
Ski sticks in her left hand, French flag in her right and a smile as wide as the margin between her and the rest of the field, Julia Simon cruised over the line during the final week of the Winter Olympics to claim gold for her country in the women's 4 x 6km relay.
Teammates Camille Bened, Lou Jeanmonnot and Océane Michelon ran up to embrace her for anchoring home the squad and furnishing France with its first triumph in the event since the 1992 Games in Albertville in south-eastern France.