Biathlon: Amandine Mengin heads for the World Cup
In a week’s time, Amandine Mengin will be in Oslo (Norway). In the Norwegian capital, the 20-year-old biathlete will discover the World Cup circuit at the legendaryHolmenkollen stadium (Norway).
The Vosges native owes her selection to her honorary title of best athlete at the U22 world championships in Östersund (Sweden). “After my first two races, a second and a third place, I said to myself that this was it! But that didn’t mean I started calculating, because that would have been pointless, she tells Nordic Magazine. After that, I finished fourth in the mass-start, but Sara [Andersson] won and I thought it was dead”.
However, in the family group of a famous instant messenger, her family quickly alerted her with the good news. “My parents started sending me all the calculations and it came to 195 points for me against 193 for her, so I was 2 points ahead, recalls the Bressaude. I was happy, but there was still the question of whether the Federation would give me the opportunity to go.”
His parents will be in Oslo for his debut on the big stage
It was only a few hours before the French Ski Federation (FFS) made her selection official that Amandine Mengin learned that her quota would be activated.
“If someone had said that to me at the start of the season, I would have said it wasn’t a funny joke… But, of course, I’m very happy about this opportunity, she enthuses. It’s going to be a big discovery and I’ll be gaining a lot of experience. I don’t really realise what’s going to happen and who I’ll be racing with! It’s a circuit that I idealise, so we’ll see what happens. What’s more, it’s not just any World Cup final: it’s Oslo and the retirement of the Boe brothers… There are so many factors that make this the perfect year!”
Amandine Mengin, whose departure for Norway is set for Monday, makes no secret of her apprehension just a few days away: “I have no idea what to expect. Of course I’m scared because I’m going to be arriving in a totally unknown environment. There are people I know, from near and far, and I’m going to be relying on them for everything because I’m going to be completely lost!”
The Vosges native’s other points of reference will be in the stands, as her parents will be making the trip. “That was an argument for going on holiday,” she laughs.
- Top athlete at the Junior World Championships in Östersund, Amandine Mengin wins a quota for the World Cup finals in Oslo-Holmenkollen
- “She’s going back to France to recover from the World Cup and prepare for this event”: Amandine Mengin is set to discover the World Cup in Oslo-Holmenkollen
