The Sunday harvest continues for the Blues!
After Mathieu Faivre's bronze on the giant, it was the tricolor cross-country skiers who distinguished themselves by also obtaining bronze on the relay.
A habit for French cross-country skiing which had already won the same medal at the Pyeongchang (2018) and Sochi (2014) Games.
3rd behind the Norwegians and the Russians, they glean the 9th French charm in this Olympiad.
However, it is difficult to predict such an outcome at the end of Richard Jouve's first stint, in delicacy on the last meters.
France is then 27 seconds from the podium.
But that was without taking into account two enormous stints signed Hugo Lapalus, first, then Clément Parisse afterwards.
The first managed to replace the Blues just 14 seconds from 3rd place before his teammate came to mingle with the peloton behind the untouchable Russians.
“It was really hard today!
I put everything I had to give the baton in the best position.
We are in contact, we are playing for the podium.
I hope it will!
“, declared Lapalus at the microphone of France TV.
Manificat veteran does the job
The skier from La Clusaz has had his wish granted.
At the time of the last 10km, carried out by Maurice Manificat, France is 4th a few hundredths behind Sweden and the medal becomes completely possible again.
It is even more so during this superb attack by Manificat thanks to which he climbs to 2nd position ahead of the Scandinavian duo Sweden / Norway.
The tricolor veteran (35 years old) will however drop to 3rd position but he will remain well ahead of Sweden, more than 50 seconds behind.
The title goes to the Russian quartet, largely dominating and never worried on the track of Zhangjiakou.