Winter Olympics: Quentin Fillon Maillet takes fourth Olympic gold with dominant win in Sprint, Sturla Holm Laegreid third again
Updated 13/02/2026 at 15:14 GMT
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France's Quentin Fillon Maillet won his fourth Olympic gold medal with a dominant win in the men's Sprint on Friday, before announcing he is going to be a dad. The 33-year-old fended off competition from team-mate Emilien Jacquelin, as well as silver medalist Vetle Sjastad Christiansen and bronze finisher Sturla Holm Laegreid, to win his first Olympic title in the discipline.
'Quite astonishing!' - Botn claims Olympic title with 'special' and 'flawless' race
Video credit: TNT Sports
Quentin Fillon Maillet was inspired by the news he would soon become a father to shoot clean and claim the men's 10km Sprint gold medal at the Milano Cortina 2026 Olympic Winter Games on Friday.
The Frenchman claimed the fourth Olympic gold medal of his career - and his seventh overall - as his dominance in the sport continued.
Fillon Maillet crossed the line in a time of 22:53.1 on Friday, ahead of the Norwegian duo of Vetle Sjastad Christiansen and Sturla Holm Laegreid, who finished in second and third, with times of 23:06.8 and 23:09.0 respectively to claim the silver and bronze medals.
After shooting clean and out-skiing his team-mate Emilien Jacquelin, who finished just outside the medal positions by 0.2 seconds, Fillon Maillet romped home to victory.
He improved on the 10km silver medal he won at the Beijing Games in 2022, to win his first Olympic title in the discipline.
It is also his second gold medal of these Games, having been part of the team to reign supreme in the mixed relay earlier in the week.
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However, his biggest prize is still come.
"It's huge, we’ve always dreamed of this," Fillon Maillet said afterwards. "I've always dreamed of this medal. More than this medal, I have so many emotions.
"I have a little something to announce: my partner and I are expecting a child, so I did all this partly for my partner, and it gave me energy today.
"I've been playing sports since I was very young, and I'm passionate about them. I'm passionate about emotions, about performance.
"A race like this makes so many things come true for me. The road is difficult. There are a lot more defeats, but these moments are so good."
Jacquelin eventually finished fourth, ahead of Norway's 20km Olympic champion Johan-Olav Botn and France's mixed team relay gold medal winner Eric Perrot, who finished eighth and ninth respectively.
Sweden's Sebastian Samuelsson finished fifth, and the top five all shot clean - something that has never happened in the Sprint at the Winter Olympics before.
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Olympic champion Botn delivers emotional interview on 'good friend' Bakken
Video credit: TNT Sports
For Fillon Maillet, there are now just three biathletes ever who have won more all-time Olympic golds than the 33-year-old.
The legendary Norwegian pair of Ole Einar Bjorndalen and Johannes Thingnes Boe (eight and five respectively), as well as his compatriot Martin Fourcade, who won six.
"It's not bad," Fillon Maillet added. "I find it hard to compare myself to those athletes.
"I'm not thinking about the record today. I'm thinking about this moment, about what I've accomplished today. I can't wait for Sunday."
The men’s 12.5km pursuit takes place on Sunday, where Fillon Maillet will look to defend his title.
Watch every event of Milano Cortina 2026 live on discovery+. Available across all subscription plans, starting at £3.99.
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