Elvira Öberg was right behind Lou Jeanmonnot when she fell and lost her chance at winning the total World Cup during the mass start in Holmenkollen, witnessing the entire drama up close.

“These are not the images you want to end the season with,” Elvira Öberg told Langrenn.com, expressing her sympathy for the French biathlete.

Before the mass start in Holmenkollen, the final race of the season, Jeanmonnot led the overall World Cup standings by five points ahead of Germany’s Franziska Preuss. The two took the lead from the start, and after the final standing shooting, they were still together.

Also Read: Biathlon World Cup: Preuss wins 12.5km Mass Start in Oslo Holmenkollen

“Not the Way It Should Be Decided”

On the final lap, Elvira Öberg caught up with the leading duo. Then, suddenly, Jeanmonnot was down in the snow.

“In that moment, you have tunnel vision. I was mostly focused on my own skis and poles, making sure I didn’t get caught up in anything. But I really feel for her, seeing her lying there in the snow. This is not the way you want it to be decided. These are not the images you want to end the season with,” Öberg told Langrenn.com.

She admitted that she had been worried about that particular curve every time she passed it.

“It’s a very difficult turn where she fell. It’s very loose there, both on top and underneath. I’ve fallen myself, but never in this way, with so much at stake. It’s tough when such small margins decide the final race of the season. But that’s part of the sport—you have to stay on your feet too.”

“Fell by Her Own Mistake”

Lou Jeanmonnot was both angry and disappointed after the crash that cost her everything she had worked for.

“I felt like I was squeezed out and had nowhere to go. Then I put my pole between my skis, and suddenly I was down. It was my fault. This is my worst nightmare, something I’ve been afraid of for days. Until now, everything had been fantastic—the weather, the conditions. This is not how I wanted to end what has been an amazing season,” she told Langrenn.com after the race.

What were you feeling at that moment?

“Damn. Disappointment, anger. Every emotion you can imagine.”

“I felt it was so unfair that it had to be decided this way. It’s not like Franzi (Preuss) did anything wrong. It’s just—no! I wanted to fight for this victory all the way to the finish line. It doesn’t matter who wins, but I was robbed of the chance to fight for it, and that makes me so angry.”

The French team initially filed a protest but later withdrew it.

Jeanmonnot finished third in the mass start and second overall in the World Cup. Franziska Preuss won both. Elvira Öberg placed second in the mass start and finished fourth overall.

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