A German double and a cruel end for Jeanne Richard on the mass start of Grand-Bornand. While Selina Grotian had just signed the first victory of her career, at 20 years old, ahead of her compatriot Franziska Preuss (+13″) who confirmed her yellow bib, 3rd place seemed acquired for the young Tricolore this Sunday. She had managed to maintain at a distance Pauline Batovska-Fialkova, we thought But the Slovak ended up beating Richard in the last meters and depriving her of her first World Cup podium. which leaves an ocean of frustration.
It remains a magnificent race for Richard, who equals the best result of his career, signed just the day before during the pursuit. But this 4th place will leave him with a much more bitter taste. With a 15/15, the Haut-Savoyarde was in the lead at the start of the last shot. She then made a mistake which deprived her of the battle for victory, reserved for the Grotian-Preuss duo. But 3rd place could no longer escape her, in theory, given her lead of 18″ over her first pursuer, the Italian Auchentaller, almost as young as her (23 years old).
Richard was in the lead before the last shot
But the threat was just behind it, ultimately. Pointed at 20″ at the exit of the stadium, Batovska-Fialkova had already swallowed half of her outlay a kilometer further on. She swooped down on her prey before bending her wings a little. Eight seconds and two tenths still separated her from Richard at last inter, located before the last kilometer with a descending profile. We could take a breather at the start of the final straight, Batovska-Fialkova was there, in her wake. make up the last few meters of delay, entirely, to beat the Frenchwoman at the wire. The frustration is all the greater as Richard seems not to have sprinted as if she had not seen her opponent tumbling.
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