Julia Simon is back in the spotlight, and this time, it's for all the right reasons.
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The French biathlon star captured her second gold medal of the 2026 Winter Olympics on Wednesday, dominating the women's 15km individual event with a time of 41:15.6 and only one missed shot. She edged out teammate Lou Jeanmonnot, who claimed silver, while Bulgaria's Lora Hristova took bronze.
Simon's closing lap was pure ice, capitalizing on a disastrous double miss from Germany's Franziska Preuß, who dropped from gold medal position to ninth.
But this Olympic story has way more layers than just another podium finish.
Back in October, Simon was handed a three-month suspended jail sentence after pleading guilty to stealing credit cards from teammate Justine Braisaz-Bouchet and a staff member. She blew over $2,300 on online purchases and told a French court, "I can't explain it. I don't remember doing it."
The French Ski Federation fined her over $34,000 but structured the punishment to allow her to compete in World Cup events — and ultimately, these Games.
With two golds in Milan-Cortina and a massive redemption arc unfolding in real time, Simon has gone from scandal to stardom in less than six months.
And the Internet's eating up every second of it.
