The 7-time world champion collided with a rival at the start of the Biathlon World Cup relay. Both fell into the snow. Video

During the first lap of the mixed relay at the Biathlon World Championships in Lenzerheide, Switzerland, seven-time world champion Julia Simon collided with Swedish athlete Anna Magnusson. The 28-year-old Frenchwoman got her skis caught in Magnusson's while going downhill, and both of them fell into the snow.

The fall was without serious consequences, although both Julia and Anna experienced technical problems. The Frenchwoman lost both poles, and the Swede's skis broke. Despite this, Simone was able to quickly recover and give the French team the lead in the shooting.

"I was just skiing calmly next to her, but I hit a mound of snow. The track is very difficult, the skis are sinking a lot. My left foot hit the right, and I fell right on top of the Swede. This has happened before," Simon told Nordicmag.

After the finish, the athletes discussed the incident but came to different conclusions.

"I feel bad about this situation. But I'm glad I was able to continue the race after the fall, which knocked me out of my rhythm. I don't feel like I made a mistake. We talked, but we remained at our own opinions. That's what happens in sports," Simon emphasized.

Anna Magnusson also told SVT Sport that she did not consider herself guilty: "It is very unfortunate that this happened. But I don't think it's my fault."

Julia Simon admitted that she was worried about a possible protest from the Swedish team.

"I feel sorry for them, but they made mistakes on the second leg of the relay. Starting a relay is a responsibility, and when something goes wrong, it's unpleasant. I didn't want to put a spoke in their wheel, but you have to be able to handle the hard stuff. If they protest, it's part of the sport, and I don't see a problem with that," Simon concluded.

We would like to remind you that at the World Championships in Switzerland, the Ukrainian team of Iryna Petrenko, Khrystyna Dmytrenko, Anton Dudchenko and Dmytro Pidruchnyi used 5 extra rounds and took the final eighth place in the mixed relay.

Only verified information is available on our Telegram channel OBOZ.UA and Viber. Do not fall for fakes!