Milan Cortina 2026, Emilien Jacquelin racing in memory of Marco Pantani

Great cycling fan, French biathlete Émilien Jacquelin will take part in the Olympic races with a meaningful object: an earring that belonged to Marco Pantani. A heartfelt tribute to the man who ignited in him a passion for the sport.

“For the duration of the Games I will wear Marco’s earring. His family lent it to me, so I will be able to compete with him ideally by my side, right here in Italy” wrote Jacquelin, a two-time silver medalist in the relay at the Beijing 2022 Games.

“This earring, a hallmark that made him unique, represents not only Marco, but a way of understanding competition: boldness, courage, the desire to attack when no one else does” he explained. “As a child my father bought the videotape of the 1998 Tour de France. From that moment I never stopped admiring the Pirate. I wanted to be like him: not only to win, but to thrill and excite. To do something spectacular. To be bold”.

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With three podium finishes this season in individual races, Jacquelin is now aiming for his first personal Olympic medal in Antholz, a location also special to his childhood friend Nans Peters, a stage winner at the 2019 Giro d’Italia.

“On my Pantani Channel Instagram page I post a photo of the Pirate every week as an old ‘boomer’ always getting incredible numbers. Messages reach me from all over the world, often more from abroad than from Italy. Among them was a French guy who wrote to me often: I looked at his profile and found out that he was a five-time biathlon world champion with two Olympic medals”.

The Pirate is a young man from France.

So, as he told “Repubblica,” was born the friendship between Jacquelin and Sergio Piumetto, who from Roreto di Cherasco has been carrying out initiatives dedicated to the Romagna champion for nearly two decades, from the monument on the Col du Galibier to celebrate the 1998 feat to the YouTube Pantani Channel, full of video testimonials. A bond of esteem that has led to one of the most symbolic gestures in the run-up to Milan Cortina 2026: the delivery of a Pantani earring to the French biathlete, who will wear it for two weeks on the snows of Alto Adige thanks to the intercession of parents Tonina Pantani and Paolo Pantani.