Émilien Jacquelin to make professional cycling debut

Olympic and World Champion biathlete Émilien Jacquelin is set to make his professional cycling debut this week with the Decathlon CMA CGM Team. The 31-year-old French athlete, who has won four Olympic medals and five World Championships in biathlon, joined the team's development program earlier this year.

After recovering from a fractured collarbone sustained during a training crash in May, Jacquelin will compete in two French races: La Polynormande on August 16, followed by the Tour du Limousin from August 18-21. Jacquelin expressed his desire to explore new challenges at the highest level of cycling while utilizing the team's professional structure and training methods.

The transition follows a trend of successful multi-sport athletes moving into professional cycling, such as Florian Lipowitz, who transitioned from biathlon to the World Tour and a Tour de France podium.