Kirkeeide, who has already won gold and silver at this year's Olympics. "But this has been much more than what I expected.”

Vanessa Voigt of Germany shot clean and was on Norway's heels, but she wasn't able to catch the medal places, finishing 1:29 behind in fourth. The German team had lost ground when Franziska Preuss had to ski a penalty lap on the second leg.

“This fourth place hurts a lot," Voigt said. “I know that when I come to the hotel room there’s still a bronze medal from the mixed relay and this will make me smile again, I hope. But nevertheless, I’m disappointed.”

__ This story has been corrected to fix the spellings of Camille Bened, Eric Perrot and Hanna Oeberg.

AP Winter Olympics: https://apnews.com/hub/milan-cortina-2026-winter-olympics

Members of Team France wave their country's flag as Hanna Oeberg, of Sweden, crosses the finish line for silver in the women's 4x6-kilometer relay biathlon race at the 2026 Winter Olympics in Anterselva, Italy, Wednesday, Feb. 18, 2026. (AP Photo/Mosa'ab Elshamy)

Maren Kirkeeide, of Norway, competes in the women's 4x6-kilometer relay biathlon race at the 2026 Winter Olympics in Anterselva, Italy, Wednesday, Feb. 18, 2026. (AP Photo/Andrew Medichini)

France's Julia Simon prepares to shoot during the women's biathlon 4 x 6-kilometers relay race at the 2026 Winter Olympics, in Anterselva, Italy, Wednesday, Feb. 18, 2026. (AP Photo/David J. Phillip)

Hanna Oeberg, of Sweden, reacts after winning silver in the women's 4x6-kilometer relay biathlon race at the 2026 Winter Olympics in Anterselva, Italy, Wednesday, Feb. 18, 2026. (AP Photo/Mosa'ab Elshamy)

France's Camille Bened, from left, Lou Jeanmonnot, Oceane Michelon and Julia Simon, celebrate winning gold in the women's 4x6-kilometer relay biathlon race at the 2026 Winter Olympics in Anterselva, Italy, Wednesday, Feb. 18, 2026. (AP Photo/Andrew Medichini)

Athletes compete in the women's 4x6-kilometer relay biathlon race at the 2026 Winter Olympics in Anterselva, Italy, Wednesday, Feb. 18, 2026. (AP Photo/Mosa'ab Elshamy)

Norway's Maren Kirkeeide shoots during the women's biathlon 4 x 6-kilometers relay race at the 2026 Winter Olympics, in Anterselva, Italy, Wednesday, Feb. 18, 2026. (AP Photo/David J. Phillip)

Hanna Oeberg, of Sweden, competes in the women's 4x6-kilometer relay biathlon race at the 2026 Winter Olympics in Anterselva, Italy, Wednesday, Feb. 18, 2026. (AP Photo/Mosa'ab Elshamy)

Julia Simon, of France, skis to the finish line with her country's flag for gold in the women's 4x6-kilometer relay biathlon race at the 2026 Winter Olympics in Anterselva, Italy, Wednesday, Feb. 18, 2026. (AP Photo/Andrew Medichini)

Kelly Pannek was so determined to carve out a future in hockey while still at college, the forward made the conscious decision to sacrifice offense to focus on her shutdown skills.

The choice led to Pannek becoming a U.S. national team fixture as a three-time Olympian, beginning in 2018, and establish herself as one of women's hockey's best defensive forwards.

Some eight years later, Pannek discovered she hasn’t lost her scoring touch in closing her third PWHL season with Minnesota.

In a league featuring proven offensive stars in Hilary Knight and Marie-Philip Poulin, and teammates Taylor Heise and Kendall Coyne Schofield, Pannek topped them all as the two-time defending Walter Cup champion Frost open the playoffs at Montreal on Saturday.

Pannek led the PWHL with 16 goals and a league-record 33 points, and was one assist from completing what would have been rare hockey triple crown — for men or women.

“I think more than anything, it’s reassuring and confidence-building to know that I used to be someone who was often relied on to provide offense for teams, and I still am that player,” Pannek said by phone this week. “I just needed to kind of re-find it, I guess.”

Her 33 points in 30 games this year surpassed her total production in her first two seasons, when she combined for seven goals and 27 points in 54 games.

And the offensive output didn’t hinder Pannek’s defensive play.

She finished sixth in the PWHL with a plus-13 plus-minus rating. She also won 341 of 575 faceoffs for a 59.3% success rate, third among players with 200 or more attempts.

“I don’t want to say no, because I think she’s a great player,” Frost coach Ken Klee said when asked whether he expected this much production from Pannek.

“From the beginning of the year, she seemed different. Our very first coach’s meeting, we had her in the office, and she just seemed lighter, she seemed more energetic," Klee added. “I really think she just said, ‘Hey, I’m going to play free, and if it's time to play offense, I'm going to play offense.' She's just really taken a next step.”

There are several reasons behind Pannek flipping the offensive switch.

An offseason roster shake-up caused by Minnesota losing talent in the expansion process led to Pannek realizing she was going to have to contribute more offensively.

Another factor was Pannek growing in confidence while turning 30 in December.

In her early Team USA days, Pannek stuck to defense and shied away from opening up on offense in fear of making mistakes that could cost her ice time or even her roster spot.

In the PWHL, Pannek came to realize she had more job security and, with it, the leeway to make a mistake or two over a 30-game season, as opposed to the pressure that comes with competing in two-week international tournaments where miscues are magnified.

“There’s a lot of implications with points and stuff on the line, but you also accept that you’re going to make mistakes, and goals are going to go in and it’s not life or death,” Pannek said of PWHL play. “I’ll still be on the team if I have a bad game and if I have a great game. ... So I think a lot of it was a little bit of a mentality shift.”

She's had far more good games than bad, and called this season “invigorating.”

Former U.S. star Meghan Duggan is not surprised by Pannek’s development: “She always had it in her, but it just started to come out as of late.”

What stood out to Duggan was the maturity and reliability Pannek brought to the ice even as a 22-year-old.

“Kelly Pannek is a player I would choose 10 times out of 10 to go into the biggest game with right by my side, because I know what she’s going to bring: stability, predictability, high character,” said Duggan, now the New Jersey Devils' player development director. “Kelly to me is the type of player that you win championships with, and she's done that multiple times.”

Pannek was a two-way star during her four college seasons at Minnesota, where she won two national titles and finished with 72 goals and 186 points in 157 career games. At the Olympics, she won gold in 2018 and 2026, along with a silver in 2022.

“I’ve changed as a player over these last almost eight years, but also my role has changed,” Pannek said. “I pride myself on being someone who can do any role up and down the lineup.”

Today, her sole focus is on the upcoming playoffs.

“Whatever it takes," Pannek said. “If I have zero points the rest of the playoffs and we win — it’s all about the winning.”

AP women’s hockey: https://apnews.com/hub/womens-hockey

Minnesota Frost's Kelly Pannek (12) celebrates with teammates after her goal against the Vancouver Goldeneyes during the third period of a PWHL hockey game in Vancouver, British Columbia, Saturday, April 25, 2026. (Ethan Cairns/The Canadian Press via AP)