Biathlon: a fine first for Eric Perrot
Early on Saturday afternoon, two Frenchmen stood out in the sprint of the opening Norwegian biathlon races in Sjusjøen (Norway). Respectively fourth and fifth in the event, Eric Perrot (10/10) and Fabien Claude (9/10) made a good start to their winter in the county of Innlandet.
Faced with the impressive Norwegian armada, they responded to the challenge, finishing close to the podium and taking part in the traditional flower ceremony rewarding the top 6. Fourth, 2 tenths off the pace, Eric Perrot told La Chaîne L’Equipe in the mixed zone that his performance on skis was “OK”.
“I’m happy with my set-up today [Saturday], continued the Peiserot. I wanted to have a good, solid race and I did. There’s still a little bit missing, but I know that will come with the races. It was my first race, so I needed to get into the swing of things. It’s a good first race though, but we’re going to have to raise our game before the World Cup.”
Fabien Claude’s shooting progress needs to be confirmed
Vosgien Fabien Claude, for his part, wanted to emphasise his performance on the mats. “I’m mainly going to remember the 9/10 because in complicated conditions on the prone, I shot a 4/5 with a ball lost because of the wind, he says. I’ve shot really well throughout the preparation and now I need to put that into practice in the races. It’s happening little by little and there’s no reason why it shouldn’t continue.”
This Sunday afternoon, during the mass-start, Les Bleus will have another opportunity to test themselves against the Norwegians, this time in a head-to-head match.
- Norwegian opening races in Sjusjøen: Eric Perrot fourth in the sprint won by Vetle Sjaastad Christiansen, Fabien Claude fifth
- Tenth in the Sjusjøen sprint, Johannes Thingnes Boe is still breaking in
- Sjusjøen: Ingrid Landmark Tandrevold strongest in the sprint of the Norwegian opening races, Anastasiya Kuzmina surprisingly fourth
- A solid winner of the Sjusjøen sprint, Ingrid Landmark Tandrevold has put her mind at rest after a troubled summer.
- The full programme of Norwegian opening races at Sjusjøen in which the French will be taking part
- Norwegian opening races in Sjusjøen: who will French riders Julie Baverel, Oscar Lombardot, Fabien Claude, Eric Perrot, Quentin Fillon-Maillet and Emilien Jacquelin be up against?
- “The signs are pretty much green for everyone”: Oscar Lombardot, Fabien Claude, Eric Perrot, Quentin Fillon-Maillet and Emilien Jacquelin training on the snow at Sjusjøen
- “A real mouth-watering start to the season”: the day the French men’s team set off on their training camp in Sjusjøen
- Dorothea Wierer and the Italian men’s national team head for Sjusjøen
- Before Les Bleus arrive, Sjusjøen opens its first cross-country ski run
- Relief for Ingrid Landmark Tandrevold: the Norwegian should be ready for the races at Sjusjøen
