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)

TRUCKEE, Calif. (AP) — Crews faced treacherous conditions Wednesday in their search for nine backcountry skiers still missing a day after an avalanche in the mountains near Lake Tahoe. Six others were found alive and rescued.

The group was on a three-day trek in Northern California's Sierra Nevada on Tuesday morning when the avalanche occurred as a monster winter storm pummeled the West Coast.

Two of those rescued after several hours of searching were taken to a hospital for treatment, said Ashley Quadros, a spokesperson for the Nevada County Sheriff's Office. Heavy snow and the threat of additional avalanches slowed the rescue effort in the mountains near Castle Peak, northwest of Lake Tahoe.

The area near Donner Summit is one of the snowiest places in the Western Hemisphere and until just a few years ago was closed to the public. It sees an average of nearly 35 feet (10 meters) of snow a year, according to the Truckee Donner Land Trust, which owns a cluster of huts where the group was staying near Frog Lake.

The Sierra Avalanche Center warned Wednesday that the risk of avalanche remains high and advised against travel in the area. Multiple feet of snowfall and gale force winds in recent days left the snowpack unstable and unpredictable, and more snow was predicted to fall, the center said.

Nevada County Sheriff Capt. Russell Greene said authorities were notified about the avalanche by Blackbird Mountain Guides, which was leading the expedition, and the skiers' emergency beacons. The sheriff’s office said Tuesday night that 15 backcountry skiers had been on the trip, not 16 as initially believed.

The skiers were on the last day of a backcountry skiing trip and had spent two nights in the huts, said Steve Reynaud, an avalanche forecaster with the Sierra Avalanche Center. He said the area requires navigating rugged mountainous terrain. All food and supplies need to be carried to the huts.

Reaching the huts in winter takes several hours and requires backcountry skills, avalanche training and safety equipment, the land trust says on its website.

Blackbird Mountain Guides said in a statement said the group, including four guides, was returning to the trailhead when the avalanche occurred.

“Our thoughts are with the missing individuals, their families, and first responders in the field,” Blackbird said in a statement Wednesday. The company said it is helping authorities in the search.

Several Tahoe ski resorts had been fully or partially closed due to the weather. Resorts, which use controlled explosions and barriers to manage avalanche threats, were not expected to be at as high of a risk as the backcountry, the center said.

The area near Donner Summit was closed for nearly a century before the land trust and its partners in 2020 acquired Frog Lake, which is framed by 1,000-foot-high (300-meter-high) cliffs. Donner Summit is named for the infamous Donner Party, a group of pioneers who resorted to cannibalism after getting trapped there in the winter of 1846-1847.

In January, an avalanche in the region buried a snowmobiler and killed him, authorities said. Each winter, 25 to 30 people die in avalanches in the U.S., according to the National Avalanche Center.

Watson reported from San Diego and Seewer from Toledo, Ohio. Associated Press writers Audrey McAvoy in Honolulu and Olga Rodriguez in San Francisco contributed.

This image provided by the Nevada County Sheriff's Office shows members of a rescue team in Soda Springs, California on Tuesday, Feb. 17, 2026. (Nevada County Sheriff's Office via AP)

Cars are covered in snow during a snow storm on Tuesday, Feb. 17, 2026 in Truckee Calif. (AP Photos/Brooke Hess-Homeier)

Trucks are lined up along Interstate 80 during a storm on Tuesday, Feb. 17, 2026 in Truckee Calif. (AP Photos/Brooke Hess-Homeier)

A vehicle is buried in snow during a storm on Tuesday, Feb. 17, 2026 in Truckee Calif. (AP Photos/Brooke Hess-Homeier)

A road is plowed during a snow storm on Tuesday, Feb. 17, 2026 in Truckee Calif. (AP Photos/Brooke Hess-Homeier)

This image provided by the Nevada County Sheriff's Office shows members of a rescue team in Soda Springs, California on Tuesday, Feb. 17, 2026. (Nevada County Sheriff's Office via AP)