Julia Simon, fresh off a historic three gold medal and one silver medal performance at the Milano Cortina 2026 Olympic Winter Games, extended an olive branch to L’Equipe, France’s leading sports daily, with a message of goodwill on the newspaper’s 80th anniversary.
The gesture follows a recent controversy stemming from Simon’s reaction immediately after winning the gold medal in the women’s 15km individual biathlon event. Upon crossing the finish line, she turned towards the press tribune and made a gesture with her finger to her lips, initially interpreted as a silencing motion. Simon subsequently stated the gesture was directed at a specific journalist from L’Equipe, following a disagreement over a previous commentary.
“On s’est expliqué, maintenant c’est terminé, on passe à autre chose et je ne reviendrais pas là-dessus,” Simon said at the time, expressing her desire to move past the incident. (“We explained ourselves, now it’s finished, we move on to something else and I won’t come back to it,”)
L’Equipe responded with an editorial acknowledging the gesture was directed towards the publication, citing an atmosphere of tension and, according to the newspaper, intimidation towards one of its reporters by a member of the French team’s staff. The editorial also referenced concerns raised by Lou Jeanmonnot, Simon’s teammate, regarding the overall environment.
The dispute unfolded against a backdrop of scrutiny surrounding Simon’s recent conviction in a financial fraud case involving a team staff member and fellow biathlete Justine Braisaz-Bouchet. She received a three-month suspended prison sentence and a 15,000 euro fine, as well as a suspension from the French federation. The case had been a source of considerable debate within the biathlon community, with some advocating for leniency and others emphasizing the require for accountability.
In a video message released to mark L’Equipe’s anniversary, Simon offered a conciliatory tone. “Joyeux anniversaire L’Equipe,” she said. (“Happy anniversary L’Equipe.”) “J’espère qu’on a encore de belles années devant nous, qu’on va pouvoir continuer à travailler main dans la main. Et puis que moi, à partir du moment où je serai retraitée, je pourrai quand même suivre les exploits du biathlon français.” (“I hope we have many more years ahead of us, that People can continue to work hand in hand. And then that I, from the moment I retire, can still follow the exploits of French biathlon.”)
Simon’s Olympic performance included gold medals in the mixed relay, the women’s 15km individual, and the mass start, as well as a silver medal in the women’s relay. The victories represent an unprecedented achievement for a French female biathlete at the Winter Olympics.
