Biathlon: Damien Levet wants to discover the World Cup
Last December, Damien Levet was a well-informed spectator, accompanied by cross-country skier Julia Pierrel and snowboarder Léo Le Blé Jaques, as he watched the biathlon world cup in Grand-Bornand (Haute-Savoie) with stars in his eyes. A member of the local ski club, he could well see himself discovering the most prestigious of international circuits to experience this kind of event as an actor.
My goal for the winter is to be on the international circuit,” the 24-year-old from Annecy (Haute-Savoie) told Nordic Magazine at the beginning of November. The World Cup is a bit closed, but it’s always in the back of my mind. We’ll take whatever we can get, but discovering the World Cup circuit is still the big goal.
He added that if he didn’t manage to get a ticket to compete against the best biathletes in the world, he would aim for “ podium finishes in the IBU Cup ” as his “second goal of the season”.“ At the end of last season, I was very close to that in the last two stages,” he says.
“Inevitably, there’s stress and apprehension” before the Bessans selections
Since then, Damien Levet has been enjoying an ideal summer’s preparation with the French B team. In a week’s time, the Haut-Savoyard will be playing for his place in the IBU Cup at the selections in Bessans (Savoie). This is bound to be an important and decisive stage in his bid to fulfil his ambitious goals.
“Of course, there’s stress and apprehension. But I’ve got a bit of experience in this area, having managed to get a ticket in the two previous years,” he analyses. These are races where you have to be there from the start of the season. It’s not easy because you don’t have many races to prove yourself and your body isn’t really up to speed yet.
Raced on a Savoyard site that he says he “adores” thanks to its“fairly flat profile where you need to be quite powerful”, the selection races will give Damien Levet some initial answers about his form.
- Damien Levet talks to Nordic Magazine after his return to the French team: “It was a relief when I found out”.
- Bessans: Martin Botet wins the mass-start of the selections at the finish ahead of Mathieu Garcia, Damien Levet third
- Prémanon: French Cup sprint for an impressive Antonin Guigonnat, Edgar Geny and Damien Levet on the podium
- IBU Cup Otepää: Isak Frey dominates the sprint ahead of Vetle Sjaastad Christiansen and Johannes Dale-Skjevdal, Damien Levet top 10
- Otepää: Johan-Olav Botn wins the last IBU Cup pursuit of the winter, Damien Levet and Théo Guiraud-Poillot in the top 10
- IBU Cup Otepää: Johan-Olav Botn wins the sprint, Damien Levet and Théo Guiraud-Poillot in the top 10
- Otepää: the Germans win the IBU Cup mixed relay, France’s Damien Levet, Gaëtan Paturel, Célia Henaff and Paula Botet second
- Autrans: SC Grand-Bornand, with Sam Perrillat-Collomb, Victor Lafrasse, Judicaël Perrillat-Bottonet and Damien Levet, French men’s 2025 club champions
- Damien Levet, a winter of 2024/2025 between satisfaction and disappointment: “It wasn’t easy to go through the French Cup and the selections again”.
- Three races in four days, two sprints and a mass-start: the programme and dates for the traditional FFS selections in Bessans.
- The full list of biathletes invited to take part in the FFS selections in Bessans on 15, 16 and 18 November
