Winter Olympian Julian Simon has won gold in Milano Cortina less than four months after she was handed a suspended prison sentence for robbing her own teammate.
The French biathlete stormed to victory in the women’s individual 15km race to claim her second gold of these Games, having earlier won the mixed relay three days earlier.
Bulgaria’s Lora Hristova claimed bronze, while Simon’s teammate and fellow countrywoman Lou Jeanmonnot took silver.
But Simon might not prove a popular winner with all of her teammates after she was found guilty of stealing one of their credit cards last year.
In October, Simon was accused of using the bank card of Justine Braisaz-Bouchet and a French team staff member to make online purchases totalling more than €2,000 (£1,371).
And the 29-year-old, a 10-time world champion, subsequently admitted to credit card fraud and theft in a court in Albertville and was handed a three-month suspended prison sentence and a €15,000 (£13,117) fine.
Speaking at the hearing, she said: ‘I can’t explain it. I don’t remember doing it. I can’t make sense of it.’
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Simon was also given a six-month ban from competing, but was allowed to return to action and be selected for the Games after five months of the ban were suspended.
And while she triumphed to claim gold, Braisaz-Bouchet, the victim of Simon’s theft, finished in 80th place, eight and a half minutes behind the gold medallist.
Asked by Eurosport about the incident after winning gold, Simon said: ‘Now, I’d like to be left alone, honestly, because I read some things last night that weren’t pleasant.
‘I proved I belong here today, and I had even proven myself before. I don’t have anything left to prove to anyone, and now I’d like to be left alone to do my biathlon. The past is behind us within the team.
‘We’ve talked things through. Now, we’re here to win medals, to do biathlon. Today, we showed that again.
‘There are so many emotions. I thank my family, my friends, everyone who supported me. Today, it’s come full circle. This is one of the best sporting days of my life.
‘I’m very proud of my race. I didn’t panic. I skied very well. I feel like I’m on cloud nine.’
It marks the second remarkable storyline to come out of the biathlon at these Games after Norwegian competitor Sturla Holm Laegreid admitted to cheating on his girlfriend just moments after winning bronze on Tuesday.
Laegreid admitted he was willing to commit ‘social suicide’ in a bid to win her back, but the woman in question has now spoken publicly, admitting it will be ‘hard to forgive’ him.
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