France's Emilien Jacquelin: Top things to know before the Biathlon Men's 15km Mass start

Emilien Jacquelin has won two silver medals with France in biathlon team events at the Olympic Winter Games Beijing 2022, but a first individual medal is on the line in the men’s 15km mass start.

The 26-year-old is a member of France’s incredible biathlon squad, which includes the record-breaking Quentin Fillon Maillet, and they won silver medals in the mixed relay 4x6km and men’s 4x7.5km events.

Fillon Maillet became the first biathlete to win five medals at a single Winter Olympics after winning two gold (individual, pursuit) and three silver medals (sprint, relay, mixed relay) at Beijing 2022.

With another gold medal in the men’s 15km mass start, the 29-year-old will become the second French biathlete to win three gold medals at a single Olympic Winter Games after Martin Fourcade at PyeongChang 2018.

But Emilen Jacquelin's contribution mustn't be underestimated.

French legend Fourcade is an icon to many, including Jacquelin, who relished training with the 13-time world champion and five-time Olympic gold medallist.

"I've been his biggest fan since my teenage years, so you can imagine what it was like to train with him," Jacquelin told Biathlon World in 2020.

"He taught me how strict you have to be with yourself every time you work out in order to be good. Once he said to me, 'When I run races, I forego my pleasure. The most important thing is performance.' That was the opposite of my attitude. But after this year I understand what he meant by that."

It was that increase in focus that helped Jacquelin become one of the best biathletes in the world between PyeongChang 2018 and Beijing 2022.

At his Olympic Winter Games debut, the Frenchman finished 77th in the men’s 20 kilometre event and was part of the men’s 4x7.5km