France clocked up a record-extending 17th medal at the 2026 Winter Olympics in Milano Cortina on Wednesday after victory in the women's 4 x 6km relay.
The quartet of Camille Bened, Lou Jeanmonnot, Océane Michelon and Julia Simon finished the course in Anterselva/Antholz in one hour, 10 minutes and 22.7 seconds.
They were a 51 seconds ahead of Sweden. Norway took the bronze.
The win came after Bened's jitters on the first leg.
"We were considered favourites and there was a lot of pressure on us," Bened told French broadcaster France 2.
"I admit that I felt it especially as Germany set off at such a fast pace. At least we won but I'm disappointed with what I did and I think the victory is more down to the other three."
Bened handed over to Jeanmonnot nearly a minute off the pace in 16th place.
And she finished her leg in third.
Once Michelon took the lead during the third stage, France never relinquished the advantage and Simon, a winner in the individual and mixed relay events, was handed a French flag to brandish as she coasted down to the finishing line and the embrace of her teammates.
"France hasn't won this event since 1992," Simon told French broadcaster France 2. "And so it's incredible to win it and my third gold.
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"It's always been a dream to finish a race waving the flag and I was able to do it. The others gave me the chance to finish in style."
The biathlon squad has furnished the France delegation with 10 of the 17 medals.
The women's success came a day after the men's relay team also endured a tricky first leg before sauntering home to take gold and eclipse the country's previous high of 15 medals achieved at the 2014 Winter Olympics in Sochi in Russia and four years later in Pyeonchang in South Korea.
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Elsewhere on the Day 12 of the Games, Norwegian cross-country skier Johannes Hosflot Klaebo burnished his legend as the most successful Winter Olympian with a record-extending 10th gold medal.
He and Einar Hedegart won the team sprint free event. The United States took the silver medal and Italy won bronze.
Klaebo, 29, added his latest prize to golds in the men's 10 km interval start free, the 10km + 10km skiathlon, the men's 4 x 7.5km relay and the individual sprint.
