Olympic biathlete champion Emilien Jacquelin to make professional cycling debut for Decathlon in Polynormande - 'An important milestone'
By Ben Morse
Published 06/08/2026 at 10:47 GMT+1
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Olympic champion biathlete Emilien Jacquelin will make his professional cycling debut later this month, riding for Decathlon-CMA CGM. The team announced the 31-year-old will take part in the Polynormande and then the Tour du Limousin.
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Jacquelin, a keen cyclist, joined Decathlon's NewGen programme in May with the aim of "testing his physical potential against the demands of the professional peloton", the team said.
And after participating in months of training, including at altitude at the Arc 1950 resort last month, the Frenchman will now take part in competitive races for Decathlon.
Jacquelin's debut at the Polynormande will come on August 16, before then once again getting on his bike or the Tour du Limousin, held between August 18 and 21.
Decathlon said the team hoped to "continue his development at the highest level while contributing to the team's collective ambitions".
Jacquelin called the news of his step-up an "important milestone" in his journey.
"These two selections mark an important milestone in my journey, and my main goal is to give everything I can for the team," he said.
"They are the result of several months of hard work and commitment, during which I have done everything possible to arrive at this moment in the best shape.
"I know what an opportunity this is, but I want to stay focused on the job I have to do in the race rather than on the emotions around it. Right now, my only priority is to keep improving and deliver for the team in these first professional races."
Jacquelin made his name in the biathlon, and has a raft of successes in his field.
He has won four Olympic medals across three games, winning his first gold medal in the relay at the Milano-Cortina 2026 Olympic Games.
He also won bronze in the pursuit earlier this year, as well as two silver medals four years ago in Beijing, China.
Additionally, Jacquelin has nine World Championship medals to his name, including five titles.
In total, Jacquelin has 55 podium finishes at the Olympic Games, World Championships, and Biathlon World Cup. He has said that he still hopes to represent his nation at the 2030 Winter Games in France.
During his training for a shift into cycling, Jacquelin covered 7,330 kilometres, accumulating 134,000 metres of elevation gain since March.
Decathlon's head of performance, Jean-Baptiste Quiclet, said Jacquelin has "shown he is ready to take this next step".
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"Emilien has prepared well recently, including a demanding altitude camp at Arc 1950. It was a new experience for him in cycling, but we took a lot of positives from it," Quiclet said.
"With his consistent progression, Emilien has shown he is ready to line up at the Polynormande and the Tour du Limousin.
"These are two challenging races, but they suit his profile. The objective will be for him to settle into the team, contribute as much as possible to our collective goals and learn how to manage these kinds of races at professional level.
"The analysis of these races will help us define the next steps together."
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