Biathlon: a difficult winter, despite an individual podium, for Sophie Chauveau
After two years finishing in twenty-first and then twentieth place, bornandine biathlete Sophie Chauveau was aiming this season to take a step forward in her World Cup consistency and break into the top 15 or even the top 10.
But the 25-year-old from Montblanc failed to achieve this, starting just thirteen races on the most prestigious of international circuits.
Inevitably, the results don’t live up to his expectations or his potential,” his coach Cyril Burdet told Nordic Magazine. Nevertheless, we mustn’t forget her second place in the Hochfilzen sprint. It’s a podium finish, but she’s clearly in with a chance of winning! In my opinion, she’s going to have to build on that. We know that Sophie [Chauveau] is capable of this kind of performance when everything comes together.
Physical performance below par
Sophie Chauveau put in a superb performance in the early days of December, but then failed to confirm it. Relegated to the IBU Cup after the Grand-Bornand stage (Haute-Savoie), she finally returned to the World Cup in March, but failed to shine, mainly due to illness.
“We’ll have to look back at it to understand. Physically, it seemed to me that she was a little less fresh and less competitive than last winter,” notes Cyril Burdet. Today, when you’re in the confrontation zone between the French, it’s also a position that’s not very comfortable. You also have to learn to deal with this competition, which means, mentally, you have to be ready and clear about what you want to achieve to get out of these situations.
- 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”.
