French woman convicted of stealing teammate's credit card takes gold in individual biathlon

The 2026 Winter Olympics in Milan gives athletes a chance to achieve their ultimate goal of winning a medal for their home countries. There are numerous training and obstacles to overcome both before and during their quests for Olympic glory. 

For French biathlete Julia Simon, that includes overcoming theft and credit card charges just last year. On Wednesday, Simon won the gold medal in the women's 15k biathlon, finishing with a time of 41:15.6, in front of her fellow teammate, Lou Jeanmonnot and Lora Hristova of Bulgaria. 

But just four months ago, Simon, who has won three gold medals over two Olympic games, was found guilty of theft and credit card fraud charges for using her teammate's bank card. As wild as the story sounds, it is as real as it gets. 

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Who is Julia Simon?

Julia Simon is a biathlete from Albertville, France, who is 29 years old. She has been competing for the French national team since 2018, and has won 16 medals in World Cup and Olympic events, an impressive 12 of them being gold. 

While her athletic achievements are impressive by itself, Simon gained notoriety for her involvement in using one of her teammate's, Justine Braisaz-Bouchet, and a staff member's bank cards to make purchases of over 2,000 Euro (about $2373.23 in U.S. Dollars.) back in 2022. While it is unclear what was purchased, one user on Reddit stated a German newspaper reported the purchases were for Go Pros while the team was in a festival in Norway. 

Julia Simon conviction

In October 2025, Simon was convicted of the charges, and sentenced to a three-month suspended prison sentence. According to Le Monde, Simon admitted to making the charges and apologized to the victims: 

"I can't explain it. I don't remember doing it. I can't make sense of it," Simon said during the hearing, as quoted by the local newspaper Le Dauphiné Libéré. Simon was also fined €15,000 ($17,450) after she admitted the thefts during the hearing and offered apologies to the victims, local media reported.

The French ski federation said, in a statement, that it took note of the court's ruling and that its disciplinary commission would meet as soon as possible "to determine any disciplinary action at the federation level." Following the ruling, the French federation could find itself under pressure to leave Simon off the Olympic team. It said it will continue, "as it has since the case first came to light, to take all necessary measures to protect the interests of the athletes, the coaching staff, and the team environment."

According to the Sweden Herald, Simon initially denied the allegations.

"There were no economic motives for my actions," Simon said via Dauphiné Libéré. Today I'm just taking it one day at a time, because standing before you will have consequences for my career. It was ridiculous and stupid, because I didn't need it." 

Simon received a six-month ban from the sport, including five months suspended. As a result, Simon could not participate in the Nov. 2025 World Cup events. But thanks to the biathlon disciplinary unit BIU not imposing an additional penalty on Julia Simon, she was eligible for the Olympics in Milan.  

“Now, I’d like to be left alone, honestly, because I read some things last night that weren’t pleasant,” Simon told Eurosport via The Times after winning gold. “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.

“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. So please, stop, whether it’s the media or the public. It would be really appreciated by everyone.”

Simon did participate alongside her teammate whose credit card she used, Braisaz-Bouchet. She finished 80th on Wednesday.  

MORE: Why Norwegian biathlon Olympian is having 'worst week of his life' after cheating scandal

What is the biathlon? 

The biathlon is one of the most challenging and arduous events in the Winter Games, as it combines rifle shooting with cross-country skiing. During each lap on the biathlon track, athletes undergo shooting tests, one standing and one in the prone position with five shots, although the number of attempts can change based on the specialty. 

The targets have variable diameters of anywhere from 45 mm for shooting in the prone position, 115 mm for standing, and a missed target results in a penalty. Penalties can include an extra loop around the track or a minute added to an athlete's time.