Julia Simon Wins Gold Medal Just Months After Being Found Guilty Of Credit Card Fraud

From credit card fraud to a gold medal at the 2026 Winter Olympics, Julia Simon has turned her life around completely.

Simon won the gold medal in the 15-kilometer individual biathlon event. This event combines cross-country skiing with precision rifle shooting. Simon represents Team France.

In October 2025, Simon was found guilty of using teammate Justine Braisaz-Bouchet’s credit card to make purchases totaling more than 2,000 euros ($2,300). She received a three-month prison sentence and was fined 15,000 euros ($17,800). 

The French Ski Federation suspended her for six months. This suspension was pushed back by five months so that she’d still be eligible for the Olympics. 

Simon finished in 21st place in the 15-kilometer individual biathlon event in the 2022 Winter Olympics. She won a silver medal in the mixed relay biathlon event. This event has men and women on the same team, with tags between teammates throughout the event. 

Team France also won this event in 2026, with Simon once again participating in the mixed relay. 

She also competed for Team France in the women’s relay event in the 2022 Olympics. Simon and Bouchet, along with Anais Bescond and Anais Chevalier-Bouchet, finished in sixth place. The two Bouchets are not related.

Lou Jeanmonnot won a silver Medal in the 15-kilometer biathlon event at the 2026 Winter Olympics for Team France. Lora Hristova of Team Bulgaria took home the bronze medal.  

Simon will compete in the 12.5-kilometer mass start event on Feb. 21. In this event, competitors start at the same time and ski and shoot while watching their opponents’ progress. Simon finished sixth in this event at the 2022 Winter Olympics.