Justine Braisaz-Bouchet

Justine Braisaz-Bouchet (born 4 July 1996) is a French biathlete, Olympic champion in the 12.5 km mass start at the 2022 Beijing Games and medalist at the Winter Olympics 2018 and World Championships.

Justine Braisaz-Bouchet
Braisaz-Bouchet in 2024
Personal information
NationalityFrench
Born (1996-07-04) 4 July 1996 (age 28)
Albertville, France
Height1.73 m (5 ft 8 in)
Weight58 kg (128 lb)
Professional information
SportBiathlon
ClubLes Saisies
World Cup debut12 December 2014
Olympic Games
Teams2 (2018, 2022)
Medals2 (1 gold)
World Championships
Teams7 (20152021, 2024)
Medals9 (3 gold)
World Cup
Seasons9 (2014/15–2021/22; 2023/24)
Individual victories11
All victories22
Discipline titles1:
1 Mass Start (2021–22)
Medal record
Women's biathlon
Representing  France
Olympic Games
Gold medal – first place2022 Beijing12.5 km mass start
Bronze medal – third place2018 Pyeongchang4 × 6 km relay
World Championships
Gold medal – first place2024 Nové Město12.5 km mass start
Gold medal – first place2024 Nové Město4 × 6 km relay
Gold medal – first place2024 Nové MěstoMixed relay
Silver medal – second place2015 Kontiolahti4 × 6 km relay
Silver medal – second place2016 Oslo4 × 6 km relay
Silver medal – second place2024 Nové Město7.5 km sprint
Bronze medal – third place2017 Hochfilzen4 × 6 km relay
Bronze medal – third place2019 Östersund15 km individual
Bronze medal – third place2024 Nové Město10 km pursuit

Biography

Justine Braisaz began her biathlon career at the Saisies Sports Club. She quickly moved to the Nordic section to practice cross-country skiing and biathlon. During the 2011/2012 season, in the Cadette U16 category, she won the French Championship of cross-country skiing and the French Championship of Biathlon, thanks to her speed on skis. She moved to Biathlon fully in the following year representing the Junior category (U19).

During the 2012/2013 season, the first year in this category, Justine Braisaz was selected for the 2013 Junior World Championships in Obertilliach, Austria. She finished 46th in the individual race and 71st in the sprint.

The following year, she was promoted to the highest class at the Junior World Championships in Presque Isle (USA). She finished the individual race ranked 29th, 5th place in the sprint, and 15th in pursuit. In the relay, she placed 6th with partners Coline Varcin and Chloé Chevalier.

In the same year (2012/2013), she participated in the European Championships held in Nové Město, Czech Republic. She ranked 12th in the individual race, 18th in the sprint, 14th in the pursuit, and 8th in the mixed relay with Chloé Chevalier, Dany Chavoutier, and Clément Dumont. At the French Championships held in Prémanon in December 2013, she won two French Champion titles (Sprint and Pursuit). In March, she climbed into second place in the Mass Start behind Julie Cardon during the French Biathlon Championships. Her progress was of such a magnitude that she managed to earn her place to compete with the best French biathletes in the summer events of the Biathlon Summer Tour.

For the 2014/2015 season, she joined the French Youth / Junior Biathlon Team. In the first stage of the 2014/2015 season of the IBU Cup in Beitostølen, Norway, Justine Braisaz took her first podium finish with a second place in the second sprint. The day before, she finished 10th in the sprint event. This was her first international podium, and as a result, she was selected for the Biathlon World Cup.

Justine Braisaz made her Biathlon World Cup debut on 12 December 2014 in Hochfilzen (2014/2015 season), Norway. She ranked 17th in the sprint, becoming the youngest athlete in the world's top 20. The next day she placed 9th in the relay with her French teammates; Marine Bolliet, Enora Latuillière, and Anaïs Bescond. A week later, she improved her best performance by finishing 14th in the Pokljuka sprint and qualifying for the Mass Start with the top 30 biathletes. She set a new record by becoming the youngest athlete lined up on a Mass Start at only 18 years and 5 months.

She earned her first podium in her World Cup career in Oberhof, Germany, by achieving second place in the women's relay on 7 January 2015 with her teammates; Marine Bolliet, Marie Dorin-Habert and Anaïs Bescond. On 13 March 2015, at the 2015 World Championships in Kontiolahti, Finland, she won her first medal, silver, for the women's 4 x 6 km relay with Anaïs Bescond, Enora Latuillière and Marie Dorin-Habert. At the French Biathlon Championships in La Féclaz, she won the relay title with Julia Simon and Marine Bolliet. The following year, at the world championships in Oslo, Norway, she won another silver medal in the same event with Anaïs Bescond, Anaïs Chevalier, and Marie Dorin-Habert. She also achieved her best individual result when she finished 12th place in the Mass Start Competition. A week later, at the final round of the IBU World Cup season in Khanty-Mansiysk, Russia, she earned her first top 10 result with a 4th-place finish in the sprint event. She finished the season with a 10th-place finish in the pursuit event, which allowed her to finish her second world cup season in the 21st position overall.

