Gold medal winners are normally the preferred folks on the Winter Olympics but Julia Simon, who clinched gold within the girls’s biathlon 15km particular person race on Wednesday, is presently surrounded by controversy.
It all stems from when the 29-year-old French biathlete was convicted of committing credit card fraud in opposition to a nationwide teammate in October and was handed a three-month suspended jail sentence and $17,820 (€15,000) wonderful, according to the Associated Press.
Simon – who has received 10 world championship golds in addition to forming a part of France’s gold-winning blended relay biathlon workforce in Italy – was discovered to have used the financial institution card of France teammate Justine Braisaz-Bouchet to spend greater than $2,380 (€2,000); she was additionally discovered responsible of utilizing the workforce physiotherapist’s card particulars to make purchases in 2021 and 2022, based on AP.
She denied the crime for 3 years after it got here to gentle in 2023, claiming she had been the sufferer of identification theft. But throughout a listening to in October, based on AP, she admitted her guilt after images of the credit playing cards have been discovered on her telephone.
“I can’t explain it. I don’t remember doing it. I can’t make sense of it,” she mentioned in the course of the listening to, based on native French newspaper Le Dauphine Libere, per AP.
According to the Guardian, Braisaz-Bouchet mentioned she had been subjected to on-line abuse after issues have been revealed, saying, “It has made a lot of people angry. The story came out in 2023, after Julia Simon’s great season, and for many people, I was the troublemaker.”
The French Ski Federation (FFS) imposed a six-month ban primarily based on her actions, 5 months of which have been suspended, permitting her to take part within the Games regardless of a lot hypothesis that she may need been prevented from competing at Milan Cortina. The FFS additionally fined Simon $35,660 (€30,000) – half of which was suspended.
Making Simon’s gold medal win much more awkward, Braisaz-Bouchet additionally competed in Wednesday’s race, ending eightieth within the standings.
“It’s a lot of feelings when you are standing on the podium,” Simon mentioned after clinching gold.
“You think about your doubts, your good moments, your bad moments, the people who helped you. I’m really proud of myself today.”
Simon later advised Eurosport, “What I would love now, in all honesty, is so that you can go away me in peace.
“I would like you to leave me be and to perform. The page has been turned within the team – we have spoken about it.”