Biathlon: the joy of Lou Jeanmonnot
At midday on Saturday, Franche-Comté biathlete Lou Jeanmonnot putin a magnificent performance in the World Cup pursuit in Hochfilzen (Austria). Fourth at the start, but with a 20/20 time and the fastest pursuit time of the day, the Doubiste biathlete simply annihilated her rivals.
At the finish line, she won by more than 30 seconds over her first runner-up. All this after having eased off in the final kilometres.
Lou Jeanmonnot raised her arms for the second time this winter. “I did very well, staying focused on what I wanted and not on what the others were doing, she told Nordic Magazine after the podium finish. It was a perfect race, the likes of which are rare, so I’m enjoying it!”
At the start of this event, the native of Pontarlier (Doubs) had a plan in mind and stages to follow as the race unfolded. Above all, she wanted to be able to adapt, something she lacked last weekend in Finland.
Adaptation is the key word
“The plan was to adapt according to what was going to happen and the context, she confirms. To have a perfect race [like this one], you need all the parameters to be at their best, so it was a combination that made it possible: the glide was great, the good preparation allowed me to have the body on the skis and, when it came to shooting, I applied what I needed [to shine], adapting according to how I felt on the day behind the rifle. I’m very proud to have done it, because it’s not something you can do for yourself.”
With this success, Lou Jeanmonnot has established herself even further in the category of biathletes aiming for the big crystal globe. “I think there are fifteen contenders for the globe, that a season is very long and that a lot can happen, she says. For the moment, I’m one of those who’s got off to a good start, but we don’t know what will happen next. I’m not thinking about the globe, but rather about doing some great races one by one. It’s the yellow jersey before thinking about the globe, step by step.”
The next one will be in a few days’ time at the furious Grand-Bornand (Haute-Savoie). “It’s very special, but we’re all looking forward to it. In terms of emotions, there’s nothing more intense”, she confides. As for the public, they’re waiting impatiently.
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- “It’s like one last shot at victory, until you experience it, you don’t know what it’s like…”: during the Hochfilzen sprint, Eric Perrot will experience his first race with the yellow bib on his back…
- “There’s the Dominik Landertinger climb, which is really hard and long…”: Austria’s Anna Gandler describes the track and shooting range at Hochfilzen
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- “I’m still hungry for victory”: Johannes Thingnes Boe won the Hochfilzen sprint for the first time this season
- Hochfilzen: the photo album of Eric Perrot’s day with the yellow bib
- “It makes you want to go back to him”: Eric Perrot looks back on his Hochfilzen sprint in the yellow bib
- “I really don’t know how I managed to do that…”. when Greenland’s Sondre Slettemark, number 1 in the Hochfilzen sprint, fell on mondovision
