Biathlon: Gilonne Guigonnat caught in the French density trap
During the 2024/2025 season, Gilonne Guigonnat was not able to express herself in the World Cup as she would have liked. She was present on the most prestigious of circuits for the first two stages thanks to the extra quota, but was forced to withdraw – despite a top 10 finish in the pursuit – before the games organised in Le Grand-Bornand (Haute-Savoie).
“She found herself in this competitive zone where she had to perform to maintain or regain her place in the World Cup. As with Sophie Chauveau, it was also a complex situation for her to deal with psychologically,” her coach Cyril Burdet explained to Nordic Magazine.
Relegated to the IBU Cup, Gilonne Guigonnat shone there with four podium finishes , including three wins. But the door to a return to the World Cup didn’t open… except at a time when she was coming back from a nasty bout of flu and wasn’t at 100% fitness.
“From a sporting point of view, it’s far from disappointing, but it falls short of his objectives”.
“For me, she started the season really well. Physically, she was quite ready, but then she had a bit of bad luck with an illness and then a loss of performance at the same time as her selection for the Worlds,” continues Cyril Burdet. As a result, it’s obviously been a disappointing winter for her, even though I have the feeling that she was much stronger at the start of the season than she was last year.
“She’s in the bandwagon of girls who would be first-choice players in the World Cup in any other team. Today, she finds herself in a situation where she has to play hard. From a sporting point of view, it’s far from disappointing, but it’s below her objectives,” concludes her coach.
- Cyril Burdet talks to Nordic Magazine about the French women’s excellent 2024/2025 season: “Everyone’s making a contribution”.
- Julia Simon’s 2024/2025 season as seen by Cyril Burdet: “Her ability to bounce back and cope with difficulty is incredible”.
- Eric Perrot’s 2024/2025 season as seen by Simon Fourcade: “He’s really a very mature person, and he’s continuing to chart his course”.
- Cyril Burdet on Océane Michelon’s 2024/2025 season: “She’s undoubtedly the revelation of the winter”.
- Simon Fourcade’s view of Emilien Jacquelin’s 2024/2025 season: “This is the third year in a row that he has struggled to achieve at the World Championships”.
- Cyril Burdet on Justine Braisaz-Bouchet’s 2024/2025 season: “What I remember is her ability to be there on D-Day for a major championship”.
- Fabien Claude’s 2024/2025 season as seen by Simon Fourcade: “We managed to raise his level in the sprints”.
- Jeanne Richard’s 2024/2025 season as seen by Cyril Burdet: “She built her winter on exceptional shooting stats”.
- Quentin Fillon-Maillet’s 2024/2025 season as seen by Simon Fourcade: “It’s great to get an athlete like him back to the top”.
- Lou Jeanmonnot’s 2024/2025 season as seen by Cyril Burdet: “The last 500 metres of the winter must be included in the assessment, but we mustn’t forget everything that was done before”.
- Simon Fourcade on Emilien Claude’s 2024/2025 season: “It’s great to know that we can rely on a fifth boy of his quality”.
- Sophie Chauveau’s 2024/2025 season as seen by Cyril Burdet: “The balance sheet doesn’t live up to her expectations or her potential”.
- Oscar Lombardot’s 2024/2025 season as seen by Simon Fourcade: “From the moment he came back, he immediately performed well”.
- Paula Botet’s 2024/2025 season as seen by Cyril Burdet: “Her winning comeback at Oberhof was quite incredible”.
