Biathlon-France's Jeanmonnot tests SkiMo to recharge biathlon batteries

ANTERSELVA, ITALY, Feb 19 : With two gold medals, a silver and a bronze at the Milano Cortina Games, French biathlete Lou Jeanmonnot has a novel approach to taking a break from biathlon - by engaging in ski mountaineering, which made its Olympic debut on Thursday.

The sport, in which skiers battle head-to-head, first climbing a steep slope before tackling a staircase in boots with skis on their backs and then a slalom ski back down to the bottom of the course, crowned its first champions, but Jeanmonnot is taking things at a much more sedate pace. 

"I really enjoy taking a break from biathlon, being able to unplug a bit on my own, away from the usual noise and excitement. It's a sport I practise extremely slowly, and that feels really good," she said after a training session in the heavy snow of Anterselva on Thursday. 

"⁠I didn't have to fight to be allowed to go - according to my coach, it was actually a good idea to recharge my mind a little, and to take a break. He really encouraged me to go."

The 27-year-old sharpshooter has been busy at these Games, winning gold in the opening relay before adding a silver in the 15km individual race and a bronze in the sprint. 

On Wednesday she picked up another gold as France cruised to a dominant victory in the women's relay, and testing another discipline has boosted her spirits even further.

"⁠It's already good to switch sports physically, it's something that does me good - but it's really, above all, for my mind. It's a bit like cutting out the background noise, stepping away from all the demands, and finding a more normal rhythm again," she said. 

Jeanmonnot will have one more shot at an Olympic medal in Saturday's closing race, the women's mass start, but she revealed that there's