Hugo Lapalus: Olympic relay silver — “One day we can be first”

Hugo Lapalus, silver medallist in cross‑country with the French relay: “One day we can be first”

Galvanized by the relay silver on Sunday, Hugo Lapalus paid tribute to the whole French team and hopes Les Bleus will soon topple Norway.

By Quentin Coldefy — Val di Fiemme (Italy) — published 15 February 2026 at 18:13

Hugo Lapalus, the second leg of the French team that won Olympic silver on Sunday, said: “The relay is a story that continues. It means a lot to the whole team and the staff. It’s too important. Today we changed the medal’s colour and it makes us so happy. We will keep training to go and look for gold one day. It’s a team medal with a capital T. Sharing it makes everything a thousand times more beautiful. It’s a chance to be able to put many people in many different places. We have a competitive team and we have a big thought for those who could also have been here. It’s historic. What Mathis does galvanizes us and shows it’s possible. Seeing that we are the second nation, that we play with the Norwegians and that there is no longer this thought before races that it’s impossible and that we must be content with second… One day, we can be first. We will continue every day in training to go get gold. What we’re living is incredible and it does so much good for French cross‑country skiing. I hope it will make more people want to follow the sport. We have a super‑motivated team with fire in their bellies. We have beautiful years ahead of us.”

Mathis Desloges added: “It’s by far my most beautiful medal because it’s shared with the three teammates and everyone behind this French team and everyone we train with every day. It represents much more than four people doing a race and it’s an honour to wear it around the neck.”

Victor Lovera said: “I was a bit scared before starting. Finishing an Olympic relay carries a lot of pressure, especially when it’s your first. I skied a bit with fear, I went out fast. But in the end it’s silver. Carrying the French flag in the final metres, seeing the team, sharing that with them and the crowd — it’s a lot of emotion.”

Coach Thibaut Chêne: “We had outlined the race plan. We had to stay in contact in the classic. Legs 1 and 2 were so hard. The classic track didn’t grip, it was tricky. Our two classic skiers are the unsung workers. They’re like the forwards in a XV, Kanté‑Matuidi in 2018. They did the dirty work. It was an exceptional fight in classic. Then we knew we had an asset in the third leg, on a hard course with two big climbs. That leg could be raced flat out like an individual. Mathis forced fate, he turned the match the right way. Then it was necessary to put the ball in the net with Victor Lovera. It was perfect.”

The French quartet’s silver in Val di Fiemme comes behind Norway, and Lapalus insisted the French belief has changed: they no longer only aim to be satisfied with second — the target is gold in the future. The performance is presented as a collective milestone for French cross‑country skiing and a possible catalyst to attract more followers to the sport.

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Photo captions and additional notes in the original: Mathis Desloges finished 5 seconds behind Johannes Klæbo in the 10 km free earlier in the week; quotes and reactions from teammates and staff were included. (Content geo‑restricted to France on L'Équipe.)