Four months after robbing a teammate, a Winter Olympics athlete just won the gold medal in the 15 km biathlon.
Meanwhile, her win in Milan, Italy, saw Julia Simon, 29, become the first French woman to win the gold in the individual event. She won ahead of a teammate, Lou Jeanmonnot, who received the silver medal. Moreover, Simon also won the mixed relay event on Sunday, so she’s on a winning streak.
However, it was in October last year that the athlete appeared in an Albertville court, where she was accused of illegally using a bank card belonging to Justine Braisaz-Bouchet, a team-mate who finished 80th in the field, without her permission.
Simon, who is a 10-time world champion, did admit she was guilty of credit card fraud and theft of more than €2,000 ($2,377) worth in online purchases.
Julia Simon shushing the haters (she stole her teammates credit card), god I love athlete brain pic.twitter.com/zxTPdXGzFQ
— Matthias #SiempreGino (@NairoInGreen) February 11, 2026
When she attended a hearing about the theft, she said, “I can’t explain it,” adding, “I don’t remember doing it. I can’t make sense of it.”
However, despite this, when Simon spoke to Eurosport about her triumph, she asked to be left alone over her past indiscretions.
“Now, I’d like to be left alone, honestly, because I read some things last night that weren’t pleasant,” she said, adding, “I proved I belong here today, and I had even proven myself before.”
“I don’t have anything left to prove to anyone, and now I’d like to be left alone to do my biathlon, she added:
The past is behind us within the team, we’ve talked things through.
Now, we’re here to win medals, to do biathlon.
Today, we showed that again.
In her court appearance, the Olympics athlete was given a suspended prison sentence, was banned for three months, and had to pay a €15,000 ($29,710) fine. However, she was allowed to return to competition one month into a six-month ban, five months of which were suspended.
She returned to the competition, and although she remained on the sidelines of the French team in preparation for the World Cup, to avoid any situation similar to what happened in 2022. She has now traveled to the Milano Cortina Olympics, where she has already won two gold medals.
And again in Biathlon. The gold medallist for the 15km Individual race, Julia Simon, stole her teammates credit card and committed fraud. And said teammate finished 80th.
Biathlon the sport of true main character energy#Olympics2026 pic.twitter.com/dhK0SB1xkn
— Ian M (@Ian_MJ1) February 11, 2026
After being criticized for her crime and winning her race, Simon added, “There are so many emotions.”
“I thank my family, my friends, everyone who supported me,” she said, adding, “Today, it’s come full circle.”
Speaking of her Olympics win, Simon said, “This is one of the best sporting days of my life.”
“I’m very proud of my race. I didn’t panic,” she said, adding, “I skied very well. I feel like I’m on cloud nine.”
Despite the past investigation, Julia Simon is proving once again that she is a winner.
