Biathlon: a good stage over for Emilien Claude
On Sunday, Emilien Claude from Bassur was, in a way, back to the professional biathlete he was until early September , when a nasty herniated disc brought him to a screeching halt. He underwent emergency surgery in Innsbruck (Austria), and has been patient ever since, concentrating on his rehabilitation exercises.
The signs were soon positive. “Everything seems to be going well for him. He’s ahead of schedule, so that’s good for the future,” said his coach Simon Fourcade in our columns two weeks later. He’s very aware of what could have happened and of the deadlines that could have been longer, and it’s going rather well. He’s relieved about that and it augurs well for the future if he sticks to the reathletisation protocol that will follow.
On Sunday, Emilien Claude was given the green light to get back on his skis and wheels on the slopes of Seefeld (Austria). Everything was fine and painless, so I’m happy from that point of view,” he explained to Nordic Magazine. I was able to roller ski and, at the same time, shoot standing up. Earlier in the week, I had also resumed prone shooting.
“The aim now is to arrive at the start of the Geilo course, eight weeks after the operation, at 100% to be able to resume the intensities on snow”.
So things are moving in the right direction for the 26-year-old from the Vosges, the reigning world relay vice-champion, who is continuing his programme with his Austrian in-laws. The next step is going to be to do more and more roller skiing, slowly to stabilise things,” he continues. The aim is to resume biathlon with the rifle on his back in ten days’ time.
At the same time, Emilien Claude, who could be returning to France in a week’s time, says he does “two cycling intensities a week” and continues his rehabilitation exercises, which are “increasingly demanding and specific for his back”.
That’s how he manages to put in a good week’s training. I was at 15 hours last week,” he says. That’s 75% of what the others are doing, so that’s great. The aim now is to arrive at the start of the Geilo training camp, eight weeks after the operation, at 100% so that I can resume the intensity on snow. That will give me the whole of November to fine-tune my preparation before the start of the World Cup.
- Bassurois Emilien Claude is out of action after undergoing surgery for a herniated disc and will miss next week’s training camp in Antholz.
- Emilien Claude tells Nordic Magazine after his herniated disc operation: “If I manage to take the start of the first World Cup, it will already be a victory”.
- “He’s ahead of schedule”: Simon Fourcade, coach of the French team, gives news of Emilien Claude, who recently underwent surgery for a herniated disc in Austria.
