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Julia Simon captured her second gold medal at the 2026 Winter Olympics on Wednesday, topping the women's 15km individual biathlon despite a turbulent few months in France. Simon, 29, missed only once on the shooting range and overcame a penalty in the first standing stage to take the victory. Her French teammate Lou Jeanmonnot claimed silver, while Bulgaria's Lora Hristova earned bronze.

The win comes less than a year after Simon faced legal and sporting sanctions for theft and credit card fraud. Last October, a French court found Simon guilty of using the bank card of teammate Justine Braisaz-Bouchet for online purchases exceeding 2,000 euros ($2,300). Simon admitted the offenses and received a three-month suspended prison sentence and a 15,000 euros ($17,800) fine. She also used the card of a team physiotherapist between 2021 and 2022.

"I can't explain it. I don't remember doing it. I can't make sense of it," Simon told the court during her trial. 

She apologized to her teammates and said she was working with a psychologist to understand her actions.

The French Ski Federation imposed a six-month ban, suspended five months so Simon missed only one early-season event but remained eligible for the Olympics. She returned to help France win gold in the 4x6km mixed relay on Sunday, running the anchor leg.

As she crossed the finish line in Wednesday's 15km individual biathlon, she held a finger to her lips but declined to comment on the past.

"I'm just focused on my sport, it is the thing I love the most," Simon said. "I had a goal and I put all my energy into it. Yes, it was a difficult month, but today was the perfect result for me, it feels like a dream."

Braisaz-Bouchet, who was the victim of Simon's credit card fraud and later faced intense online harassment, finished 80th in the race.

Simon, who won silver in the mixed relay at the 2022 Beijing Olympics and has 10 world championship titles, now holds two golds at the Milan-Cortina Games. Her teammate Jeanmonnot's silver continued France's strong showing in the women's biathlon.

Simon's victory has also drawn renewed focus on tensions within French biathlon, which has faced multiple ethical controversies in recent years, including threats against Jeanmonnot and allegations of equipment tampering among team members.