Biathlon: Arnaud Du Pasquier’s Swiss team on the brink in Nove Mesto
Early on Sunday afternoon, far behind the magnificent duel between France and Norway, the men’s biathlon World Cup relay in Nove Mesto (Czech Republic) could have given Switzerland a historic podium finish.
The Swiss team got the race off to a good start with Sebastian Stalder, Joscha Burkhalter and Niklas Hartweg. Between them, they completed eight picks to launch Arnaud Du Pasquier into fourth place, not far from the top 3.
A long-distance snowboarder who will switch to biathlon in the spring of 2023, the last Swiss relay runner experienced his first week on the World Cup circuit last week. Sixty-seventh in the sprint on Thursday evening, Arnaud Du Pasquier was thrown into the deep end… in one of the noisiest stadiums of the winter.
“Thanks to an outstanding performance from my teammates and a solid prone shot, I arrived at the firing point in third place, fighting for a place on the podium in the final shot,” he then wrote in a series of stories posted on Instagram. It’s hard to believe that I started this sport less than 2 years ago. To find myself in this situation on only my second World Cup start was truly a dream come true!”
“I’m really sorry, especially to my team-mates who deserved a historic result”.
Arnaud Du Pasquier came third after a prone with two picks, so he arrived on the shooting range to shoot standing up with a lead of around fifteen seconds over Ukraine, Germany and Italy. “I struggled to stand up, made too many mistakes and then lost two more places on the track to finish ninth. It’s a bitter disappointment because I know I’m capable of doing much better”, he regrets.
On this passage behind the rifle, the Swiss shot completely off target, spinning 3 times on the penalty ring. “At a crucial moment, I let doubt creep in and allowed outside elements to influence my shooting routine. It’s a process that I’ve perfected over the last two seasons. For that, I’m truly sorry, especially to my team-mates who deserved a historic result,” wrote Arnaud Du Pasquier.
Held back for this week’ s World Cup in Pokljuka (Slovenia), the 32-year-old ended his account of the day on a more positive note: “One thing is certain, though: we’ve proved that a World Cup relay podium is within our grasp. For that, I’m incredibly grateful to the whole Swiss team. But it’s not over yet. I’m going to keep working hard to make sure we get another chance to make history.
Live data from the relays
- The full programme for the Nove Mesto World Cup, the seventh stage of the 2024/2025 season
- Corinne Niogret: my best memory of… Nove Mesto
- Sophie Chauveau and Oscar Lombardot selected: the French squad for the Nove Mesto World Cup
- “Hold on to third place overall”: after his world gold medal, Eric Perrot is back in action in the World Cup in Nove Mesto.
- Nove Mesto: the start list for the men’s sprint has been changed because of the high temperatures… Eric Perrot number 1!
- Nove Mesto: Emilien Jacquelin marks his return to the limelight by winning the sprint
- Nove Mesto: on the sprint podium, Johannes Thingnes Boe comes within 10 points of Sturla Holm Lægreid in the overall standings, Emilien Jacquelin takes third place
- Emilien Jacquelin after winning the Nove Mesto sprint: “The break was good for moving on and moving forward”.
- “She wants to keep up the pressure”: in Nove Mesto and 92 points behind Franziska Preuss, Lou Jeanmonnot sets out to conquer the crystal globe.
- Nove Mesto: the start list for the women’s sprint has also been changed, with Jeanne Richard the first starter
- Nove Mesto: Ingrid Landmark Tandrevold dominates the sprint ahead of Justine Braisaz-Bouchet and Julia Simon, Lou Jeanmonnot fourth
- “I wasn’t sure I could go on”: Ingrid Landmark Tandrevold, winner in Nove Mesto, almost put an end to her career after suffering heart problems.
- Double podium for Justine Braisaz-Bouchet and Julia Simon, Lou Jeanmonnot fourth, Jeanne Richard and Océane Michelon placed: another incredible collective performance by the Bleues in Nove Mesto.
- Nove Mesto sprint: Lou Jeanmonnot closes the gap on Franziska Preuss in the overall standings with six races to go
- Nove Mesto: Jeanne Richard keeps her blue number for best U23
- “It’s not a bad race, but it’s not good for the overall result”: Franziska Preuss takes it on the chin after the sprint in Nove Mesto
- “It’s been a tough season so far? Fifth in the Nove Mesto sprint, Austria’s Lisa Theresa Hauser savours her return to the flowers
- Nove Mesto: with 20/20, Sebastian Samuelsson dominates the pursuit, Quentin Fillon-Maillet fourth
- “I’m going to enjoy this victory”: before the pursuit in Nove Mesto, Sebastian Samuelsson hadn’t won a World Cup race since December 2023.
- Nove Mesto: third in the pursuit, Johannes Thingnes Boe takes the yellow bib… for 5 points
- “It’s just incredible”: first World Cup top 10 for Oscar Lombardot, tenth in the pursuit in Nove Mesto
- Nove Mesto: Julia Simon triumphs in the pursuit ahead of Hanna Oeberg and Océane Michelon, Lou Jeanmonnot again fourth
- “I have fewer distracting thoughts, I’m totally there”: how Julia Simon, winner of the Nove Mesto pursuit, explains her return to the top of the World Cup standings
- Nove Mesto: before Pokljuka, Lou Jeanmonnot moves back to within 36 points of Franziska Preuss in the overall standings
- “It’s very satisfying”: after her world medal, Océane Michelon takes her first World Cup podium in Nove Mesto
- Nove Mesto: Jeanne Richard retains the blue bib of best U23… 2 lengths ahead of Océane Michelon
- “I finally feel like I’m where I want to be”: Hanna Oeberg made a fine comeback in the Nove Mesto pursuit
- “I don’t really know what to say”: Franziska Preuss can’t explain the three mistakes she made in the first leg of the pursuit in Nove Mesto
- Nove Mesto: the day has arrived for the French men’s team to win its first relay globe since 2012
- Nove Mesto: Emilien Claude, Oscar Lombardot, Fabien Claude and Quentin Fillon-Maillet give France a memorable 5/5 in the relays this season
- Nove Mesto: the French team wins the crystal globe in the relay, as it did in 2012
- For his last World Cup relay, Johannes Thingnes Boe lost his footing on his standing shot
- “I don’t really realise yet that this is my first World Cup victory”: Oscar Lombardot took the top step of the podium in the Nove Mesto relay.
- Nove Mesto: Ukraine, third in the men’s relay, return to the podium 5 years after the last one
- Nove Mesto: France’s Lou Jeanmonnot, Océane Michelon, Justine Braisaz-Bouchet and Julia Simon dominate the final relay of the winter season
- Nove Mesto: the French women’s relay team wins the small globe for the fourth time after 2007, 2012 and 2023
- A historic double for Les Bleus in Nove Mesto: Ruhpolding 1994 and Antholz 2012, the other two times France has won the men’s and women’s relays in the same World Cup stage.
- “We’ll have a full quota”: Cyril Burdet confirms that France will be sending nine girls to the World Cup finals in Oslo-Holmenkollen
