French biathlon star Julia Simon earned gold on the 2026 Winter Olympics following her six-month ban for alleged bank card fraud.
“I believe we’ll all be relieved she will be able to depart her pockets at residence,” commentator Matt Iseman joked on Sunday, February 8, after Simon, 29, entered the gold zone to have a good time her victory. “She gained’t be shopping for something.”
Final 12 months, Simon — who didn’t instantly deal with Iseman’s joke — was accused of repeatedly utilizing financial institution playing cards belonging to her teammate Justine Braisaz-Bouchet and an unidentified Workforce France workers member to make purchases nicely over 2,000 euros.
“I can’t clarify it,” Simon mentioned throughout her October 2025 trial, apologizing for her actions. “I don’t bear in mind doing it. I can’t make sense of it.”
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On the time, Simon confused that she had since entered remedy to “perceive all this, to develop and evolve.”
“There isn’t any monetary motivation for my actions,” she mentioned in her witness testimony. “In the present day, I’m transferring ahead day-to-day as a result of being in entrance of you should have penalties for my profession. It’s ridiculous and derisory as a result of I didn’t want it.”
Simon was discovered responsible of theft and bank card fraud and sentenced to a three-month suspended jail sentence and a $34,600 fantastic. The professional athlete was additionally banned from the game for six months, which didn’t intervene with her participation within the 2026 Winter Olympics.
“It’s a brand new begin for me,” Simon mentioned in a Tuesday, February 3, YouTube interview with Biathlonworld. “With this Olympic 12 months, I’ll put all my power into coaching however after I’ll do some (woodworking) stuff for my home, like a desk. It’s going to be a pleasant challenge to consider all of the small particulars and to consider one thing else than the race.”
Julia Simon of Workforce France celebrates as she crosses the ending line to win Gold within the Combined Relay 4 x 6km.
Michael Steele/Getty PhotographsSimon additional famous that making it to the Olympics has been her dream since “a very long time in the past.”
“When you’ve gotten large aim just like the Olympics, it’s simpler to do increasingly and extra, and it typically it may be a bit difficult to remain targeted on myself,” she continued. “My aim for the Olympics, I believe it’s straightforward. All of the athletes desire a medal. It’s the one one lacking for, so I would like an Olympic gold medal. It’s going to be the primary time that I come to the Olympics with an enormous aim.”
Simon added, “I believe I understand how to handle this strain (and) I like this strain, additionally. … It’s plenty of up and down, however (I’ve realized to) by no means hand over and belief your self.”
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Simon additional confused that it has been “wonderful to dwell (her) dream” as she wished for an “unbelievable” Olympics consequence.
Simon made her Olympics debut in 2022, the place she gained a silver medal within the Biathlon Combined Relay.
“I attempted to focus race after race and take into consideration my biathlon and the subsequent race and never concerning the complete rating,” she beforehand instructed Biathlon World of her racing mindset in a 2023 interview. “An important factor was to attempt my finest within the taking pictures vary and be actually targeted. I’m very content material with my a lot improved inclined taking pictures accuracy.”