With Austria's Dominik Landertinger claiming the bronze, Martin Fourcade blew his chance of becoming the most successful French Olympian ever.
Fourcade needed the win to become the first ever Frenchman with four Olympic titles to his name, but inexplicably missed his last two shots.
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"I don't know what happened at that last station. My mind wasn't clear enough, I guess. I didn't have any outside thoughts, I wasn't afraid to finish the job, I just wasn't prepared enough", Fourcade said after the race. "F***ing sports! But that's why we love it so much!" he added later on Twitter.
Reactions ranged from compassionate to light-hearted to downright disrespectful.