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By Tyler Erzberger
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When you think of the Olympic Games, what are the first things to come to mind?
The spirit. The integrity. The heart.
You imagine those heartwarming moments when an underdog stands on the podium next to a generational athlete, sharing the same spotlight after their wildly different journeys to get there.
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It's the sportsmanship. Someone falls during a race, and another Olympian comes over to help them up.
It's the camaraderie of teammates. Like when one member of a team steals another's credit cards, is convicted of theft, and is sentenced to prison.
Wait, what?
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French biathlon champion Julia Simon was found guilty of theft and credit card fraud over three months ago in a scandal for the ages.
Simon, a 10-time world champion, was accused and convicted of stealing the information of teammate Justine Braisaz-Bouchet and another French staff member to purchase items online. She stole more than $2,300 from the French team.
“I can’t explain it," she said during the hearing. "I don’t remember doing it. I can’t make sense of it."
Simon was fined over $15,000 for the charge and received a three-month suspended prison sentence.
But on Wednesday, the French thief stole another valuable possession: a gold medal.
Simon won the 15km individual biathlon race in Milan, while viewers, both in person and online, wondered why she should be allowed to compete following her conviction.
Her countryman, Lou Jeanmonnot, came in second for the silver medal.
After her gold medal win, Simon was clear with her message to anyone criticizing her participation at the Olympic Games.
“Now, I’d like to be left alone, honestly, because I read some things last night that weren’t pleasant," she told Eurosport.
“I proved I belong here today, and I had even proven myself before. I don’t have anything left to prove to anyone, and now I’d like to be left alone to do my biathlon. The past is behind us within the team. We’ve talked things through. Now, we’re here to win medals, to do biathlon."
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