At the 2016 Biathlon Championships in Méribel, France, she earned the title of French Champion by winning the Mass Start even in the U21 category. During the preseason 2016–2017, she won the sprint at the Norwegian Championships in Sjusjøen, Norway, ahead of Norway's Tiril Eckhoff and Ukraine's Julia Dzhyma. She won her first individual World Cup podium on 9 December 2016, at the Pokljuka (Slovenia) sprint, the second event of the World Cup, finishing second by 3 seconds behind Germany's Laura Dahlmeier: she was only 20 years old.

Biathlon results

All results are sourced from the International Biathlon Union.[1]

Olympic Games

2 medals (1 gold, 1 bronze)

EventIndividualSprintPursuitMass startRelayMixed relay
2018 Pyeongchang55th10th34th20thBronze —
2022 Beijing40th48thDNSGold6th —

World Championships

9 medals (3 gold, 3 silver, 3 bronze)

EventIndividualSprintPursuitMass startRelayMixed relaySingle mixed relay
2015 Kontiolahti34th34th35thSilver
2016 Oslo Holmenkollen16th25th22nd12thSilver
2017 Hochfilzen48th28th5th28thBronze
2019 ÖstersundBronze60thDNS15th8th
2020 Antholz-Anterselva19th32nd37th22nd14th7th
2021 Pokljuka63rd25th30th28th
2024 Nové Město7thSilverBronzeGoldGoldGold
*The single mixed relay was added as an event in 2019.

Junior/Youth World Championships

EventClassIndividualSprintPursuitRelay
2013 ObertilliachYouth46th71st
2014 Presque IsleJunior29th5th15th6th

World Cup

World Cup rankings
SeasonOverallIndividualSprintPursuitMass start
RacesPointsPositionRacesPointsPositionRacesPointsPositionRacesPointsPositionRacesPointsPosition
2014–1513/2511451st2/3861st8/108539th2/71757th1/5451st
2015–1621/2537221st3/34024th9/916817th7/812321st2/54131st
2016–1725/267066th3/36315th9/92815th8/92506th5/511215th
2017–1815/2241917th1/23420th6/816313th5/713313th3/58920th
2018–1924/2535226th3/36115th9/911827th7/87336th5/510019th
2019–2021/215479th3/31123rd8/816612th5/51379th5/51369th
2020–2126/2651115th3/3--10/1020913th8/816315th5/511312th
2021–225818th636th20612th15316th1621st
2022–23(did not compete due to pregnancy)
2023–24--4th--15th--2nd--4th--4th
Individual victories

11 victories (2 In, 3 Sp, 1 Pu, 5 MS); victories at Winter Olympics are not counted as World Cup victories, but are listed here.

No.SeasonDateLocationDisciplineLevel
12017–1817 December 2017 Le Grand-Bornand12.5 km Mass StartBiathlon World Cup
22019–205 December 2019 Östersund15 km IndividualBiathlon World Cup
32021–2221 January 2022 Antholz-Anterselva15 km IndividualBiathlon World Cup
418 February 2022 Beijing12.5 km Mass StartWinter Olympic Games
520 March 2022 Oslo Holmenkollen12.5 km Mass StartBiathlon World Cup
62023–2414 December 2023 Lenzerheide7.5 km SprintBiathlon World Cup
716 December 2023 Lenzerheide10 km PursuitBiathlon World Cup
817 December 2023 Lenzerheide12.5 km Mass StartBiathlon World Cup
95 January 2024 Oberhof7.5 km SprintBiathlon World Cup
1017 February 2024 Nové Město12.5 km Mass StartBiathlon World Championships
118 March 2024 Soldier Hollow7.5 km SprintBiathlon World Cup
Relay victories
Simon / Bescond / Aymonier / Braisaz finishing 3rd at Oberhof on 11th January 2020

11 victories

No.SeasonDateLocationDisciplineLevelTeam
12015–1624 January 2016 Antholz-AnterselvaRelayBiathlon World CupBraisaz / Bescond / Chevalier / Dorin Habert
22017–187 January 2018 OberhofRelayBiathlon World CupBescond / Chevalier / Aymonier / Braisaz
32018–192 December 2018 PokljukaMixed RelayBiathlon World CupBescond / Braisaz / Fourcade / Desthieux
419 January 2019 RuhpoldingRelayBiathlon World CupSimon / Bescond / Braisaz / Chevalier
52019–2025 January 2020 PokljukaMixed RelayBiathlon World CupFillon Maillet / Desthieux / Braisaz / Simon
62021–225 December 2021 ÖstersundRelayBiathlon World CupBescond / Chevalier / Simon / Braisaz
714 January 2022 RuhpoldingRelayBiathlon World CupChevalier / C.Chevalier / Braisaz / Simon
82023–2425 November 2023 ÖstersundMixed RelayBiathlon World CupFillon Maillet / Jacquelin / Braisaz / Jeanmonnot
97 January 2024 OberhofRelayBiathlon World CupJeanmonnot / Braisaz / Chauveau / Simon
107 February 2024 Nové MěstoMixed RelayWorld ChampionshipsPerrot / Fillon Maillet / Braisaz / Simon
1117 February 2024 Nové MěstoRelayWorld ChampionshipsJeanmonnot / Chauveau / Braisaz / Simon

Personal life

In 2020, Braisaz married her coach and biathlete, Julien Bouchet. She gave birth to their daughter Côme in February 2023[2] and returned to the Biathlon World Cup in November 2023.

References