Vincent Jay

French biathlete Vincent Jay is best known for his gold-medal-winning performance at the 2010 Winter Olympics in Vancouver. He took first prize in the sprint race and also finished third in the pursuit to take the bronze medal. He had not been considered as a medal contender by many, and this, coupled with the fact that his gold medal was the first for his country at that year’s Games, brought intense media attention that took him by surprise and wasn’t to his liking. He retired from competitive skiing two years later, becoming the director of the Val d’Isere Sports Club in southeastern France in 2014.

Jay was born in Saint-Martin-de-Belleville, a region of the French Alps, in May 1985. Unsurprisingly given his surroundings, Jay took up skiing at a young age. He first made an international impression at the Junior World Championships in the mid-2000s, winning a relay silver in 2005 and a silver and bronze in 2006. He achieved his sole Biathlon World Cup race victory in 2009 and also competed at the first of three World Championships he would attend. His victory at the 2010 Winter Olympics took many by surprise but it was all down to his talent and self-belief. Despite his early retirement from competition, he remains committed to the sport that helped to make his name.