Fourcade hangs skis and rifle after glittering career

Kontiolahti, March 14

France’s most decorated Olympian Martin Fourcade ended his glittering career with his 83rd World Cup biathlon victory in a 12.5-km pursuit event in Kontiolahti, Finland, today.

Fourcade, a five-time Olympics champion and 13-time world champion, missed out on a record-extending eighth overall World Cup victory as Norway’s Johannes Boe finished the last race of the season in fourth place to claim the title for two points.

The 31-year-old Fourcade was at his best for his final race as he led a French treble ahead of Quentin Fillon Maillet and Emilien Jacquelin.

Only Norwegian Ole Einar Bjoerndalen has won more Olympic gold medals (eight), world titles (20) or World Cup victories (94) than Fourcade.

“From Vancouver to Oslo, facing Ole Einar Bjoerndalen, Emil Svendsen, Anton Shipulin, Simon Schempp, Johannes Boe — too numerous to mention all of them — I have fulfilled my dreams and experienced the most beautiful emotions,” Fourcade said. — Reuters

Triathlon gets supended

London: The International Triathlon Union (ITU) has suspended all activity until April 30 including all events in the World Triathlon and Continental calendars due to the coronavirus outbreak, the governing body said today. All world rankings, Olympics qualification rankings, paratriathlon rankings and Paralympic qualification rankings will be frozen from Monday as a result, it added. “This is a decision that is hard to take,” said ITU President Marisol Casado. Reuters